An extraordinary adventure between water and sky
5 mins of escape
A day of madness, kayaking or ropewalking, with Dinant Evasion!
What do we start with?
Spread the word, whatever you're looking for, Dinant is an exceptional place to visit. For sports lovers, gourmets, families and lone wanderers, Dinant offers a host of surprises all condensed into one amazing holiday! Besides its picturesque town and historical features, the shops and the riverbanks, ideal for a great afternoon by the River Meuse, the town itself and the surrounding area are also an enormous playground where anyone can join in with a huge range of activities!
The town seems to have been specially created for your perfect adventure.
This is my kind of town, lively and dynamic! I arrive donning trainers and sports cap, ready to see if the action lives up to the promises. What better way to start the day than a morning kayaking on the tranquil waters of the River Lesse. I meet Damien and we catch a train from Anseremme station in Dinant for a short trip to the kayak departure point. On the way, Damien tells me about Dinant and the surrounding countryside that we can see from the train. I feel like Hermione Granger (without the witch's hat) as we travel over viaducts, through fairyland landscapes and past Walzin castle. This train is full of explorers and adventurers who, like us, have come to tackle the waters of the Lesse. We alight at Gendron, where we're to begin our short descent (12 kilometres). A station further down the line, Houyet, is the departure point for the 21-kilometre descent. But we have plenty to fit it today so have opted for the short descent, which promises to be just as much fun. We've chosen a 2-seater kayak as this is the best way to enjoy the scenery, while your partner does the rowing. So off we go, ready to paddle for twelve kilometres while some people are still enjoying their Saturday-morning lie-in.
Floating along with the current on these reassuring waters
At this time of day, light filters timidly through the branches above our heads as nature awakens and springs back into action, offering the most beautiful of sights to my rowing companion and me. We're still trying to perfect our technique and optimise our efforts, fine-tuning our gestures in the hope of travelling and turning like a team of professionals. But Rome wasn't built in a day and I doubt we'll become kayak champions today. But who cares, the important thing is to have a go and enjoy ourselves, gliding at a pace that allows us to admire the landscape on our way through. Some people even spend hours on this descent, stopping on the banks in a few places where it's allowed. Just when we're beginning to get the hang of the straight sections, our confidence is blown by the sight of a first weir up ahead! No worries, there's no real difficulty. A few strokes of the paddle, a little water in our shoes, and we're down. I can even give you a piece of professional rowing advice: the trick is to perfectly centre the kayak in the waterstream! Back in flat, calm water, we watch a few kingfishers on the riverbank. Incredibly fast, like electric blue arrows, these enchanting creatures dance before us, along with the leaves falling silently on the water.
Curiosities all along the way
Our attention turns from fauna to geology as we pass below the Aiguilles de Chaleux a rock massif that's been classified as an Outstanding Heritage feature of Wallonia. We wave to a few climbers on our way past. After negotiating a few stretches of rapids, we're hypnotised by the beauty and dimensions of the 11th-century Walzin Castle. Now a classified site, this castle could have come out of a disney film with its towers clinging to the rock face. We discuss the site's history and don't even notice time ticking away as we float along. With aching shoulders, we finally reach the end of our 2 1/2-hour descent. Proud as peacocks, we're like natives climbing out of their dugot canoe at the end of a long voyage. This is a welcome break before going to Dinand Aventure at the upper part of the town for my next activity. I finish my chips and go to the park's reception area to put on my harness. I'm now ready for my treetop adventure!
Today's magic words are balance and thrills
In the heart of the old quarry of Le Penant, Dinant Aventure is an exceptional park in a vertiginous setting that makes it truly unique. More than 50 metres above the ground, rope bridges, zipwires, via ferrata trails, cable cars and various other activities can be enjoyed separately or as a package, for a day full of thrills in the heart of nature!
Hooked to my lifeline, feet dangling in the void
I try a few ropewalk trails with some friends who have come specially from Paris to spend the weekend here. This activity is full of thrills and every new bridge has us hesitating to take the first step. The key to success on these elevated trails is a good sense of balance, as well as the desire to overcome your fears. Some of the group make a point of not looking down while others, on the contrary, take evil pleasure in making the bridges sway to scare their friends. Witness to some true moments of togetherness and laughter, I'm certain that this park has generated many pleasant family memories. After crossing all the rope bridges and reaching the end of the treetop adventure, I decide to test the park's star attraction, the pendular swing.
I'm trembling even as I write these words. From a height of 60 metres, with ropes attached to either side of my harness, I'm to jump into the void and experience a full second of fear and doubt, before the rope stops my fall and swings me like a giant pendulum, just so I can enjoy the unique sensation. I walk towards the edge and stand there for the countdown. On the count of "3", I'm supposed to jump, feet first, without hesitating. I did it, I jumped, the rope held and I'm still alive and prepared to do it again! But first, I must try all the other remaining activities, like the Via Vita, the Funcable or the giant underground passage, because thanks to Dinant Evasion, I'm now a fully-fledged adrenalin addict!
Treetop adventure trail (c) Julia Laffaille
Try this experience
Dinant Evasion
1 rue de la carrière, B-5500 Dinant
Tél: +32 (0)82 22 43 97
www.dinant-evasion.be
A day of madness, kayaking or ropewalking, with Dinant Evasion!