GR571, Vallees des legendes - Ardennes rivers part II

On Tuesday, October 12th, Cilia and myself tackled the second part of our walk along the GR571. We started out at Aywaille, where we left off at the end of the first part.

From the railway station, we crossed the bridge and immediately started to climb towards a nature reserve called "la Heid des Gattes". We passed a veiwing point overlooking the town and its bridge. Over here there was also a small remembrance plaque for the allied soldiers and the resistance people that liberated Aywaille at the end of WWII. From there we climbed towards the top of the ridge where we entered the reserve.
From the top of the ridge the GR slowly descends towards Sougne.Along the way passing another viewpoint in Falize, with a spectacular view over the Ambleve valley. A little bit below the viewpoint we passed and old gun emplacement defending the valley.Finally you arrive in the village of Sougne at the bank of the river. Here the path follows the riverbank and passes underneath a large overpass that lets the E25 motorway cross the valley, without all the traffic having to descend into the valley itself.
From sougne, the route continues towards the Ninglinspo area. We stopped there and had our lunch, before continuing along the river towards the Chefna valley. The Ninglinspo stream has a beatiful valley, with its own walk as well, but we chose the less well-known and certainly less touristic Chefna valley. Marching past the river at les fonds de Quarreux, you see huge rocks lying in the water. A local legend tells of a miller that owned a mill. He wanted a bigger mill and made a pact with the devil. In exchange for his soul the devil would build him in bigger mill in just one night. The miller's wife, concerned for her husband's soul, hid inside the mill wearing a medal of Notre-Dame de Dieupart, preventing the wings of the mill from turning. The devil, outraged by his failure, destroyed the mill and rocks landed in the nearby Ambleve river.
After les fonds de Quarreux, the GR turns left across the motorway, climbing out of the Chefna valley. Al slow gradual ascent through the forest along the fast-flowing Chefna. Once on top of the hill a borders the moors. In this part of the walk all signs of civilisation ar far away. Nothing but nature and green as far as the eye reaches, only disturbed by the obligatory cross that was erected by a lost traveler who miraculously found his way back out of the moorland and erected a cross to thank his god for saving him.
Once out of the moors, a road descends the hill flank all the way to Stoumont.
Once here I changed my shoes at the bus stop, where we took the bus to Coo a gew minutes later. Timing had really been immaculate.Once arrived in Coo we had 40 minutes left before the train arrived. We went to see the little waterfall and had a hot chocolate in a tea-room near by. After that we took the train home, proud to have finished the second part of our GR571 walk.

Pictures of this walk can be viewed here.