Liaison - Revin, Monthermé, Bogny-sur-Meuse

À Revin

A - The city of iron

Lying at the heart of the valley of iron and the forest, the city of Revin is skirted by two bends of the river: a superb location. The city is inextricably linked to the metallurgy industry which has left its mark on the landscape. It linked its destiny to great captains of industry, such as Arthur Martin who, in 1884, started manufacturing his first cookers. When Rimbaud stopped there before going to Belgium, he was astounded to see haggard men, women and children, exhausted after their heavy labour in the depths of the foundries.

'You will close your eyes, so as not to see, through the glass,

The evening shadows pulling faces.

Those snarling monsters, a population

Of black devils and black wolves.'

Extract – Poem by Arthur Rimbaud “Rêvé pour l'hiver” (A Dream for Winter) (7 October 1870).

Tip

Revin is home to countless legends. The tourist office has produced a very fine brochure containing the Gestes and myths that are never very far away in Revin.

À Revin

B - Mont Malgré-Tout Voir sur la carte

In Revin, the hill becomes a mountain. The summit can be reached by following a breathtakingly steep path, worthy of the Alps. This backbone, crushing Revin by its very power, is the story of the stubbornness of a certain Murquin who, despite all opposition, is said to have built his house on this path that makes your head spin…

LDid you know? Voir sur la carte

Georges Sand fell under the spell of the city and the site and took inspiration from Mont Malgré-Tout for one of her novels.

À Revin

C - The spanish house Voir sur la carte

Industrial on one side, Revin becomes gentler once you cross the bridge that leads to the town centre. Along the banks of the Meuse, an authentic district dating from the 16th and 18th centuries is concealed from view. The finest of the buildings, the wooden-walled Spanish House, recalls that the city, at the crossroads of invasions, was once under Iberian domination… This remarkable building has now become a museum of local heritage. The history of industry in Revin will never be forgotten…

Learn more

À Revin

D - Tip Voir sur la carte

Le relais accueil VTT

Service bicycle rental and tandems is proposed to discover the valley of the Meuse using the greenway 'Trans-Ardenne.'

À Revin

E - Reception and tourist information site

Office de Tourisme de Revin

65 quai Edgar Quinet

08500 Revin

tél. : +33 (0)3 24 42 92 42

www.valdardennetourisme.com

À Monthermé

F - Monthermé : Roc la Tour Voir sur la carte

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 Voir sur la carte

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

G - The Roche à Sept-Heures Voir sur la carte

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 Voir sur la carte

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

H - MONTHERME. Laval-Dieu Abbey Voir sur la carte

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.

À Bogny-sur-Meuse

I - 4 sons Aymon Voir sur la carte

The Ardenne is dotted with real or imaginary traces of the four rebellious brothers. What does it matter if the Geste took place in Montauban, Dinant or Bogny-sur-Meuse, the forest of the Ardenne was in fact to be their only refuge. In Bogny, the rocky ridge, set in stone, evokes the speed of the four brothers, fleeing the anger of Charlemagne. This outstanding site is accessible via a path through the wood leading to a panorama dominated by the statue of the four brothers, sought throughout Europe by Charlemagne’s army.

Enter the legend

Walk Voir sur la carte

From the site of the Four Sons of Aymon, a discovery trail runs along the ridges. Allow one hour to complete the loop.

À Bogny-sur-Meuse

J - The Hermitage Rock Voir sur la carte

The sorcerer Maugis was never very far from the Four Sons of Aymon. They built their landmark, Regnault Castle, on a rock spur. Opposite, the Hermitage Rock is said to have sheltered the hermit Maugis. It is guarded by the statue of the knight Dardennor which stands four metres high.

À Bogny-sur-Meuse

K - Metallurgy Museum Voir sur la carte

This unique museum explains the long and surprising history of ironwork in the Ardennes department from the last centuries of the Middle Ages to the present day.

http://www.musee-metallurgie-ardennes.fr

Info pratiques :

tél : 03 24 35 06 71

Tip Voir sur la carte

A ride by rosalie or pedal car, bicycle or tandem on the green track

Philippe and Graziella will welcome you