Thivencelle, Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais

This circuit is only available in French and in Dutch. Please feel free to download the FR map card.

This circuit is only available in French and in Dutch. Please feel free to download the FR map card.

This forest walking tour right in the heart of the Bon Secours Forest bears witness, by means of its paths, which are made up of stones, to the digging work which took place for the neighbouring canal. Before going around it, stop off at La Maison du Parc Naturel des Plaines de l’Escaut (the River Escaut plains nature park centre) where you will get all the information you need! Don’t hesitate to explore L’Escale Forestière – there, the mushrooms are giant and the trip ends with a flight in a hot-air balloon! Then, go up more than 16 metres (52 feet) into the trees during the course of a tree-top walk, by means of an elevated walkway, allowing you to get a completely different perspective on the forest…what an adventure!

In Péruwelz between the cities of Mons and Tournai, the Saint-Daniel Hotel was opened in 2013. It is located in the peace and quiet, in the immediate vicinity of the station (±150m) and just a few minutes from the downtown area. Converted from a former seed trade establishment, the hotel offers warrm, contemporary and comfortable rooms. For relaxation, a private recreation area is envisaged as well as the reception’s bar.

Located in the Nature Park of the Hauts-Pays in the village of Audregnies, the cottage has been created in the old, character-filled buildings of the former family farm.Adjacent to the owners' residence, it is comfortably furnished and features a private terrace and a large garden.It is the perfect starting point for many walks or bike rides.Close to Mons, Tournai, Valenciennes, and other numerous tourist attractions, it is the ideal base for a stay with family or friends.

Located in the center of a village in the heart of the Nature Park of the Hauts-Pays, this gîte is the perfect place to discover the curiosities, landscapes, and specialties of this little-known area on the French-Belgian border. Put on your sneakers or hop on your bike to find the "caillou-qui-bique," wander through the villages and sunken paths, admire the hedged landscapes, meet local craftsmen, visit breweries, and taste the regional specialties. Don't forget the cultural and recreational activities offered by Mons, Valenciennes, and Bavay.Welcome to this house, redesigned for families or groups of friends, featuring 6 bedrooms that can accommodate up to 14 people.The well-equipped kitchen, large dining room, two lounges, as well as the terrace with barbecue, the storage for your bikes and motorbikes, the table football, and the sauna will all contribute to enhancing the quality of your stay.

The gîte, "L'Air Pur", sleeps between 2 and 4 people and welcomes you to the heart of the Nature Park of the Hauts Pays. The gîte is the barn belonging to a former farmhouse, with a sofabed in the living room, a dining room that seats 4 people, a kitchen with a freezer, a woodburner, a bathroom with a separate WC and a bedroom. It also has a television and Wi-Fi. Outside, you can enjoy the terrace with an orchard, outdoor games, a barbecue and a ping-pong table. This lovely gîte is the prefect base from which to explore the regional natural parks of the Hauts-Pays on the Belgian side and Avesnois on the French side.

Classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since July 2012, the Grand-Hornu is a jewel of the European industrial heritage of the 19th century. Property of the Province of Hainaut since 1989, this historical landmark is today one of the most significant windows of contemporary art in Belgium. In addition to promoting the architectural riches of this unique site, the MACS and the CID teams focus their activities on contemporary art, offering large, high-quality international exhibitions of contemporary art and design. Guided tour available by reservation and audio guide rentals available.

Discover the cozy "Hélène" cottage, which can accommodate up to 3 people.You enter a hallway with a toilet, leading to a comfortable living room with a fully equipped kitchen and a pellet stove for a warm ambiance.Upstairs, you will find two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a separate toilet.Each bedroom is equipped with two single 'boxspring' beds. In one of the two rooms, it is possible to arrange a king-size double bed.Relax and enjoy the soothing view of the fields from your private terrace.Enjoy all the modern comforts with free Wi-Fi.Parking spaces are available on the property grounds.

Located between Mons and Ath, just minutes from Pairi Daiza and near the Baudour forest, the two gîtes offer a pleasant and friendly stay.The gîtes feature private parking, a garden, a game room, and a playhouse bed for children.The perfect setting for a family or friends' vacation, combining comfort and nature.

The Harchies marshes, in the Hainaut, are wetlands of ornithological interest. This nature space offers one of the most diverse flora in Wallonia.

Not only is an authentic iguanodon skeleton, 5 m high and 130 million years old, discovered by miners in a Bernissart mine in 1878, on display in this museum, visitors will also discover a menosaur (first marine reptile), hundreds of other fossils and an impressive mineral collection. The guides are at the entire disposal of the children, who get to be palaeontologists for the day. Be sure to spend some time at the open-air playground after visiting the museum.The audiovisual panels along the circuit represent the 29 complete dinosaur skeletons found during the exploitation of the Bernissart coal mine (Fosse Sainte-Barbe). A good way to end the day is to visit the “Marais d’Harchies.” Situated at 2 km from the Iguanodon museum, this nature reserve listed as a Natura 2000 reserve and featuring numerous observation posts will certainly appeal to (budding !) ornithologists.

The popularity of Bernissart has increased since an iguanodon skeleton was discovered in a mine shaft, but for the local residents, there's much more than that. The memory of the region’s mining past is still very much alive, as is shown in this small museum, where the importance of industrial archaeology for the young generations is emphasised. A fascinating experience awaits you. Old machinery, archives, photographs, engravings... they all tell the enthralling story of life in the mines in great detail. