Three walks in one
“In order to map out this walking route, we headed out into the region on foot and by mountain bike. We chose this route because, in its 109 kilometres, it brings together three very different natural landscapes – a trilogy. The three walks form a beautiful whole, but they are also interesting individually. Three is a number often found in art and literature, because it delivers a certain kind of dramatic satisfaction. Boris Servais, a local artist, illustrated the accompanying hiking book with beautiful black and white drawings,” Jeff adds.
“The first part of this hiking route runs through the northern part of East Belgium, from the three-country border point at Vaals to Eupen. There you walk through a green landscape, made up mainly of meadows – all very rustic and joyous. The variations in altitude are not that great, and there’s a lot of cultural heritage to discover.
“In the second part we head up into the High Fens National Park. Here you will be following historic hiking trails, and deeply immersed in nature. You climb up above the meadows, and suddenly you could be on the moon. We have renewed the whole infrastructure of this route, so the trails are now easily accessible for walkers. Passing the Bayehon waterfall, you eventually reach Malmedy, where the third part of the route begins.
“The last part of the Venntrilogie takes you through the valley of the River Warche to the castle of Reinhardstein. We continue along the banks of the Robertville reservoir to reach our final destination at Bütgenbach.”