In the heart of the Ardennes Regional Nature Park, the Ardennes Valleys and Plateau area will astonish you with the variety of its scenery. The Rocroi Plateau with its particularly interesting flora and fauna. The Meuse Valley with its stunning landscapes. Lots of hiking routes, on foot or by bike, and the trail area will delight everyone whatever their age.
There are several possible hiking circuits leaving from Monthermé. For example: the Roche à Sept Heures loop. You set out from Place Jean Baptiste Clément where you can park for free. Taking about two and half hours, you’ll be able to go up to ridge overlooking the town and admire the extraordinary views. You can see other hiking routes in the Trail Area.
Maps are available at the Tourist Office: Chouettes Balades dans les Vallées de Meuse et Semoy (Great walks in the Meuse and Semoy Valleys): map of the signposted paths in our area, price: €2; individual routes departing from the Tourist Office and the Metallurgy Museum: €1.00 each. Chouettes Balades (Great walks): 9 sheets for each district in a plastic sleeve for €5. The Ardennes à Pied (Ardennes on Foot) covering all the hiking routes in the département for €15.
Fishing
The Ardennes, well-known for its magnificent forests, also offers a number of rivers and streams: the majestic Meuse, the sinuous Semoy and their little tributaries in the deep valleys. Anglers are sure to find somewhere to suit them. To each their own style, and above all to each their own kind of fishing!
With 2,950 kilometres of brooks and small rivers in the département, the top fishing category spots will delight all trout anglers. The brown trout is the most emblematic fish in the forest torrents and streams. It is accompanied by chub, brook lamprey and minnow. Further downstream in certain rivers you can find magnificent graylings, as well as barbels and gudgeon.
These little streams are rich but extremely fragile, so take care to respect these ecosystems. The département’s main category two waterways are the Meuse and the Semoy. In total they represent a length of 750 kilometres. These rivers are often wide and deep as they flow through the plain. Their silt, sand and mud bottoms are often covered with algae and aquatic plants. They have highly varied fish stocks and the richness of these waters means they are very productive. Thus pike, catfish, perch, pike-perch and other predator species find a profusion of roach, bleak, bream and whitefish to feed on.
Vieilles Forges Lake
Our acres of ponds and lakes are also favourable for every type of angling in unique and restful natural surroundings. The Vieilles Forges Lake is much appreciated for its wonderful specimens of carp, promising you some wonderful moments with your rod.
There are several marshes in the Ardennes Valleys and Plateau area. In the Ardennes hills at an altitude of 470m, the Hauts Buttés marsh is a 30-hectare clearing occupied by a wet peat heath. This place’s special ecological conditions favour a vegetation dominated by sphagnum, blueberries, heather and flying bentgrass. Willows, birch, pine and glossy buckthorn are gradually colonising the area.
The Gué d'Hossus peat heath is a fragile space and is host to a diversified flora and fauna. Sundew, Orchis, sphagnum, alpine newt and dragonflies of every type can be seen here in particular, but take care not to stray away from the duckboard paths.
For anyone interested in venturing out with a guide, the Ardennes Regional Nature Park organises nature walks with its Rendez-vous du Parc.
