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1 BOUILLON AND THE RIVER SEMOIS

Frahan villag, sitting in a loop of the Semois (Walk 2)

INTRODUCTION

Bouillon, the administrative centre of the commune of the same name, is a truly historic small town (population 2200) with a magnificent castle as its pièce de resistance. Inevitably it is touristy, often packed on holiday weekends and for most of July and August, but nonetheless it preserves an undeniably vibrant and attractive atmosphere. Hidden it certainly is, partly because you can drive past the town on the N89 without even seeing it and partly because outside Belgium, Holland and the neighbouring part of France most other countries know nothing of it or its river – the beautiful and normally placid Semois. This river, whose source is near Arlon on the Grand Duchy border, runs generally west to cross into France near Bohan (see Walk 5), and 10km later flows into the Meuse. Its exaggerated and often symmetrical horseshoe loops take the meaning of meandering to new heights.

The town has all the expected facilities and a useful internet/wi-fi facility, for those in need, at Papeterie des Ardennes on Quai du Rempart, just down from the Pont de France. There is no camping within the town but lots close by.

Local bus services are poor. There is a good, frequent connection with the nearest railway station at Libramont (connections from Brussels and Liège), but the only other helpful route for walkers is the infrequent service to Sedan.

The idea of a single walk to take in all the good views of the town and castle is an attractive one but would be an unhappy compromise, so Walk 10 and Walk 11 visit recommended sites from which Bouillon can be seen at its best.

BOUILLON CASTLE

As the very prominent focus of the town, a visit to the castle is near mandatory. Certainly it dates back to AD988, probably earlier, and in 1096 was sold by its then owner, Godefroid de Bouillon, to finance his leadership of a crusade to Jerusalem. The fortifications were vastly improved by the famous military engineer Vauban in the late 17th century. It’s a superb, evocative and informative castle to visit, and great value. You can climb to the highest keep and descend to the lowest dungeon, see the oubliette and walk in seriously dank underground passages as well as through fortifications within the walls. Buy the cheap English-language mini-guidebook that is essential for the DIY tour. The road tunnel under the castle was originally built for the railway described in Walk 1.