D6 - Autour de l'Almache - 9km

Parking and departure at the Daverdisse Tourist Center

Heading down Allée des Marronniers and then turning left, the route passes near the former Daverdisse Castle, where the local lords succeeded one another over the centuries. The route then continues toward the Pont de Fays, which spans the Almache and once led to Fays-Famenne. Nearby, the remains of a blast furnace (15th century?) were recently uncovered. The opposite bank was formerly known as the “Virée du Marteau,” no doubt indicating the presence of a forge. In the surrounding area, there were many “aires de faulde,” where charcoal was produced.

Crossing the bridge, the route follows the former line of the Vicinal Railway, which has now become a “RAVeL” trail. This railway, created in 1908 to link Wellin and Graide, was quickly overtaken by the rise of automobiles and never proved profitable. It did, however, allow the first tourists of the Belle Époque to discover Daverdisse and the beauties of the Upper Lesse.

Following the Almache upstream for 3 km, the route is immersed in the many sights, sounds, and scents of this wonderful valley, one of the wildest and best preserved in Belgium. Along the way, the route crosses the Ruisseau du Salin, on whose banks potash was once produced from leached plant ashes, then boiled in large cauldrons. This potash could be used to make soap, but also contributed to the production of glass and even gunpowder.

The route crosses the Almache again at the Iron Bridge (Pont de Fer). At its exit on the right bank are the remains of an irrigation channel (“canal d’abissage”), which was once used to irrigate the valley slope and thus increase the cultivated area. Such channels were widely used in the region.

Turning left, the route descends the Almache valley along its right bank. After 1 km, it rejoins walk D2, and a path to the right climbs back up through dense forest. Five hundred meters farther on, the route leaves walk D2, and 30 m later it crosses the former border between the duchies of Luxembourg and Bouillon, marked on the left by a large spring and on the right by an ancient “bank-and-ditch,” difficult to make out because it was dug so long ago.

Two kilometers farther on, emerging from the forest, the route reaches the former Gallows Hill (Gibet), before descending back to Daverdisse via Rue des Routis, where several beautiful old houses can still be seen.