What happens if you are free from work for three days in winter with temperatures up to -9°? Well, we decided to explore Dinant anyway, ice cold but the result was amazing… It’s something else to visit sights in the snow. One thing not many people are as crazy as us, so we had the empire mostly to ourselves…
1. General information
Dinant is the perfect base for exploring the Ardenne and its surroundings. The town itself is located next to the Meuse and is known for its characteristically high mansions even higher church and there behind a beautiful rock formation with the citadel on top. You will immediately be immersed in the authentic atmosphere and beautiful nature of the region. No wonder that it is already known as a tourist attraction and perfect base to explore the area. Nevertheless, I would recommend to explore the region with a car, unless you only stay in Dinant then you get here perfectly by train.
2. Things to see/do in the Dinant Region?
2.1 The Wizard’s Cabin (Namur)
When I was looking for hidden gems here in Belgium I came across this Wizard’s Cabin. The location was perfect considering it was on our way to Dinant, unfortunately, I cannot give the exact location of this hidden gem as it is a private domain. The thing I can tell you is that it is located near Namur, we didn’t know anymore either. We started a search on google earth and through collaboration with my partner in crime, we had a suspicion about where it was located. Yet it remains a risk because you are never 100% sure, but we went for it. We parked the car and walked through a meadow and a forest. Here we even encountered a wild deer. After half an hour of walking, we arrived at the destination and we were right, there it was the wizard’s cabin.
The story goes that there was once an American who was traveling in this area, he found the location so beautiful that he asked the owner to build a house from recovered material. So that when he comes back he could stay there, given the arrangement that it still remained the property of the owner, he agreed, but Strangely the American never came back.
(Source: World Wanderista)
2.2. Château de Crupet
Crupet, what a beautiful village, located on the way to Dinant, you would almost forget that you are in Belgium. One of the most famous sights here is ‘Chateau de Crupet’. This castle was probably built at the beginning of the 13th century, originally it consisted of a donjon surrounded by a deep moat, which belonged to the count of Luxembourg. Later on, other buildings were soon added. When it fell into the hands of the Carondelet family in 1549, they added a protruding story with a pyramid-shaped roof. She also expanded it into a castle farm. The property was in noble hands for a long time until it was bought in 1925 by the architect Adrien Blomme. Today it is owned by a Dutch family and there is a catering facility on the site.
Location: 50.3498960, 4.9595333
2.3. Château fort de Montaigle
The road from Crupet to Montaigle was enchanting, a road through the forest next to a river with an old bridge here and there all at once, and all this covered with a nice layer of snow. As I say enchanting road to Château fort de Montaigle. In the beautiful valley of the Molignée, traces of human presence of at least 7000 BC were found and between 250 and 400 AD this high rock was a shelter for the Gallo Roman population. The castle itself was not built until 1309 by Gwijde van Namen. Unfortunately, the year 1554 will be fatal for the castle. When the French army under King Henry II plundered and set fire to the abandoned castle. There is even a legend that the treasure of Montaigle can still be found somewhere in the castle.
Since 1965 it has been owned by the Belgian state, nowadays it is operated and maintained by the association “Les Amis de Montaigle”. On weekends the castle is open from 1 pm to 6 pm and during the week from 11 am to 4 pm.
Location: 50.2922777, 4.8165393
2.4. Fondry des Chiens
Fondry des Chiens is a sinkhole in the Viroin-Hemeton Nature Park in Nismes. It is a large ravine-like well with jagged protruding rock formations formed by washed-away limestone from which for centuries, from the Iron Age to the 19th century, the iron-containing washed-up mineral was mined. In time, only the limestone cliffs remained. Hence the name refers to the French ‘Fonderie’ or smelter. The sinkhole is 100m long and up to 20m deep. Around it is a large lime grassland, one of the few places where wild orchids grow in Belgium.
We parked the car next to ‘l’église Saint Lambert de Nismes’, as hence most hikes start that pass by Fondry des Chiens. Considering we arrived fairly late in Nismes, we had to skip the walk and we hiked straight to the place. If you had to be interested in the walk; it starts and ends at l’église Saint Lambert, the hike is 8km long and the indication is the yellow rectangle.
We didn’t quite know what to expect, I remember our first image was a slit in the snow with a deep abyss. So be sure to be careful where you step. Later we saw the size and it was huge, you can walk all the way around and even walk down it. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.
