GR 56 - Malmedy / Ligneuville

MALMEDY - We follow the white-red trail markers of the GR 56. Place Albert Ier is the center of Malmedy. In Malmedy there are quite a few accommodations, restaurants and shops. Here at Place Albert I in house 29a is the tourist office. Here you will find all the information hikers need: hiking guides, hiking maps etc.

We start our stage today in front of the "Maison du Tourisme". Standing with your back to the Maison du Tourisme go left. We stay on the sidewalk and leave the square at the first narrow alley with the Walloon name “So l’vîhe“ to the left.

This brings us to a square with a bandstand, it is the "Place Saint Géréon“. We keep slightly right and turn left at the Hotel St Géréon into the "rue de la Tannerie". We continue straight past the Fraternité banquet hall and shortly afterward cross the “Warchenne“ creek. At the end of the "Rue de la Tannerie" we reach the "Place du Parc". We leave the "Place du Parc" - slightly uphill - on the opposite side and turn into the "rue du Champs de Tir". To our left is an old railway embankment. We go under the railway underpass, immediately turn left into Route de Bellevaux, but then after a few meters turn right again into the “Route de Saint Vith“.

We climb uphill here until we see the "Chemin de Xhurdebise" (pronounced Hürdebise) to the right. We now have to turn into this. It is a beautiful panoramic path over which we now hike, high above Malmedy. At first, the path is relatively flat but soon we must again climb steeply to reach the small hamlet "Xhurdebise“. At the crossroads in Xhurdebise we turn right over the street named "Otaimont“ downhill, always following our white/red trail markers. At the end of the street - at the junction with the TEC bus stop Falize - we leave the street "Otaimont“ and turn left into the "Rue de Falize", so reaching the hamlet "Falize“.

4.1 km FALIZE

We follow the white-red trail markers of the GR 56 and the GR 14 which run parallel until the Pont de Challes. In the hamlet Falize, we first go straight ahead. Shortly afterwards our GR hiking trail - turning slightly right - leaves the main road and follows the path towards the "Rocher de Falize".

The Falize rock is a mighty quartzite rock block that rises high above the Warche valley. A short detour (about 100 meters) to the "Rocher de Falize" is worthwhile just for the beautiful view from up here. The path is marked with a sign. It leaves the street at the sign for a high-pressure gas line and is marked with a blue diamond. Back on the GR56 it goes in the opposite direction. You can also descend straight into the valley (steep descent). When reaching the valley floor, go left to meet the GR path again after a short section of path.

The GR56 now leads us down into the Warche valley. We are on a comfortable lane here. At the end of the forest strip on our left, we leave the lane to the right, cross the Warche and walk over a meadow path to the forest edge on the right side of the valley. We remain on the path between meadows and forest and see in front of us the mighty bridge of the E42 highway Verviers – Prüm.

Where we leave the valley path to turn right, the Warche flows (hard to see) under the highway viaduct into the Amel. We climb right, go under the highway viaduct and now reach the small hamlet "Warche“.

4 km WARCHE – Viaduct of the E42

We follow the white-red trail markers of the GR 56 and GR 14. After leaving the houses of Warche we reach a small turning area. In the left corner, a sign points to a viewpoint. We are at the "Rocher de Warche". The short detour over the narrow path is worthwhile because quickly you stand about 30 meters above the river.

Similar to the Rocher de Falize, the Rocher de Warche is also made of a hard quartzite rock. For centuries it has resisted the onslaught of the water and forces the Amel (called Amblève in French) through a narrow passage. It is the Amel or Amblève that we see below and not, as the name of the rock might first suggest, the Warche. The name "Rocher de Warche" derives from the small hamlet "Warche", through which we walked a few minutes ago.

Back on our hiking trail we go left over a farm track that leads us through the right slope through the Amel valley. First, we hike through meadows, reach a memorial stone for Joseph Goffinet and shortly afterward reach the forest again. We follow the forest path and after some time return to the Amel valley. To our left flows the Amel and soon we reach a distinctive iron footbridge that arches over the Amel. It is the bridge called: "Pont de Challes".

3.1 km PASSERELLE DE CHALLES

Here the paths of the GR14 and the GR56 separate. While the GR14 continues straight towards Stavelot, we cross the bridge here and follow the white-red trail markers of the GR 56. On the other side of the bridge, it goes steeply, partly in hairpin bends, through the forest up out of the Amel valley. Once at the top, we first enjoy the panorama before turning left into a wider lane. Here high above the Amel valley, we continue.

After a hike of about 1.5 km we reach a small village named "Lodomez". Behind Lodomez, unfortunately, we have to detour a section over a little trafficked road around a valley hollow. The place bears the curious name: Laid Trou (ugly hole). Behind the hairpin bend, we climb uphill again and can fortunately leave the road to the left where it turns right and exchange for a lane. So after another about 1.5 km we reach the hamlet Villers. We hike through the small village and at the end reach a road that leads left over the highway bridge from Beaumont.

We do not go over the highway bridge but cross the road and go half-right into a driveway. At first glance, the path really looks like this, but don't worry, it continues here. At the end of the driveway - somewhat hidden - is a hollow way through which we then go downhill, always following the highway route. In the valley, we meet a small stream named "Noir Ru" (black brook), which we do not have to cross.

Before that, it goes up again a bit, and we come to the foot of the highway dam on a narrow path that we follow right towards the south to an underpass. Through the underpass, we go to the opposite side of the highway. The road climbs to the right to the height of the highway line but then suddenly leaves the road to the left after about 100 meters. Then we go steeply downhill over a bumpy lane back into the Amel valley.

Down here, we cross another Amel bridge and continue past a farm until we reach the road.

4.7 km LASNENVILLE

We follow the white-red trail markers of the GR 56. We keep our direction and follow the road further for about 250 meters towards Lasnenville. Before the road continues in a left curve, we turn about 180 degrees to the right into a forest path. The hiking trail first climbs slowly but then steeply until we reach the height above a mighty quarry. Although you can't see the quarry from up here, it was very visible during the descent from the opposite side.

After the steep climb, a side path branches off on the left and leads us a few meters to a small grotto. It is Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners, who is venerated here. We are pleased with the bench up here, it is just right to take a short break.

Here we march on until we reach a rather large farm. There we go right down the steep "rue Thier de la Principauté" back into the valley. At the bottom of the valley, the Amel flows again. The little village we are approaching is called "Pont", which means "bridge" in German.

2.6 km PONT (place name)

But shortly before reaching the valley, we turn left into the "rue Derrière la Ville". Attention - here we have left the main path of the GR56, which continues straight into the valley. We follow the white-red trail markers of the GR 56 – Amel variant

We are now on the Amel variant (Amblève variant) of the GR 56. This path is also marked with the now familiar white-red trail markers.

We follow the path that leads us out of Pont between some houses. This puts us on an almost flat hiking path. On our right, down in the valley, flows the Amel. This path finally leads us to Ligneuville - the destination of today's stage. We reach Ligneuville via the "Rue de la Laiterie" and here at the corner at the Hotel du Moulin, diagonally opposite the church, we encounter the N62.

1.8 km LIGNEUVILLE

End of the stage in Ligneuville.