The Hiking Moose, a personal blog with GPS tracks

Le Cirque de Saint-Meme (FR) - 6 km

2010-08-13T13:46:00Z

Park at the parking lot of Cirque de Saint-meme. We must warn you that it can be very crowded here in high season; as soon as you see the parkinglot you will understand how crowded it can be. Therefore the last few kilometers by car are subject to toll (only in peakseason)

Walk towards the Auberge and pass the so-called panneau (information sign). On the first picture, if you enlarge it, you can spot the waterfalls.
After a few hunderd meters turn left into the woods and follow the sign "Grande Cascade". The track goes uphill as you can see in picture two.

Finally you will arrive at a crossing with a signpost directing you to the right, towards the Grand Cascade. Mind this spot, cause you will have to return here to do Part II of this track. Walk for a few minutes and you will see and hear the Grand Cascade. You can walk downwards a few meters to have an even better view. If you continue this track you will end up at a bridge crossing the water. That path will eventually take you back to the parkinglot. That completes Part I of this track.

If you are up to some excitement, then return to the signpost (at 1050m) and then turn right (if you turn left, you return the way you came). After about 50 meters, and this is important, you will come to a small crossing with a trail going to the right and a trail just going straight forward. Take the foothpath to the right. This will bring you to a huge pile of stones, which you will have to climb. The Cascades des Sources is now at your righthand side and you have a great view from here towards the valley. Even Elgar made it to this spot...........

Now what....you will surely think. Walk towards the rock face and there you will see an iron cable going up. Follow that cable, no special equipment necessary, just a pair of good hands and.....no fear of heights ofcourse. This so-called Pas Ruat will bring you on top of the waterfall. And then what?

You see this big opening where the water for the waterfall is flowing from? That is where you have to go. There is again a cable to help you get to this "Tunnel de Pas Ruat". It is a natural tunnel and here you will need your hands to climb over the huge rocks here and there. We even had to cross a deep hole which was full with very very very cold water (and had to take off our walkingboots)

When leaving this natural tunnel keep to the right and do not try to get to the Grotte de Guiers Vif by going up the slippery rocks, but instead make use of the iron handles in the rock on your righthand side. Finally you arrive at a 'normal' track again and by turning left here you can go to the cave. It tooks us quite some time to figure out how to get back as we were unable to find a path..........
Return to point with the iron handles. Either go straight up the rock in front of you (by iron handles again) or take the small path a little bit to the left. Follow this track all the way and in the end you will get back to the signpost for the Grand Cascade again. There it is up to you: either take the same path back to the Auberge or go once more to the Grand Cascade and keep following the track downhill. It will lead to a wooden bridge crossing the water and then through the woods back to the Auberge.

Well....wasn't that spectacular.......

Walk at Wahlwiller - 8 km

2010-05-22T12:22:00Z

The walk itself will provide you with lots of scenery and is very easy going. Only after about 1,5 km the path

is going upwards but in a pleasant and smooth way. Elgar was eager to get his picture taken at the end of that path.

You will cross farmland and will see lots of insects and butterflies at this time of the year and ofcourse great views over Limburg's landscape. Often Elgar popped his head out of the tiny backpack to enjoy these views.

One more picture of this area and then we drive home....where strawberries are Elgar's reward, cause he behaved rather well this time.

This is the first walk we have done twice now. Just a nice walk, not too difficult, not too long, with stunning scenery along the way. We can highly recommend it to everyone.

Circular walk Wahlwiller - 16.9 km

2010-04-25T12:53:00Z

After having consumed our breakfast we get our stuff together and take off from the parkinglot of this cafe/restaurant. The sun just popped out behind the clouds and it was rather warm......mmh...was it a good idea to do this particular walk with not much shade?.............. the scenery is however stunning.

In good spirit we just continue our walk and finally

end of up in the ‘Vijlenerbos’, a huge forest where there is at least some shade and even a slight breeze. Here is a picture of us together in the forest. You will encounter many benches for a stop. One will provide you with this lovely view towards the township Vijlen (and its church)

Further along the track you will see these ‘ zandsteenblokken’ (in English: blocks of sandstone), a geology monument (has to do with erosion already a long long long time ago). After a while we leave the forest behind us and see the small township of Holset in the valley in front of us.

