The best walks and hikes in Parc Paysager Du Ry-Ponet

Its open moors, gnarled trees, and changing meadows give it the feel of a small savannah. An exotic hike, between forest and open spaces, with the Vesdre valley in the background.

A few stone steps, lost in the middle of the woods… Sometimes it only takes a little to give a soul to a path. This old staircase is one of those little details that could easily be missed, but which tell of another era in Chaudfontaine, when the heights were already frequented by walkers coming to enjoy the spa town.

Lost in the heart of the Chaudfontaine woods, the Devil's Bridge (Pont du Diable) intrigues as much as it attracts. This small arch of dry stones, perched on the schist rocks, seems almost incongruous in the middle of the forest. And like any good "Devil's Bridge", it has its legend… A passage full of character that gives this hike a little touch of mystery.

Built in 1843 and redeveloped in 1850, this revenue building, constructed by Auguste Payen, was practically identical to the first Pepinster station, which has since been demolished, also located below a railway embankment. A glass roof covering the access stairs to the platform adjacent to the building was added in 1891 at the same time as the building serving as toilets and lamp room. Built of brick with ashlar details and corner reinforcements, it is a two-storey building. The ground floor and the first floor are small in size with equidistant semi-circular arched windows, while the upper floor, on the edge of the tracks, is higher, in a neoclassical style, and has openings with straight lintels and entablatures and a pediment crowning the three central bays on the street side and seven semi-circular arched bays on the track side. The stationmaster's apartment occupied the intermediate level, while the ticket office and the office were on the top floor. In 1971, the premises at street level, no longer used for railway purposes but serving as a warehouse, were occupied by the "l'Esplanade" café-brasserie. The station also had a goods shed, since demolished

The fort of Chaudfontaine is one of the twelve forts built for the defense of Liège, in Belgium, at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of the Belgian general Henri Alexis Brialmont. Built from 1888 to 1892, as a modern concrete infrastructure, equipped with the most modern weapons of the time, the fort of Chaudfontaine is one of the six small forts of the Liège belt. Dominating the Vesdre valley on the right bank at an altitude of 220 m, it is located, with that of Embourg, south of the fort of Fléron and east of that of Boncelles. During the First World War, after two days of resistance, the fort surrendered on August 13, 1914, following the explosion of a German shell in the vault of the ammunition store. The street leading to the fort was renamed "rue du XIII Août" and a military cemetery was established there, as well as a monument in homage to 50 of the 71 victims buried in the necropolis and who perished in the fire of the fort (explosion). In 1933, the fort was renovated, rearmed, and consolidated. A thick layer of reinforced concrete, intended to withstand the heaviest equipment, reinforced the vaults. During the Second World War, during the Battle of France, the fort resisted for a few days, but, shelled by the Luftwaffe from the morning of May 17, 1940, it was abandoned at the end of the day after the explosion of a German grenade inside, then a shell at the entrance. A shooting club called "La Trairie" has been located there since 1983 in the casemates defending the moats. Since the 1990s, the fort of Chaudfontaine, renamed "Fort Adventure", has been occupied and developed by a company that organizes adventure courses there, for adults as well as for children.

Beautiful view and a bench to relax on.

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soothing place...😁😉