Routes (45)

Quévy-le-petit, on the paths of the wind turbines

The soft relief of the Quévy territory invites you to explore on foot this beautiful countryside where wine is produced! Here, time passes peacefully. The stress of the big city seems far away when you discover the village of Quévy-le-Petit. The route will go right to the heart of this peaceful countryside, along a superb path that goes to Bougnies – it’s a somewhat dreamy scene of a country landscape, with everything harmonious and tranquil. The paths and minor roads navigate between the vast croplands of this still agricultural country. On the horizon, a colourful palette extends until it is out of sight. The wind turbines gracefully churn in the endlessly blowing breeze. Following the shadow of their blades, we come to the Domaine du Chant d’Éole, posed as an island in the middle of fields. Crossing the limestone ground, we follow the Chardonnay grape vines. At the end, like a beacon, the church of Quévy-le-Petit stands out against the ochre and yellow crops in the background.

02 h 10 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 8.45 km

Cycle route: Mons – SILEX'S – Mons

This route designed by ProVélo and Mons’ Maison des Cyclistes cycling centre connects Mons’ Grand-Place to SILEX’S, the interpretation centre of the archaeological site of the Neolithic Mines of Spiennes, which are UNESCO classified. An exceptional site where going down a mine is the highlight of a trip (advance bookings is required, on +3265335580). The outward trip between Mons and SILEX’S is as direct as possible; the return offers you a slight detour through the low-traffic roads of villages in the immediate vicinity of Mons. A route designed by not-for-profit organisation PRO VÉLO Maison des Cyclistes du Hainaut (bike point) in Mons. Source: http://www.provelo.org/fr/tour/idees-balades/minieres-neolithiques-spiennes

02 h 00 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 17.89 km

Frameries, land of memories

Magnificent route through the mining countryside of Borinage, today become green and very nice. Soon after leaving the PASS, we come into a land steeped in history. In the 19th century, Borinage experienced its incredible Industrial Revolution. In 23 mines and 63 shafts, 20,000 workers laboured in difficult conditions. Seeing the remains on the road, such as this slag heap of Belle Couple, our imagination lets use delve in this other time. Further on, the trail meanders around a birch grove, covering a former colliery. At the edge, fields and meadows lead us towards little houses that seem crushed by the mass of the Héribus slag heap. On the slope, butterflies and birds circle around us. Today, the slag heaps are havens of peace for wild fauna and flora. Nature has provided a sweet revenge for the work of men...

05 h 00 m

hard

Longueur du parcours: 16.22 km

Moneuse Route: the attack on the Belle-Vue collector - Dour

This route takes you in the footsteps of Antoine-Joseph Moneuse, the famous bandit and Captain of the Chauffeurs du Nord. The municipality of Dour features centrally in any reference to Moneuse’s tumultuous life. Here we will focus on the attack on Joseph-François Delhaye, the coal collector at Belle-Vue coal mine in Élouges. During this walk, you’ll have the opportunity to browse Cocars wood and explore its chapel, known to have been the bandit’s point of reference. You’ll also have to leave the territory of Hauts-Pays natural park to visit Dour and the village of Élouges through paths, narrow roads and a RAVeL. Have a good walk and watch out... Bandits are about. Route created and put together by Hauts-Pays natural park Illustrations Claude Renard

02 h 00 m

medium
01 h 00 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 6.58 km

Discover the historic centre of Mons

A city on a human scale with a thousand treasures waiting to be discovered. For those who want to see the main features, this walk will take you through the medieval lanes in the historic heart of Mons ... just follow the guide!

