Intro:
A nice hike through a wide open and comforting landscape, occasionally interrupted by a few small stretches of forest.
The hike leads us into the valley of the Sambre river and then follows that river up to Lobbes where once an influential abbey left its mark upon the then known christian world.
Back and forth:
From Antwerpen it is impossible to reach Grand-Reng before noon. The advantage is that we didn't have to leave too early. By train we traveled to Bruxelles-Midi where a train for Mons - Quiévrain was waiting for us. In Mons we took TEC bus 134 (direction of Erquelinnes) to Grand-Reng. We arrived just before 1 pm.
From Lobbes a train (every two hours) takes you to Charleroi-Sud. From there every hour an IC train takes you to Antwerpen via Brussels.
The hike:
After the long trip to Grand Reng it was necessary to acclimatize with a welcome cup of coffee. That wasn't just because of the warm day, but also to get used to the quietness of the place and the region. We're sitting at a stone's throw from the border with France and it looks like as if it's the end of the world. Barely anything moves, the sound of the occasional car passing by only emphasises the silence. What a contrast with the bustling city we left just a few hours before.
(click the picture for the full series on Picasa)
Once started Grand-Reng is soon forgotten. The GR 129 trail leaves the border region and heads back into Belgium. The asphalt dissapears and we're hiking through a wide open and slightly hilly landscape. It's the time of the harvest. In the distance we notice the combine-harvesters crawling through the fields like little toys, surrounded by clouds of dust. The borders of our path bloom white, yellow, red, purple and blue. It's like as if nature suddenly realises that it's over halfway August and that it has to hurry to complete the reproduction cycle in time.
We're crossing the N40 road and enter the cool and damp Bois du Chêne Houdier. Back in the open fields we get our first views of the Sambre valley. We hike along paths almost completely overtaken by weeds and sometimes it's difficult to avoid the nettles. We notice bushes with grape-like fruits. They're still tasting sourishly. They have a pit, just like prunes, but they're much smaller. Further along the hike on an old railway bedding we'll find them again in large quantities. They've grown slightly bigger and some are ripe. They're indeed little very sweet tasting prunes. People used to pluck them to make marmelades, but judging from the large numbers on the ground and the fruits rotting on the branches those times must have gone.
After a long and slow descent we arrive in Solre-sur-Sambre at Sluice nr. 1. Noticing the thick layer of dirt on the water in the sluice, there can't be many boats on this river. We certainly didn't see any. We're making our way through the village along a small dirt road and find ourselves in front of a fortified castle. The sturdy square tower over the entrance gate and the round towers on the corners of the façade make a solid impression. The castle dates from the 13th - 14th century. In front of it lies a square covered with grass and decorated with a kiosk. It's a nice spot to linger for a while.
The trail leaves the riverside for a 6,4 km. long excursion into the surrounding country. At Labuissière we'll get back to the river. Vast fields, dirt roads, space, quiet. Halfway this hiking stretch a 27 km. long liaison trail starts its way towards the GR 125.
Labuissière used to have a marble quarry. The mottled grey stones have been used as pavement in the little square in front of the kiosk. bevond zich vroeger een marmergroeve. Unfortunately, the stones are all broken. The square is used as a parking lot ...
From Labuissière on the Sambre becomes our guide up to the finish in Lobbes. The former hauling path along the river has been transformed into a cycling road (RaVel), but up to the castle of Grignard our trail stays higher up the valley slope. We're offered nice views on the little village of Fontaine-Valmont.
The castle appears in the distance. It crowns the top of a modest hill and dates from the 19th century. Nowadays it's a children's home, managed by a protestant organisation. The name Grignard has nothing to do with the castle. It's what the hill has been called since the early times. This hill is our first link with the destination of the hike. Landelin, the saint that founded the abbey of Lobbes in the 7th century, used to be a bandit before he was converted. Grignard was the place where he and his companions hid when they weren't raiding the region.
From Grignard we start following the RaVel path up to Lobbes. There are not many cyclists on the long concrete road, so we can read what our topoguide is telling us about the famous abbey of Lobbes. Landelin repented his sins and converted into a convinced christian. He founded the abbey of Lobbes to make it all up. Once there were enough monks, he left the community in the good care of the others and withdrew to lead a life of repentance. Of course later he was canonized.
Before entering Lobbes our GR trail runs along the old rampart of the abbey. It gives an idea of the enormous size the abbey must have had. For over a thousand years it remained an influential stronghold in the catholic world. The abbey had a library that was world famous at the time. All then known authors and books of the ancient times and of the middle ages were present. The place owned its title 'Lobbes la Savante' (The Erudite Lobbes) to it's library and scholars. But nothing lasts and in 1794 the abbey estate was thoroughly looted and destroyed by the French. Only the buildings of the former farm, a part of the rampart wall and the church survived the catastrophe. The church still dominates the place. In Belgium it's the only church left from the carolingian times (9th - 11th century) and it's probably one of the oldest in the country. The rugged angular roman style is an unusual sight in these regions.
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