Cycle along the banks of the Semoy, in peaceful natural surroundings, on the former track of the Semoy Little Train.
All along the 20 km of the cycle path going from Monthermé to Hautes-Rivières, you’ll be able to discover the area’s natural and cultural heritage thanks to the 18 information panels placed all along the route.
History:
It was at the beginning of the 19th century, the golden era of industrialisation, that Auguste Lagard, son of the Linchamps forge-master, apparently at odds with his father, decided to branch out on his own and create his own business. He set up on the banks of the Semoy. The river gave him the power he needed to drive a turbine, the forest gave him the timber he needed to feed the furnaces. In 1850, the company had a blast furnace, a waterwheel that powered a hammer and the bellows for the refining fires and the blast furnace. Three rolling mills made sheet metal of different thicknesses. The company’s growth led to the construction of housing for the workers and their families, as well as a small school and a chapel. In 1932, the factory was bought by Senelle-Maubeuge in Laval Dieu, and in 1969 it ceased trading.
Many of the inhabitants left the hamlet, abandoning their homes, which fell into ruin and were demolished in 1975.
The next year, the Société Métallurgique des Ardennes bought the remaining industrial buildings from the district to set up a hot galvanisation workshop.
Source : site de Monthermé
On the initiative of the Meuse and Semoy Community of Districts, it was decided in 2013 to build a path following the track of the old railway known as the “P'tit train de la Semoy”, linking Monthermé to Les Hautes-Rivières. In 2014, it was decided to develop the riverbank, respecting the environment and to stabilise the carriageway. Two footbridges were built across the Semoy, one close to the place called “La racine” in Monthermé, and the other near “Phades”.
This track then stays on the same bank (right) as far as Les Hautes-Rivières. A sign at the entrance to the path, close to the food store, shows the way and provides information on the history of the little valley. The works were completed in 2015 and 2016 with the asphalting of the path.
Infos pratiques
Flyer disponible aux deux bureaux de l'Office de Tourisme à Rocroi et à Monthermé.
