Monthermé (The Roc-La-Tour or devil’s castle )

Monthermé doubtless forms the most beautiful stretch of the Meuse through the Ardennes. This authentic region, hesitating between two countries, is the location of the Geste of the Four Sons of Aymon

À Monthermé

A - Information and services for cyclists

Hire points:


Gyrosport Ardennes Aventure

Tel. : 06 23 23 61 15

Hire: gyropods

Relais vélo du Colvert Mosan

Hotel-restaurant,
les Boucles de Meuse

Tel. : 03 24 35 79 47

Hire : Dutchbikes, mountain bikes and trailers for kids upon request.

Certified accommodation:

The facilities available from these service providers include a secured bicycle shelter, an area equipped to clean bicycles, etc.

Le Franco-Belge

Hotel-Restaurant
2 rue Pasteur
Tel. : 03 24 53 01 20

lefrancobelge.wix.com/franco-belge

Les Boucles de Meuse

Hotel-Restaurant
1 rue du Lieutenant Barbaste

Tel. : 03 24 35 79 47

www.lesbouclesdemeuse.net

À Monthermé

B - Monthermé : Roc la Tour


The Celtic soul endures in the Ardenne… They say that these quartzite rocks may be the Cyclopean remains of a huge, ruined castle. Not true at all! Although this chaotic rock formation is perfectly natural, from prehistoric times it served as a bivouac. These days it is above all one of the loveliest spots in the region.

Walking here, you can smell sulphur.

A diabolical pact is said to have been made between a lord greedy for power and the devil himself. The former was to obtain a huge castle, the latter the soul of the lord, if the lord managed to complete the castle before the cock crowed.

Just as he was setting the last stone of the building, the cock crowed, signalling the dawn. Too late! Out of fury, Satan destroyed the castle he had just built, sending huge blocks of stone hurtling down the mountainside to the bed of the Semoy river.

Walk

A walk will take you to the Roc-La-Tour and the Roche aux Corpias, two kilometres downstream: the view is superb. Return along the same path. An information panel in the car park sets out a number of routes.  

Practical details

Distance: 4 km

Waymarking: yellow waymarking

Difficulty: easy

Duration: 1h30

Start: Car park at the summit of the Lyre forest road that you take upon leaving Monthermé (towards Roc-La-Tour)

À Monthermé

C - The Roche à Sept-Heures


Between Charlevilles-Mézières and Givet, the Meuse crosses the Ardennes massif in cheerful twists and turns. But in Monthermé, more than anywhere else, the loop to be seen from the Roche à Sept-Heures is geometrically perfect.

Walking

A ridge walk runs along this very narrow path, passing panoramic views. Dropping down the hillside, the return path follows the banks of the river.

Practical details

Distance: 6 km

Waymarking: white/red waymarking

Difficulty: medium

Duration: 2h30

Start: Tourist office car park

See the route of the walk

À Monthermé

D - MONTHERME. Laval-Dieu Abbey


The history of the Ardenne and its forest is linked to that of the medieval monks who cleared it with axes. In the 12th century, Laval-Dieu was an island of thought and influence at the heart of this wild region. These days, the elegant brick façade with its stone frames conceals a medieval square tower of schist.



08800 Montherme
Tel : 0033(0)3 24 54 46 73
Web : http://www.meuse-semoy-tourisme.com

À Monthermé

E - Reception and tourist information site


Office de tourisme communautaire des boucles de Meuse et Semoy

Place Jean-Baptiste Clément

08800 Monthermé

Tél. : + 33 (0)3 24 54 46 73

www.tourisme-valleesetplateaudardenne.com