02 h 00 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 1.5 km

Ouvrir les Murs - Circuit Gare

Dans ce deuxième parcours "Ouvrir les murs", nous mettrons en évidence les aspects liés à la présence militaire, aux équipements collectifs, à la gare et à la liaison gare-Grand-Place. Un autre circuit est consacré à l’habitat, à la rivière, l’eau potable et l’hygiène, et à l’espace du boulevard." Ce parcours a été mis au point par l’équipe de Sauvegarde et Avenir de Mons et d’Ouvrir les Murs, en liaison avec l’exposition de l’été 2015 et le livre : Mons 1865-2015, Ouvrir les Murs (édition Mardaga). Les rues du centre ville de Mons sont sinueuses, souvent étroites. Mons a en effet gardé en grande partie sa structure médiévale. Cette structure tranche avec celle des voiries proches des boulevards, larges et de structure rigoureuse, qui furent construites après le démantèlement en 1861-1865 des fortifications dites « hollandaises ». Dans ce deuxième parcours, nous mettrons en évidence les aspects liés à la présence militaire, aux équipements collectifs, à la gare et à la liaison gare-Grand-Place. Un autre circuit est consacré à l’habitat, à la rivière, l’eau potable et l’hygiène, et à l’espace du boulevard. Jusqu’en 1865, Mons, ville fortifiée, est restée enfermée dans des fortifications successives (françaises, autrichiennes, hollandaises...). De 1861 à 1865, le démantèlement des fortifications va offrir à la ville une vaste superficie pour son développement. Ce développement était souhaité depuis longtemps, et préparé dès le milieu du 19e s.. Ce parcours va vous faire percevoir l’importance de la présence militaire dans la ville au 19e s., la contrainte de la présence des équipements collectifs dans une ville où l’habitat est aussi dense, et les problématiques liées à l’arrivée du chemin de fer. La création d’un nouveau pôle économique, les questions liées au lien entre la Gare et la Grand-Place, et le problème de la création d’un nouveau mur pour la ville, celui des voies de chemin de fer sont aussi abordés. Nous verrons comment la Ville a abordé ces problèmes et comment aujourd’hui encore, certains de ces problèmes cherchent encore des solutions. Nous passerons d’abord par le Marché-aux-Herbes, centre d’activité économique très important, rejoindrons la Croix-Place pour voir l’ampleur de la caserne Major Sabbe (ex- Guillaume), le quartier de la Grande Pêcherie, puis toute la zone de la ville qui était occupée par l’armée et par les hospices. Nous rejoindrons l’ancien tracé de la rivière Trouille, puis le quartier de la gare, où nous verrons l’importance économique de ce quartier depuis l’arrivée du chemin de fer. Nous reviendrons vers la Grand-Place en passant au pied du Beffroi, où se trouvaient l’Asile et la prison.

02 h 00 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 2.58 km

Hensies & Quiévrain - Wetlands

This ride crosses the countryside of Hensies and Quiévrain, characterised by swamps and wetlands. Hensies is bathed in the sweetness of a budding spring. On this sun-bathed route, the first kilometres are an opportunity to stretch your legs since the path is not particularly difficult. In the plain of Quiévrain, paths and small roads travel between wetlands. On the map, the small roads weave a giant spider's web here as reparcelling has facilitated access to fields and helped create these unpaved roads, which are perfect for bike touring! The nearby marshes of Harchies have left a number of wetlands in the landscape. The road is quiet, pleasant and free of any traffic as you approach the urbanized area of Boussu. Splendor and radiance characterise its castle, which was born in Charles V’s time. From the town centre, the RAVeL reaches into the past with the old coal mines of Dour and reaches into the future as it runs along a wind turbine field. In less than a century, a fossil fuel will have been replaced by wind fuel…

02 h 50 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 30.65 km

Colfontaine, beautiful woods

The nice walk lets you discover the Colfontaine Woods – the great rows of beech trees are magnificent! At first the path runs along the big woods, we enter via the GR which travels between the birches, a species that has established itself in the mining ground. To the left, we can still see an old slag heap, now covered by exuberant nature. At the foot, a new dyke prevents major flooding, after heavy rain, of the valley. A hill and here we are at the wide path. Under the canopy, the light is diffuse – what majesty is exposed! The tranquillity of the place should not let us forget the exploitation of this forest in the 19th century. In 1842, Henri Degorge, the founder of the Grand- Hornu mining site, decided with the help of the landscape architect Séquenard to develop wide aisles to ensure that the woods were used. Wandering through it, who would imagine that this forest was a human creation?

02 h 30 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 6.56 km

In the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh in the Borinage

From the “Maison du Marais” in Cuesmes to the former “Marcasse” coalmine in Colfontaine, explore Mons-Borinage and the sites visited by Van Gogh during his time in the region.

03 h 00 m

hard

Longueur du parcours: 48.57 km

Cycle route: Mons, a tribute to 1914-1918

On the occasion of the First World War centenary, Mons has joined forces with many towns in Belgium and France which witnessed the Great War to increase awareness and sensitivity towards it. Through commemorative ceremonies, exhibitions and various forms of representation, the Mons region will pay tribute to all those civilians and military men who suffered during these four years. Mons is at the heart of the First World War commemorations in 2014. Discover the legend of the Mons Angels and navigate the territories marked by this Great War. So we never forget...