This is a great place for a stop for having something to drink or eat (as it is also halfway this circular walk)
From this Inn you have a nice view on the H.H. Lambertus & Genoveva Church. This church is already mentioned in the year 1266.

From Holset it is another 9 kilometers back to Wahlwiller. The track is very easy going and straight forward with lovely views over the landscape.

Great walk, great food...................we must do it again.

Elgar Moose went to ……. Paris

2010-03-06T12:40:00Z

seeing the Eiffel Tower. We did not went with the elevator to the top but walked up the first 2 levels, which gives you a better impression about the Eiffel tower's enormous structure.
We went to see the Galleries of LaFayette, famous because if its interior but also because here you can nose around for exclusive clothing.

And just after 2 days city we needed some 'space' again, to get away out of the crowd, and went to see Versailles. In the castle itself it was busy also with people, but still do-able. In summertime it must be overrun by tourists however. Here a picture of the "Hall of Mirrors".

But luckily Versailles has huge gardens and we went for a walk around the entire pond, which takes at least more than 1,5 hrs ! And in February you will not encounter many people here.

Paris is definitely a city to return to and to explore further.

Brunsummerheide (Limburg, NL)

2010-01-16T14:23:00Z

Winter has arrived

2010-01-10T12:00:00Z

and one week later we had this very cold winterday with gusts and lots of snow. Despite those weather conditions we went for a walk and took the following pictures:

In the open field it was not that pleasant due to the hard wind:

But in the forest it was just nice and often our feet disappeared in huge snow dunes:

Strathconon walk (SC) - 9 kms

2009-10-25T12:39:00Z

Walk along the loch and past the estate mansion. We spotted a herd of deers and ofcourse other wildlife.....

like golden eagles and this funny ............uh moose.

We follow the easy track into a very remote part of Scotland where you will be all alone, that is for sure. But there are also a lot of clegs and also midges (although midges where not there this day, it was just simple too hot for them). We stopped alongside a small waterstream for our lunch and saw two eagles soaring the sky.

We continue the track for another 30 minutes or so, but as Sue & Stewart do need to be back on time for newly arriving guests, we decide to cross the river and to return via the other side. Easier said than done!.

If you are interested: these pictures can be bought via Dreamstime. Just click on them to be taken to the Dreamstime website

There are huge rocks in the river and the gaps often not that small, so with some jumping and crawling on the rocks we made it to the other side. From there we head back to our car and enjoy the scenery. You will be able to spot us on the last picture, thanks to Sue's white blouse.

This is such a remote area of Scotland which not much people tend to visit, that it has become one of our favorite spots. We will be back here definitely.

Culbin forest - Hill 99 trail (SC) - 11 km

2009-09-25T14:02:00Z

The walk starts at a huge parking where there are toilet facilities and there you can also pick up a leaflet of the area . The track is well-marked and is called Hill 99 viewpoint trail, although we did a small detour along the waterfront.

First you will come across these Gravel-pit Ponds, which were dugged to provide a source of fresh water for birds, mammals and insects.

The track continous through the forest and after a while you will be at the base of

the Hill 99 Viewpoint tower. Climb this tower and enjoy the pleasant views. After the descend, follow the track for a little while until at a crossing where the track goes to the left, turn right instead. You will end up at the waterfront. That spot is called "the Gut". It is made up of saltmarsh, sheltered mudflats, sand and shingle: it is therefore ideal for long-legged, long-beaked wading birds all year round. But be aware of the tide here - it is very easy to be cut off on Culbin's shoreline.

We follow the shoreline tilll the next entry and head back into the forest. There we pick up the Hill 99 track again which willl take you to the Dragonfly Pool. From here it is not far to the parking lot.
During our visit there were not many dragonflies around, but plenty of insect like the one pictured below.

Oh...we forgot to let you know that Elgar was with us, but he did not want to be photographed today. Silly moose!

Ben Hiant (528m) (SC) - 6 kms

2009-09-04T21:20:00Z

At the top of Ben Hiant the views are awesome. Particularly when the sun is shining and the sky is clear, but it can be windy though.

