HF4 - Les Buttays - 6km

Parking and departure from the Grand-Place in Haut-Fays.

Possibility to extend the walk toward Picheron and the Fontaine des Buttays.

This walk, after starting out like HF3, branches off at the Haie des Larrons. Etymologically, it would not be a hedge, but rather a wooded slope. Why “des larrons” (of the thieves)? According to tradition, a bird used to build its nest there, but every year a cuckoo, a well-known nest thief, would steal it…

The route makes an incursion into the valley of the Picheron. A stony path runs along the stream from above. On the right, a thicket of birches and oaks grows on a true carpet of heather, magnificent at the end of summer; on the left, a wide open and bright space, unexpected in the Ardennes forests, where young spruces and broom grow side by side. This entire area was devastated by the storms of 1990, at a time when it held one of the finest and oldest spruce plantations in the province. The municipality of Daverdisse is not likely to forget the financial loss caused by the destruction of Picheron. The place was inhabited in the past and a farm was built there around 1850, of which nothing remains today.

The Tienne du Gibet recalls that the Lord of Sclassin, owner of Picheron, obtained authorization from King Philip II in 1574 to erect a pillory there.

At about 250 meters from a forest crossroads, along a grassy path, the route reaches the Fontaine des Buttays. It is the main source of the Picheron and springs from a small natural basin. This is in fact a vast wetland, a true reservoir. Proof of this can be seen in the many trickles of water under the trees, as well as in place names such as Monseufoi.