Highlights:
Eupen, capital of the German-speaking Community with historical monuments
The High Fens
Signal de Botrange, the highest point in Belgium
Canyon Trôs Marets
Lakes of Robertville and Bütgenbach
Warche valley
Malmedy and Bütgenbach, tourist towns
Included in the price
- 4 overnight stays with breakfast in youth hostels (or similar)
- 4 evening meals
- 4 packed lunches
- hiking maps + descriptions of the route
- documentation
Day 1: Eupen - High Fens - Botrange/Ovifat (24 km)
Without doubt, the first stage is suitable for hikers with a spirit of adventure. Going up the Hill valley, you travel further away from civilisation with each step you take and find yourself surrounded by wilderness. After Herzogenhügel, things get really exciting as you enter the heart of the High Fens and in some places risk getting wet feet. But compensation soon comes in the form of a unique natural setting of the kind that you just wouldn't find anywhere else.
Day 2: Ovifat/Botrange - Malmedy/Bévercé (23 km)
The second stage runs from Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange, downhill through picturesque landscapes and then along the Trôs Marêts stream, which cascades here and there through the rock.
Day 3: Bévercé/Malmedy - Robertville - Bütgenbach (23 km)
No one has been able to describe the third stage better than Thorsten Hoyer: "It's a well -known fact that many things are in the eye of the beholder, but it is hardly an exaggeration to say that this stage is the most exciting on the whole of GR 56. At least, that is certainly the case when the route offers narrow, unspoilt trails along a ridge and really deep views into narrow valleys. And the whole thing is peppered with unique nature experiences and cultural and historical attractions. That's the recipe for really great hiking. True, it's a little bit strenuous here and there, but there are two refreshing lakes up ahead as a reward!"
Day 4: Around the lake - Bütgenbach (10 km)
Starting from the leisure centre at Worriken, you go follow the RAVeL route towards the reservoir, a veritable work of architecture which is 23m deep, 140m long and has a water capacity of 11 million m3. On the opposite shore, the beautifully designed path, which sometimes leads away from the shore and makes you feel like having an improvised picnic, is well worth taking. While you're doing that, you can feast your eyes on the varied panorama: little bays and backwaters, and hay meadows in the conservation area of the Holzwarche, where typical alpine plants such as fennel and lesser knapweed thrive. When the blue sky is reflected in the lake, the landscape is bathed in a unique light. Wet ground and rivulets can be crossed via secure walkways. Eighty years after the construction of this man-made lake, nature is taking back what is hers.
