The best hikes from bus stations in Bois De Malvin

The Gîte «La Poudrerie» (also known as La Poudrerie de Lovegnée) is a unique, historic holiday home located in the deep, wooded valley of the river Solières. The name already reveals its history: "poudrerie" is the French word for gunpowder factory. What is now a peaceful holiday home was once the beating and dangerous heart of an industrial gunpowder production.

Although the bridge undoubtedly dates from Roman times, it is unclear how old the bridge exactly is. Anyway, old enough to have already suffered considerably from the ravages of time. In 1998 it was restored by the non-profit organization Huy Verte. In 2015, enthusiasts of these hiking trails sounded the alarm again, because the bridge was deteriorating further and threatened to collapse into the stream if nothing was done to reinforce it. After much insistence, the municipal authorities were finally convinced: they first had a stability study carried out by the company Greisch (which also designed the large Pater-Pire bridge over the Meuse in Ben-Ahin). In August 2024, the works finally began, so that hikers can now cross it safely and with peace of mind. source: lavenir.be

The first descriptions of this Trou Manto date back to 1833. The name refers to the prophetess Manto, daughter of Tiresias of Thebes, who was brought to Delphi after her birthplace was conquered by the Epigoni. From there she traveled to Asia Minor, where she married the Cretan Rhacius, with whom she had Mopsus, and founded a temple of Apollo in Claros. According to legend, she spent her last days in Italy. What the link between this cave and the legend from Greek antiquity is, is unclear. It is a fossil cave. In 1964, a narrow passage was made to the adjacent 'Grotte Sint-Etienne'. This junction is called the "birth" by speleologists. It is, along with the 10m deep shaft, the most difficult segment of the cave. The cave is not accessible to the public and has never been developed for tourism. Only with a membership card of the Belgian Speleological Union and a key can you access the limestone passages. To protect the site, it was decided to close the entrances with massive doors equipped with padlocks. However, as bats had been regularly present during their hibernation since 1970, the entrances to the two caves were only screened in 1990 to facilitate their entry and exit. Observations of these small mammals by NATAGORA led to the identification of several regionally endangered species, such as the lesser horseshoe bat and the Bechstein's bat. Vincent Poitier, a pioneer of the 4th Baden Powell unit of the Collegiate Church of Huy, organized several visits to the cave system together with scout leader Jean-Louis Cuvelier. Some entered through the Trou-Manto cave, while others, the more adventurous, went directly through the Trou St-Etienne cave. source: wikihuy.be

It is indeed picturesque, especially in summer, with a beautiful interplay of green tones from trees, grasses, and corn on the one hand, and golden yellow from grain (and dry grass) on the other.

Gîte La Poudrerie is the former home of the director of the Lovegnée gunpowder factory. (and not the former wine press of the Château d'Ahin, as incorrectly reported here; that is the nearby "Gîte de La Pressoir") This very remote site with a special geological nature was chosen during the Renaissance to build a powder factory there. This powder initially had a military purpose and was later used, until the middle of the 20th century, for quarrying limestone in the quarries of the Meuse valley. The manufacture of gunpowder is extremely dangerous, and so the valley was never built upon… which is why the site is now part of the "Natura 2000" project thanks to its ecological importance. The director's house, today a holiday residence for about 15 people, is a characteristic example of the bourgeois style of the 1930s. It is located in the heart of a deep and very wooded valley, barely 5 metres from a babbling stream that is constantly eroding the earth. Source: www.poudrerie.be/nl/poudrerie/

Located in the Solières valley near Huy, the Trou Manto cave is a limestone cave with a complex network of tunnels. Access is via a steep path supported by a rope. The cave has three levels with magnificent stalactites, a sloping floor with collapses, and twelve large columns supporting the vaults. The entire structure is an impressive karst phenomenon, approximately 600 meters long and 48 meters deep. The cave is protected and fenced off due to vandalism and to protect bats; visits are only possible with a guide or a caving association. The cave is known for its diverse hydrological phenomena and the legend of the Nutons, gnome-like helper beings from folklore. This combination of nature, history, and mythology makes Trou Manto a special place.

The Caverne des Romains is located at the top of the slope, 70 meters upstream from Trou-Manto. This southwest-facing rock is 12 meters high and 24 meters long. A beautiful porch forms an arcade 5 to 6 meters high, 10 meters wide, and 6 to 7 meters deep; it is made of compact limestone. It is more of a "rock shelter" than a true cavern or grotto, but it also makes a very beautiful climbing rock...

Handy for crossing the stream dry.