{"id":3702,"date":"2019-01-15T18:42:45","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T16:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.charleroi-metropole.be\/?p=3702"},"modified":"2019-01-28T19:04:31","modified_gmt":"2019-01-28T17:04:31","slug":"a-huge-forested-area-worthy-of-the-ardennes-right-next-to-our-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/a-huge-forested-area-worthy-of-the-ardennes-right-next-to-our-home\/","title":{"rendered":"A huge forested area worthy of the Ardennes right next to our home"},"content":{"rendered":"

For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay, Viroinval, Couvin, Philippeville, Sivry-Rance, Doische, Momignies, Chimay et Froidchapelle<\/h2>\n

The diversity of Greater Charleroi\u2019s landscapes includes the For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay<\/a>, an exceptional place to be envied.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Often, when you think of Greater Charleroi, you don\u2019t imagine a large forested area. And however, Greater Charleroi is also 90,000 hectares of forest, spread over 8 boroughs, from Momignies to Doische. A wooded area which deserves to be discovered by everyone, in particular via the Grande Travers\u00e9e, a trail that is more than 180 km.<\/p>\n

\"fondry-foret-chimay-belgique\"
Fondry des Chiens, at the heart of the For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay, is a place which is unique in Belgium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Landscapes unique in Wallonia<\/h2>\n

The Grande Travers\u00e9e allows walkers to discover the For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay over 180 km. \u00a0It stands out primarily thanks to its extremely diverse landscape. \u00a0\u2018Three geological areas spread across the region, these offer completely different landscapes in an area of a few kilometres\u2019<\/em>, explains Corentin Levacq, coordinator of the For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay.<\/p>\n

The GR 125, Grande Randonn\u00e9e trail, is indicated by red and yellow painted markers, the specific colours of the GRP, the GR du pays, for the length of the trail. \u2018Walkers will discover a wooded landscape, specific to the Ardennes forest; another landscape, specific to Fagnes, with fields suitable for livestock and marked by slate slopes, and, a third landscape, marked by the limestone rock\u2019<\/em>, he says.<\/p>\n

The Grande Travers\u00e9e goes through the Calestienne, a hilly area that is unique in Wallonia, which is characterised by \u2018tiennes\u2019 which are limestone hills. \u00a0Fondry des Chiens is the place to explore, a symbol of this impressive hilly limestone area. \u2018The view is unique. Then, the landscape is very different, there\u2019s a bit more exposed rock. \u00a0At the first rays of sunlight, the ground warms up very quickly and this has an effect on the fauna and flora\u2019<\/em>, he says.<\/p>\n

Fondry des Chiens wows a high number of visitors with its unique geography<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This waymarked path also goes through various villages, such as Lompret, which is one of the\u00a0prettiest villages in Wallonia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n
\"Foret-chimay-bivouac-tente\"
The Grande Travers\u00e9e in the For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay offers Belgium\u2019s first bivouac network, with 9 areas to pitch your tent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Belgium\u2019s first bivouac network<\/h2>\n

The Grande Travers\u00e9e has 9 bivouac areas. \u00a0\u2018Camping in the forest is forbidden here. So we were the first in Belgium to establish a network of bivouacs. \u00a0We try to make these rest areas only accessible to walkers\u2019<\/em>, explains Corentin.<\/p>\n

Every 15-20 km, walkers will find an area to pitch their tent, make a fire and spend the night. The boroughs maintain the areas and check that everything\u2019s okay, that they are only occupied at night and that the people staying are benefiting from the area whilst respecting nature and the wildlife.<\/p>\n

Areas are provided for pitching your tent and making a fire in the forest<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The bivouacs have been a great success. \u2018They are often occupied, throughout the year. In summer, there are 3-4 tents per night at each bivouac. In winter, slightly fewer, but there are often people around\u2019<\/em>, he adds.<\/p>\n

\"foret-chimay-GR\"
With a path covering 175 km (GR), the Grande Travers\u00e9e crosses very different landscapes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Real success for the Grande Travers\u00e9e<\/h2>\n

It is difficult to accurately measure the success of the trail given that it\u2019s free to access and doesn\u2019t cost anything. But, according to Corentin Levacq, a significant number of walkers use it: \u2018The trail is quite well known. The walking guide is one of the best-selling Belgian GR books. \u00a0We have sold 2,000 in 3.5 years. \u00a0And then there are the walkers who use the trail without a guide. \u00a0We also see a number of families who walk for one or two days or young people who hang around before going on a more casual or longer walk\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Various types of people roam the paths of the Grande Travers\u00e9e. We see as many \u2018real\u2019 hikers as families of walkers: some go through all of the boroughs, others are content to just do a leg; others sleep in all of the bivouacs, others stay in a B&B or a hotel on the route.<\/p>\n

The Grande Travers\u00e9e is perfect for getting into walking or training before an active trip<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We see French-speaking Belgians, but also a lot of Dutch, French, Germans, etc.<\/p>\n

\"foret-chimay-m\u00e9tropole\"
For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay represents the natural, green side of Greater Charleroi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other trails are being established<\/h2>\n

Due to this success, other projects for exploring the For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay are planned. \u00a0\u2018The Grande Travers\u00e9e by bike, mountain bike or horseback are currently being drawn on the map. \u00a0There is also an idea to have a cross-border walkers\u2019 circuit\u2019<\/em>, he says.<\/p>\n

Finally, a larger project is already planned for the coming years: the construction of the Maison de la For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay. The idea is to build a building to welcome people interested in the forest and to provide them with the information required to best discover the uniqueness of this extraordinary landscape.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Contact\u00a0:<\/strong>
\nMaison du Tourisme Pays des Lacs
\nRoute de la Plate Taille 99
\n6440 Boussu-Lez-Walcourt
\n+32 (0)71 14 34 83
\nhttp:\/\/www.foretdupaysdechimay.be<\/a><\/p>\n

Parc naturel Viroin-Hermeton
\nCorentin Levacq, coordinateur de la For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay
\nRue d’Avignon, 1
\n5670 Viroinval
\n+32 (0)60 39 17 90
\ncorentin.levacq@pnvh.be<\/p>\n

\u00a9Video\/Reed<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay, Viroinval, Couvin, Philippeville, Sivry-Rance, Doische, Momignies, Chimay et Froidchapelle The diversity of Greater Charleroi\u2019s landscapes includes the For\u00eat du Pays de Chimay, an exceptional place to be envied. Often, when you think of Greater Charleroi, you don\u2019t imagine a large forested area. And however, Greater Charleroi is also 90,000 hectares […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[404],"tags":[326,292,283,338,293,284,156,112,155,113,123,43,115,32,127,116,121],"class_list":["post-3702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discovery","tag-autres-en-26","tag-autres-en-19","tag-autres-en-16","tag-autres-en-31","tag-autres-en-20","tag-autres-en-17","tag-bike","tag-children","tag-event","tag-group","tag-history","tag-nature","tag-region","tag-sport","tag-sustainable","tag-tour","tag-unseen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3702"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3702"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3837,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3702\/revisions\/3837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}