Stoumont is a village in the province of Liège, beautifully located about a hundred meters above the Amblève. The church is our starting point.

Text and photo Mark Dedapper

We climb 200 m higher to the peat bog ‘Fagne de la Vecquée’ and discover several smaller peat areas being restored along the way. The Vecquée, which we follow for a short while, is a historic road from the Gallo-Roman period. The descent initially leads us through dense spruce forest but offers wide views of the valley further on. In the southern loop, a beautiful narrow path takes us through mixed forest alongside ‘Le Congo,’ a steep slope above the Amblève. The name refers to the landscape along the Congo River in Central Africa and was given by workers who laid the railway line through the valley in the 19th century.

Pasar 2021/7-8 – Last route check 2021/4

The route

Start: Parking by Stoumont church – TEC bus stop 142 ‘Stoumont Eglise’. Depart in a northern direction and follow the blue rectangle to point A. 100 m past the town hall, turn right (also regional GR). At the end of the asphalt path, turn left onto a wider road. You continue to ascend through the hamlet of Roua and follow the clear blue signs. After 500 m, at house number 52, turn left and leave the asphalt. At the end of the road (crucifix), turn left. 70 m further, just before a high transmission mast with an outbuilding, you arrive at point A. Here, take the initially unclear path to the right (yellow walk in the opposite direction). Cross a wider forest road and go straight ahead. You enter a moist peat area. At a fork, follow the right path. At a hexagonal sign, take the narrow unclear path to the right. Ignore 2 boardwalk paths and turn left onto a wide forest road. At the next intersection, turn left. Continue to follow the main road and ignore side roads. At a transverse road, follow right again the blue rectangle. You arrive in the hamlet of Monthouet (1). At a T-junction, turn right again. 1 km further, you reach the Fagnes de la Vecquée (2) and pass Croix Honnay (3). At the end of the peat, you leave the GR and turn right over the Vecquée (4). After 600 m, turn right again along the edge of the peat. After this, you enter a spruce forest. At a T-junction, after a fairly steep descent, turn right. You now continue to descend into the valley with beautiful views. Carefully follow the blue rectangle. After 1.5 km, where the blue signs go right with a view of the church, you arrive at point B. // By going right, you can shorten the walk by 3.5 km - after 500 m, you reach the village opposite the church. // Continue straight without signs. At the N633, turn left for a moment, and 50 m further, before a bench, take the narrow path to the right. From here, follow the red rectangle to the endpoint. On the left, you will notice the towers of the Château de Froidcour (5). 200 m further, turn right (also regional GR). You are now walking through ‘Le Congo’ (6) along the flank of the steep slope above the Amblève. 2 km further, you have another steep ascent through the meadows ahead. Follow the red signs closely here. Once in the village, you come onto asphalt and continue to follow red until you reach the N633, where you turn right and after 200 m reach the parking area.

Stoumont is a village in the province of Liège, beautifully located about a hundred meters above the Amblève. The church is our starting point.

Text and photo Mark Dedapper

We climb 200 m higher to the peat bog ‘Fagne de la Vecquée’ and discover several smaller peat areas being restored along the way. The Vecquée, which we follow for a short while, is a historic road from the Gallo-Roman period. The descent initially leads us through dense spruce forest but offers wide views of the valley further on. In the southern loop, a beautiful narrow path takes us through mixed forest alongside ‘Le Congo,’ a steep slope above the Amblève. The name refers to the landscape along the Congo River in Central Africa and was given by workers who laid the railway line through the valley in the 19th century.

Pasar 2021/7-8 – Last route check 2021/4

The route

Start: Parking by Stoumont church – TEC bus stop 142 ‘Stoumont Eglise’. Depart in a northern direction and follow the blue rectangle to point A. 100 m past the town hall, turn right (also regional GR). At the end of the asphalt path, turn left onto a wider road. You continue to ascend through the hamlet of Roua and follow the clear blue signs. After 500 m, at house number 52, turn left and leave the asphalt. At the end of the road (crucifix), turn left. 70 m further, just before a high transmission mast with an outbuilding, you arrive at point A. Here, take the initially unclear path to the right (yellow walk in the opposite direction). Cross a wider forest road and go straight ahead. You enter a moist peat area. At a fork, follow the right path. At a hexagonal sign, take the narrow unclear path to the right. Ignore 2 boardwalk paths and turn left onto a wide forest road. At the next intersection, turn left. Continue to follow the main road and ignore side roads. At a transverse road, follow right again the blue rectangle. You arrive in the hamlet of Monthouet (1). At a T-junction, turn right again. 1 km further, you reach the Fagnes de la Vecquée (2) and pass Croix Honnay (3). At the end of the peat, you leave the GR and turn right over the Vecquée (4). After 600 m, turn right again along the edge of the peat. After this, you enter a spruce forest. At a T-junction, after a fairly steep descent, turn right. You now continue to descend into the valley with beautiful views. Carefully follow the blue rectangle. After 1.5 km, where the blue signs go right with a view of the church, you arrive at point B. // By going right, you can shorten the walk by 3.5 km - after 500 m, you reach the village opposite the church. // Continue straight without signs. At the N633, turn left for a moment, and 50 m further, before a bench, take the narrow path to the right. From here, follow the red rectangle to the endpoint. On the left, you will notice the towers of the Château de Froidcour (5). 200 m further, turn right (also regional GR). You are now walking through ‘Le Congo’ (6) along the flank of the steep slope above the Amblève. 2 km further, you have another steep ascent through the meadows ahead. Follow the red signs closely here. Once in the village, you come onto asphalt and continue to follow red until you reach the N633, where you turn right and after 200 m reach the parking area.