Grand-Halleux: Hiking Trails and Memorial Sites

Grand-Halleux combines marked trails with memorial sites and a multifaceted local history. For planning your day, it is worth taking a closer look at the details for Promenade No. 7: the length and starting point are not stated consistently everywhere. The memorial trail and the historic sites in Farnières also have their own distinct focus.

Hiking Trails: Length and Starting Point

The marked Promenade No. 7, indicated by a green square, is listed as 11 km long, starting at the church in Grand-Halleux. Elsewhere, it is listed as 11.5 km, of moderate difficulty, taking about 2 hours 30 minutes, with Rue Capitaine Lekeux, 6698 Grand-Halleux, as the starting point. The details therefore differ in both length and starting point.

The combination of 11.5 km, moderate difficulty, and approximately 2 hours 30 minutes comes from the description that gives Rue Capitaine Lekeux as the starting point. If you are assessing the route based on how much time you have, consider these details together and check in advance which starting point fits your plans. This helps distinguish the church from Rue Capitaine Lekeux, rather than treating them as the same starting point.

A Marked Mountain Bike Route

Marked mountain bike loop No. 2 is 21 km long and starts at the Syndicat d’initiative de Vielsalm. This is a separate starting point, distinct from the two listed for Promenade No. 7. When comparing routes, make sure you associate each length and starting point with the route named; the 21 km is not an additional length listed for the promenade.

Memorial Sites in Grand-Halleux

The Grand-Halleux memorial trail runs for eight kilometres through the village and its surroundings. Six information panels recount the counteroffensive from the perspective of the residents who experienced it. The trail was inaugurated in June 2025. Its focus is therefore on the residents’ experience, conveyed along the route through several panels.

A plaque from the 75th Infantry Division on the perimeter wall of Église Saint-Laurent commemorates the heroism of American GIs and Belgian citizens during the Battle of the Bulge. While the memorial trail addresses the subject through six panels, the plaque marks a specific memorial site on the church wall.

Landscape and Earlier History

Excavations at Rocher du Hourt in the 19th century uncovered graves and coins. These finds are said to suggest that the Grand-Halleux region had been inhabited since the 1st century AD. The name Les Halleux also helps describe the area: it refers to a widening of the valley at Grand-Halleux and Petit-Halleux.

Farnières: Chapel and Historic Routes

Farnières is home to a small, very old chapel. According to legend, a beggar found an image of the Virgin Mary at the foot of a tree in the 14th century. After the image was taken to the castle chapel, it returned to the place where it had been found. The story connects the chapel with a specific location and a traditional account that is explicitly presented as a legend.

Farnières is also at the crossroads of two very old routes. One ran from Vielsalm to Saint Jacques; the other continued from Lierneux via Grand-Halleux to “la Prusse” in Germany. Saint Jacques was a stop on the pilgrimage route to Compostela. Farnières is therefore notable both for its chapel and its legend, and for its historic route connections.

Discover more destinations: Fraiture, Petit-Thier, Bihain.

For the broader travel overview: Vielsalm.