It can be very lonely at the top but there is always our own hikingmoose Elgar. Yep..... he made it to the top as well. Here he is waving to his friend Dip who stayed home today.

Nice walk and not too difficult. Just enjoy it !
And don't forget: if you are looking for some nice shots, take a look at our stock photos on Dreamstime.

Walk Camus nan Geall (SC) - 7 kms

2009-08-15T12:49:00Z

A little bit further on towards the beach is a small walled enclosure said to be the burial place of the Campbell family's catholic members. In front of the enclosure is a bronze age standing stone. The sea facing edge reveals two well worn engravings: a celtic cross and a dog.

Once on the beach, head west along the shoreline. The path rises into the banked remains of an ironage promontory fort (3000 years old).

And quess who was there as well? Yes....Elgar. But besides him we haven't seen a soul on this walk.

Continue for a long time along the shore untill a fence comes down from the side above. Follow this fence (and we mean this literally) untill you are on top of the small hill.

The "path" will lead to the scattered fuins of Bourblaigue, a large clearance village. And we must admit: this village had a superb view over the whole area and is very remotely situated.

From here you have to head back towards the route. There are a few ways to get back but walk carefully cause it is all cross country. Here is a beautiful view towards the shoreline.

A very pleasant walk where you will be all on your own, so take your time and enjoy the scenery.

From Portuairk to Sanna Bay (SC) - 7 kms

2009-06-24T20:27:00Z

The walk takes you along the waterfront and beaches of Sanna Bay. It feels as if you are in the Caribbean, with the bright blue / green colouring of the water.

If it is low tide, don't forget to walk to the rocks that normally would be under water. In these rockpools you can see beautiful sea anemones (actiniaria), periwinkles and a lot of other creatures.

After you have left the bay of Sanna behind you, you will have to cross a smalll bridge. This detour over Sanna Head will provide you with astonishing views. Here there is no path but you just walk towards the cairns. Here is a view towards the sea and one towards the ridge of the crater.

We walk back to Portuairk, almost the same track, and with a last glimpse of Sanna Bay, we return to our car.

The picture down below, shot ofcourse by us, is available for download against a very very modest rate at Dreamstime (therefore the special watermark)

We definitely will return to Sanna Bay, so stay tuned for some more pictures of this area.

Ardnamurchan’s crater (SC) - 3 kms

2009-06-23T02:21:00Z

Our first walk, a very easy and short one, is a part of the Old School House Path, which starts just after you have passed the Sonachan hotel.

Why particularly that walk?
Because the whole north western corner of Ardnamurchan is a large "caldera" which is a crater left behind by a collapsed volcano. It is that crater that we wanted to see from a higher viewpoint and this track going slightly uphill takes you to the edge of the crater.

The track is waymarked from the point you encounter two houses (walk to the back of the house to the left and there you will see one of the signposts). From that point the track is uphill but the path is easy going. And standing on the edge of the crater this will be your view.

This is just a small part of the visible caldera. Underneath a panorama photo with some arrows to indicate the edge of this huge caldera.

You could continue your walk towards the little village in the middle of the caldera or return the way you came.

One last look at this beautiful area and then we are back at the car. Still lots of time to do another walk to Sanna Bay, which will follow soon on the HikingMoose.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

To Teuven and back (Flanders, B/NL) - 21 kms

2009-05-23T18:13:00Z

The church of Sint Pietersvoeren in full sunlight and once again a picture of the half-timbered houses in Veurs.

This track is familiar to us now as we have crossed this path on every hike we did in this area. But like stated before, it is our favorite spot.

We cross a forest and here the track only goes up-hill, but luckily there is shade everywhere. After leaving this forest behind us, we arrive in an agricultural landscape. And..... there is Elgar.

You will see many many cows along this track and they are indeed very curious creatures. Also some castles can be found along the track, but they are not open to the public.

Finally we arrived in a forest again and thus protecting us against the burning sun.

And as always: hiking makes one hungry so we walk towards Teuven where you can have a lunch at Cafe Modern or Restaurant Moeder de Gans. As we had eaten previously at Moeder de Gans (see our Heijenrath walk), we opted this time for Cafe Modern which recently won an award for being the most extraordinary cafe of Belgium.

