One of the most beautiful hikes in the Belgian Ardennes. The trail leads you alongside the mountain river of the Ninglinspo, throughout the astonishing scenery around Aywaille in the Liège province. A true must hike when visiting the Ardennes.
Difficulty : Medium
Distance : 6 km
Duration : 2h30
Signposting :
Hike of the Ninglinspo River
Ninglin… What?! The Ning-lin-spo is the only Belgian mountain river, and at the same time the name of the hike that goes alongside it. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the Belgian Ardennes. Every hiker should have done the route at least once.
Hiking map
We recommend everyone to buy a hiking map before taking off. This goes for all hikes in the region. You will know what signs to follow, the length of each route, where to start… Your departure will be carefree, no matter your phone battery or the network availability.
En route…
Departure point for the Ninglinspo hike is a parking lot somewhere between Remouchamps and Stoumont, in a village called Sedoz (the street has the exact same name). It takes a bit of looking around, but to make life easier for everyone, here are the GPS coordinates for the departure point: 50.468609,5.74354. The hike itself leads you through a breath-taking part of the Belgian Ardennes. The region around Aywaille and Remouchamps is one of our favourite spots in Wallonia: very green and the hills provide the landscape with that extra touch.
Challenging
The Ninglinspo is a proper mountain river, even though it’s a small one. Alongside the river you will find many water-basins. The little waterfalls are very charming and find their way through the rocky scenery. For the kids there are plenty of spots where they can have fun building dams. A great activity for the whole family ! Careful: the Ninglinspo hike is, in fact, quite challenging, so it might be less suitable for very young children. There’s a lot of climbing and descending and it might take a few seconds before it becomes clear which path to follow. But getting lost is practically impossible.
Panoramic view
Visitors get the chance to enjoy the breath-taking scenery of this part of the province of Liège. And halfway through the hike, when you leave the river Ninglinspo, you can take a short break at the Drouet viewpoint. This offers you an astonishing panoramic view on the valley.
In short, the hike of the river Ninglinspo is a must for everyone visiting the Belgian Ardennes. Put on your adventurous shoes and enjoy the breath-taking scenery in the province of Liège.
After the effort, the comfort
Take a break at our partner "The Elfique Brewery" to taste one of their beers with regional flavors. Upon presentation of your Activity Pass, you will receive a free beer during the visit.
Practical tips
- Put on some sturdy hiking shoes.
- Keep in mind it will feel a few degrees colder during the hike because of the shadow.
- Don’t be too late. Especially in high-season it can be quite crowded alongside the Ninglinspo. We took on the hike on a Tuesday in June, and we were the only ones in the wide area.
- The hike is just 6 kilometres long, but it takes, because of the altitude differences, roughly 2.5 hours to finish.
More information about the Ninglinspo hike on www.ninglinspo.net!
Do you want to prolong the route?
The Ninglinspo loop can be connected with that of the river Chefna. This is another affluent of the river Amblève. A local expert provided us with this tip. We will be keeping it in mind for our next trip. If you love hiking alongside water, we also recommend the fabulous hike in the Hertogenwald forest located in the High Fens or the hike of the Hoëgne.
Do these hikes in the midst of nature excite you to come and stay in the Ardennes? After an intense day hiking, enjoy a good night sleep in a nice Ardennes-Etape holiday home!
