It took a while to get here but it was worth the drive. Here in East Belgium the landscape is so diverse with its picturesque villages surrounded by wooded hills, valleys cut by winding and little known rivers.
And of course there are the ancient moorland of the “Hautes-Fagnes” covered with small pine trees, grass, and moss. The spongy moss retains water and forms deep peat bogs as the dead plants decays only partially. This huge peaty sponge soaked with water creates a cool and wet climate. This is one of the coldest and wettest areas of Belgium!
But today we were lucky.
It was rather too hot on the dry heaths with no shade.
While walking on the raised wooden walkways ruined walls caught my attention, the remnants of Cabane du Negus. The information sign tells us about Leon Rinquet, professor of Mathematics, called Negus. After the death of his mother in search for solitude, he decided to build himself a peat hut here on the Freneu fen as a refuge. He stayed here for long 54 years! I hope he found his peace.
We left the fen behind entering the forest.
A small wooden bridge brought us over the river Trôs Maret. We followed this dashing mountain stream down to the valley. The scenery was improving with every step as the river wriggled through a deep overgrown canyon.
After walking several kilometers we gradually descended down into the canyon to cross the river for the second time.
A shady path through the pine forest brought us back to the trailhead where this pleasant hike started.