Here we made a small detour to have a look at the Church of Teuven but ofcourse you can opt to disregard this few hundred meters and to immediately leave Teuven behind you by going to the right at the first crossing you encounter when leaving the cafe. We climb all the way up a road and by accident we see the sign “Gelato Farm” and well.....after this climb we deserve an icecream and wow...it was bigger than we had anticipated. But well deserved, that is for sure.

After this particular climb the track is going downhill again for a very long time and finally you will arrive at a tiny little villlage with this old fashioned signpost and after a couple of kms we see this boundary marker. Elgar finds it to be the best spot to take a picture.

We are getting tired by now and slowly progress in getting back to our B&B. But we make it in the end.

A great walk with lots of hills to climb, good food and lovely views.

Aubel (Flanders, B) - 22.5 km

2009-05-22T14:06:00Z

It was lovely weather: sun and blue skies, not too warm, just perfect walking conditions. The first part of the track is familiar to us as it is the track we ended up with yesterday. Nevertheless we enjoy the scenery. Just like these cows.

The path goes straight through a forest and then you will come across a huge fruit orchard.

After taking a look at our map and of course our GPS we turn right near a building. The path is difficult to follow because of all the weed, but we just continue the best as we can and finally arrive at a .......closed gate. Cows look at us with curious eyes and as it was no option to turn back we opened the gate (and of course closed it again, but you can also climb over it) and passed this old farmhouse. We expected a watchdog coming running up to us any minute but nothing happened. What a relief.

We cross a big road and .......there must be a track somewhere???? At least that is what our map and GPS show us. Oh well, we just go for it and after a while we can see the church tower of Aubel.

We take a small detour to reach Aubel as we don’t like to walk on main roads. The track goes straight through pastures with lots of cows grazing on it. We reach Aubel which is a nice small city where one can stop for having a short break. We wanted to buy a map of that region but a lot of shops were closed because of Ascension day the day before and thus were closed this day as well. The map we have used sofar does not include Aubel, Val-Dieu and its surrounding area.

We noticed a billboard with a map of the region and looked at it carefully and decided to go to Val-Dieu. Can’t be that difficult to find; follow red signs, then when you encounter blue signs follow those and there you are at the Abbey of Val-Dieu. Unfortunately it did not work out that way. Also our GPS did not provide the necessary information, at least we were not able to find the Abbey on it, so we did a huge extra loop in an effort to find the Abbey. We did not encounter any signposts nor was there anyone around to ask it, so at the end we just gave it up.

And just when we had given up we came across....yes, you guessed right.......a signpost telling us that it was just 3 km’s ahead. Too bad. Next time we will go somewhat better prepared (and have a walking map of this region at hand).

On our way up the hill we see this Table d’Information called “Knuppelstock”. It is a viewing point over the area (Land of Herve) and somewhere down below, we know for sure, is the abbey.

Slowly we return to familiar grounds and finally end up in Sint Pietersvoeren again.

Wow....great walk despite the fact that we did not see the Abbey, but we got a great taste of the region called “Land of Herve”.

Flint walk (Flanders, B) - 9 km

2009-05-21T14:43:00Z

As you can see from the pictures, the terrain is somewhat hilly and there are also a lot of fruit orchards around.

After going uphill for a while we cross a naturereserve Alsbos and Elgar decided it was time for a stop....and be honest....this wooden bank should be large enough for him, don't you think?

We leave this forest behind and continue the track. The booklet mentions to turn right at a specific spot but after taking a look at our map (besides the GPS always handy to bring along) we had to turn left instead. And a rather steep road, luckily for us downwards, brings us back to the main road which we cross, only to climb up again into another forest.

Everywhere you look the views are breath taking. This was our favorite spot (we will cross it in all our other walks as well) and Elgar wanted to show himself off once more.
The path takes you to a tiny village called Veurs which is absolutely stunning with all the half-timbered houses.

It can't be far now till Sint Pietersvoeren. And as Sint Pietersvoeren is situated in a valley it always means that you will end your track downhill (we like that very much, especially after a long walk). Here you can see the churchtower of Sint Pietersvoeren and the tower over the castle. And on the right picture you can see part of the castle.

Lovely walk, not too difficult, stunning views, a good start in the Voerstreek for us & Elgar.