Intro:
Getting from Mons to less then one kilometer from the french border, that was our assignment during this hike on the walloon part of the GR 129 trail.
During the hike the little river La Trouille is never far away. Could it be a coincidence that for a while we had 'la trouille' (fear) when we heard that the transportation company TEC had picked our day to go on strike? Luckily, the actions were limited to the province of Liège and they didn't bother us.
Back and forth:
Meanwhile we know how to get from Antwerpen to Mons: first by train to Bruxelles-Midi, and there take a train heading for Quevy. Traveltime is approx. 1 h. 40 min.
From the train station at Mons it's a mere 10 min. walk to the central Grand Place where our hike starts.
To return from Grand Reng (at the french border) there are 2 possibilities.
TEC bus 134 drives you to Mons in 40 min., and there it's easy to continue the trip by train or by car.
The same bus (but in the other direction) can also take you to the train station of Erquelinnes. From there you can take a train to Charleroi-Sud.
The hike:
We're leaving Mons passing by the Waux-Hall Park, continuing through a quiet suburb, to end up on a gravel road that leads us close to the center of Hyon. The itinerary follows the valley of the Trouille, a little river that has its origin at Grand Reng (the finish of this hike) and that flows into the (canalized) Haine river near Mons. Along the way we'll meet this river several times. We happen to know the french expression "flanquer la trouille à quelqu'un" (to scare someone) and we wonder if there's a connection with the river's name. That doesn't seem to be the case, ... which is quite a relief because considering all the wichcraft stories we met with during the previous hikes on this GR 129 trail, we thought we might expect more of the same ...
(click the picture for the full series on Picasa)
Past Hyon our trail starts going up the Mont Panisel, better known as the Bois de Mons or the Bois Là-Haut. It's a 68 m. high hill that has been dominating the region and the village since ancient times. At the end of the 18th century the french Revolutionaries (remember the French Revolution?) planted a lime tree at the top of the hill and that tree is still there. This (relatively short) piece of the hike is the most difficult part. The rest of the itinerary is going through a slightly hilly landscape where the hiking is quite relaxing.
The trail descends back to the valley of the Trouille and makes a wide curb around the swamp before reaching the village of Spiennes. Our trail crosses the GR 412, the Trail of the Mininghills.
When leaving Spiennes, it looks as though our path suddenly comes to an end. The road continues but is barred by means of a heavy chain where it seems to enter the property of a watercompany. After some hesitating we realise that the chain is needed to stop motorized traffic, not hikers. Somewhat further we're passing under a railway bridge, looking somewhat as a Roman aquaduct. From there the trail starts following a dirt road leading through vast farmlands towards Harmignies. In the distance we can distinguish the hill slope where our ancestors found their silex stones a few thousand years ago. The archeologic finding places remain invisible along the GR 129 trail, but GR 412 is going through that area. It only makes us more curious about this 280 km. long trail. What we do notice are the white quarries of calcium carbonate that made Harmignies an important center of the cement industry since the beginning of the previous century. The factory buildings can be seen somewhat further down the road.
Our path doesn't go into Harmignies, but turns towards - after having passed the little farmcastle of Beugnies - the hamlet Petit Harveng. Here we cross the Trouille river and continue through the open fields in a long straight line towards Givry. We enter this village via a passage through an open grassfield and a walk along the cemetary wall. There's a 51 km. long liaison trail starting here to join the GR 122 trail in France: Liaison des Hauts-Pays. The itineray is described in our topoguide and by the looks of it, this should be a worthwhile hiking trail. We have no doubt about that, but for the moment we still need to concentrate on our GR 129 trail ...
Following a narrow village path we find ourselves at the entrance gate of the 18th century Ferme de la Cour, an enormous farm complex that remarkably well survives time even in the middle of this village.
The weather forecast had announced it: a rain zone would enter the country coming from France, giving showers starting in the afternoon. For quite a while the sky had been covered by threatening dark clouds, but upon leaving Givry they started releasing their contents. Half an hour later the rain subsided into a constant drizzle. Nothing too bad, but enough to force us to keep on the rain capes during the rest of the hike.
The remaining 4 km. again take us in a straight line through the open fields. We're passing a few fields with crops which we can't identify, but given our limited knowledge of plants and animal life, that's quite normal. We also walk along a vast field of flax. The little blue flowers start to show, but for the full blooming we're still too early. It must be an impressive sight to see that field move as a swaying ocean of blue.
At the Bois d'Avau we're passing by a communications mast of the army. It isn't used anymore and the surrounding buildings are in ruins. The presence of a herd of quietly grazing cows on the site completes the dynamic image of our armed forces.
The last 4 km. keep us in the midst of vast farming fields, however the dirt roads are now replaced by concrete roads. At a given point we're crossing a Compostella trail (according to our topoguide it joins the GR 655 trail a few kilometers further in France).
Finally we're reaching the end of our hike, Grand Reng. The village center is situated at a mere 200 m. from the border with France. The border is made up by the Trouille river that has its source on the territory of this village. The area used to be a smuggling paradise. Tobacco, coffee, beer, fuel, they were smuggled into France, whereas wine and other alcoholics were smuggled into Belgium. Some smugglers were well trained sportsmen. Even carrying heavy loads they were able to outrun most of the local customs officers. Dogs were also used to transport the goods. If caught, they were usually amputated a leg. On the other hand smugglers particularly disliked guard dogs that betrayed them at night when barking loudly. There was a big chance the dog would be found poisoned the next morning ... But all these stories are a matter of the past. The border customs office was definitely closed in 1967.
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