03 h 00 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 31.23 km

Moneuse route: the fall of a bandit, the birth of a legend - Quévy

This route takes you in the footsteps of Antoine-Joseph Moneuse, the famous bandit and Captain of the Chauffeurs du Nord (heater uppers from the North of France and Belgium). Here we will focus on this character’s downfall, from his arrest at Quévy-le-Petit through his sentences in Mons and Douai up to his execution on 18 June 1798. But Moneuse’s story doesn’t stop at his death. It is only beginning thanks to popular legend. Here we will focus on the festival in Beria, a local folklore largely inspired by Moneuse, which takes place every year in Quévy-le-Petit. Have a good walk and watch out... Bandits are about. The route follows that of the Beria one, created by not-for-profit organisation Petit Kévy with the support of Hauts-Pays natural park. Marker points and information signs are in place. Route created and put together by Hauts-Pays natural park Illustrations Claude Renard

01 h 00 m

medium
30 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 4.71 km

Blaugies, between two worlds

A route that runs between fields and woods, to the discovery of a lovely valley and an industrial heritage. Far from the stereotypes, the Borinage is a green country. Blaugies is a village that lives with the rhythm of hay-making. We move along the country paths, towards the Saint-Ghislain woods which from the 19th century had been the border between two worlds, less than a kilometre apart. On the hand, that of small-scale farmers, on the other, the mine. We are aware of it treading through the woods, here on clay soil, there on coal dust... In the woods, the stream plunges us into a wild world – we even surprise a deer. And yet, going up the path, on the right are found the ruins of the Sauwartan mine, witness of an era when dust, pollution and noise invaded the woods. So things justly return – near the ruins, daffodils appear in season. The black of Borinage is no more...

02 h 30 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 7.28 km

Le top 15 de l’architecture contemporaine

Come and discover the top 15 of contemporary architecture in Mons and in the Borinage, and change your view of the 20th century heritage. From a selection of projects included in the “Guide to modern and contemporary architecture in Mons & Cœur du Hainaut 1885-2015”, tour a city with a heritage that bets on contemporary architecture as an engine of local and regional development, through the construction and renovation of many public facilities, especially as part of Mons 2015: Mons 2015 Foundation, Mons Memorial Museum, Artothèque, Maison du Design, BAM, Silex, Arsonic, Mundaneum, ... All the projects unveiled here (and many others) are taken from the “Guide to modern and contemporary architecture in Mons & Cœur du Hainaut 1885-2015”, under the direction of Lamya Ben Djaffar and Isabelle De Smet and illustrated with photographs by Olivier Cornil. The book, from a partnership with the UMONS Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, was published in 2015 by the Cellule Architectural Publishers of the Wallonia-Brussels – Mardaga Federation. It is available from the Tourism Office and in all the good bookshops in Belgium and France.

02 h 00 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 7.22 km

Circuit de la Goutrielle

Rallye pédestre exclusivement consacré à la découverte de la nature et du patrimoine bâti local. Découvrez Montignies-sur-Roc, l’un des plus beaux villages de Honnelles qui a su conserver son caractère et son charme. Vous pouvez vous procurer une brochure reprenant le tracé de la promenade ainsi qu’un jeu didactique basé sur celle-ci en vous rendant au point de départ (Centre de Rencontres et d’Hébergement "La Goutrielle"). Ce circuit a été réalisé par le CRH et le Parc Naturel des Hauts-Pays. Point de départ: CRH La Goutrielle Rue Goutrielle, 37 7387 Honnelles

01 h 00 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 2.28 km

Quiévrain Route

Quiévrain, Audregnies, Baisieux ... This bike tour will expose you to the three villages from different angles, covering heritage, nature, history and recollection through the Mémoire d’Audregnies.

01 h 30 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 14.14 km

Hensies, bird paradise

Upon entering this natural sanctuary, who would imagine that this site was once the location of an industrial operation? Its story is beautiful and reminds us that nature is often the strongest. This magnificent reserve was original a mining site which collapsed in the seventies. The groves and flooded meadows, spaces between wetlands and dry areas are developed, forming reed beds and marshy woods. These marshes are our greatest ornithological reserve in Belgium, hosting thousands of birds, especially during winter gathering. Observation posts have been built on the banks of the ponds. Enter quietly to see from the openings, ducks, mergansers, red-crested pochards, bitterns and other species. Along the reeds a heron flies nonchalantly – we no longer know where to point our binoculars... What a wealth these swamps contain!