2.5 Bouillon
For the region around Bouillon we spent a whole day, here are several interesting things to see to be the first to mention the castle of Bouillon. What was once owned by Godfrey of Bouillon, the person who conquered Jerusalem and plays a key figure in the pseudohistorical theories books like “The Da Vinci Code”. But in Bouillon you will also find beautiful nature, such as Le Tombeau du Geant and Saint Remacle Cave, where there is an altar in a cave. Or the well-known photogenic spot “La passerelle du moulin de l ‘epine”.
But all information about this can be found in a separate blog post about Bouillon.
2.6. Walzin Castle
Walzin Castle is situated on a steep rock above the Lesse river and is mainly built in neo-gothic style. Around the 11th and 12th centuries there was already a castle here, due to many setbacks and destruction only the 11th century keep has been preserved. Because the castle went through various periods of decline and prosperity, it was built from different styles including the Spanish-Flemish style and the Maasland style.
The castle is not open to the public, yet it is a well-known social media spot. With the meadow on the other side of the Lesse as a vieuwing point. We were lucky it was a beautiful morning, we parked close to the Lesse. Made a friend, the buck. And left for the first viewpoint. Make sure you walk far enough for the viewpoint, the pole of the wire has been sawn through so that you can easily get between the wires for photos.
For the next viewpoint we had to search, we had seen pictures of it so we knew it was possible. It is located on a private domain, so the location cannot be communicated. On the way to this viewpoint we unexpectedly encountered ancient ruins, completely absorbed in nature. When we finally found the viewpoint it certainly did not disappoint, the view was beautiful! It is located on a steep rock with a view over the Lesse, Walzin Castle and the beautiful nature around it.
Parking location (first vieuwpoint): 50.2191141, 4.9214157
2.7. Vêves Castle
The Castle of Vêves with its spire tower reminded me a bit of Harry Potter. Yet these spire towers were not always there. According to stories, the foundations of the primitive castle date back to the time of Pepin de Herstal (670-714). The castle suffered destruction and fire over the centuries, but retained its military function until the end of the Middle Ages. During the Renaissance, the castle was completely transformed in this style with the spire towers.
The castle is open to the public, but unfortunately we had the misfortune that it was still closed during our visit. In general it is only closed during the winter months, the other days it is open from Monday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Admission costs € 8 / person for adults, students and seniors pay € 7 / person & kids above 4 years pay €5. For more info check out there website.
Location: 50.2218064, 4.9835782
2.8. Royale d’Ardenne station (Houyet)
Château d’Ardenne station is a former railway station located in Houyet and was purpose-built as a stop in 1896 for the royal guests of the Château Royal d’Ardenne. Both were built by order of King Leopold II, who wanted to make Houyet the tourist center of Belgium. Because the luxury hotel suffered so much damage during WWI, the station was closed in 1919. Later in 1921 the hotel was reopened, but the station was closed preventively. Unfortunately, the market for luxury hotels dried up after the 2 wars and the hotel closed its doors for good in 1949. Later, after the fire of 1968, all the ruins of the hotel were cleared away in 1970, but the Château d’Ardenne Station remained.
The easiest way to get there is to park in the parking lot at Maupas in Houyet and then walk 2 km via a walking route that runs along the Lesse.
Parking location: 50.1907136, 5.0078975
Station location: 50.1999130, 4.9991967
2.9. Hobbit House (Domaine de Chevetogne)
Not only in New Zealand you will find a hobbit house, also here in Belgium you can find one located in the Domaine de Chevetogne in Ciney. It was built during the Salon Passion Robinson event, where architects and handy Harrys get the chance to build something unique. Normally the shelters are demolished again, but eventually this Hobbit house was allowed to remain. The easiest way to get there is to park at the Domaine de Chevetogne and then walk towards the fairytale pond where you can find the house near the wooden bridge.
Parking location: 50.2221027, 5.1413931
Hobbit house location: 50.2269326, 5.1370686
3. Where to stay?
Our accommodation was located in the middle of all these sites, Dinant. The city itself is defiantly worth a visit, but because we had so many items on the bucket list around it, we didn’t end up spending so much time there. Just a walk around the city for approximately an hour the last day we were there, but the first impression was beautiful and well worth it to return and explore better.
We stayed in ‘Les Voisins De Mr Sax’ a home-friendly accommodation with wifi and a communal kitchen. We were the only residents at the time, not that we were there so much. It’s located in the center diagonally across the museum ‘The House of Mr Sax’, the inventor of the Saxophone. And from the kitchen, you have a view of the Maas river. You can easily park in the parking lot next to the Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Dinant, where you can park for free at night.
Price: €95 for 2 nights/ 2 persons
Parking location: 50.2608227, 4.9123844
Book on: Booking.com
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