01 h 10 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 4.26 km

Ouvrir les murs - Circuit Dolez

"Dans ce premier parcours "Ouvrir les murs", nous mettrons en évidence les aspects liés à l’habitat, à la rivière, l’eau potable et l’hygiène, et à l’espace du boulevard. Un autre circuit est consacré à la présence militaire, aux équipements collectifs, à la gare et à la liaison gare-Grand-Place. " Ce parcours a été mis au point par l'équipe de Sauvegarde et Avenir de Mons et d'Ouvrir les Murs, en liaison avec l'exposition de l'été 2015 et le livre : Mons 1865-2015, Ouvrir les Murs. Les rues du centre-ville de Mons sont sinueuses, souvent étroites. Mons a en effet gardé en grande partie sa structure médiévale. Cette structure rigoureuse, qui furent construites après le démantèlement en 1861-1865 des fortifications dites "hollandaises". Dans ce parcours, les aspects liés à l'habitat, la rivière, l'eau potable et l'hygiène et l'espace du boulevard seront mis en évidence. Jusqu'en 1865, Mons, ville fortifiée, est restée enfermée dans des fortifications successives (françaises, autrichiennes, hollandaises, ...). De 1861 à 1865, le démantèlement des fortifications va offrir à la ville une vaste superficie pour son développement. Ce développement, souhaité depuis longtemps, et préparé dès le milieu du 19e s., cherchait à résoudre de nombreux problèmes liés au manque d'espace et aux difficultés d'approvisionnement en eau potable. Le parcours va vous faire percevoir plusieurs de ces problèmes et comment la ville y a répondu, principalement dans les décennies qui ont suivi, mais aujourd'hui encore.

02 h 00 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 2.78 km

Jurbise - Beautiful Countryside

Jurbise, a few kilometres to the north of Mons, is not short on charm with Moustier castle, the starting point of this ride. From the town hall, the route snakes through fields: small niches and chapels mark out the way to Egmont castle, from the late Middle Ages. On its foundations, a monastic community established a priory, slightly removed from the world. It is true that on these rearranged routes you get a calm soothing feeling. You silently cycle over bitumen to Herchies. There, a tree of nails stands proudly from a legacy of popular beliefs. Put up in the 1950s, it is the worthy heir of the missing oak, which is more than four centuries old. From the village, you pass through a rural landscape including the hamlets of Gernante and Petite Vacresse, which are peaceful and undoubtedly offer a great quality of life to their inhabitants. At Erbisoeul, leave the road on the right leading to Jurbise golf course, one of the oldest in Belgium and designed at the time by the English garden architect Simpson. The return to Jurbise goes along country roads which are unknown and yet very rural.

01 h 50 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 17.65 km

Discovering the sanctuaries of abbeys

Starting at Grand-Place, come and discover the former refuges (see the definition below): of the French Hasnon Abbey, a large building in the classic Mons style from the first half of the 18th Century; of Liessies Abbey, which dates back to 1633 and which was re-arranged in the 18th Century; of Bélian Abbey, a rich building erected circa 1775 according to plans drawn up by Charles-Emmanuel Fonson; of Aulne Abbey, established in the private mansion of the knights of the Order of Malta, in the second half of the 18th Century; of Bonne Espérance Abbey, a vast building featuring 18 spans on two coated levels from the middle of the 18th Century; of the Saint-Denis-en-Brocqueroie Abbey, a listed monument and a large Louis XIV of France-era building

03 h 00 m

easy

Longueur du parcours: 3.36 km

From Meaurain to Givry, the flavours route

Discover the drive in the Hauts-Pays Natural Park, assuredly a land of plenty! Meaurain is one of these charming villages of the Hauts-Pays. The closed storefronts of former shops witness to the activity that once prevailed there – trade and contraband were the region’s misfortune and fortune… From the village, the route takes us across the gentle treed countryside with hedges and fruit trees here and there. From Angreau to Givry the route continues, with exciting discoveries and very rich human encounters. The artisans of this route are true ambassadors of this captivating country.

04 h 00 m

medium

Longueur du parcours: 35.61 km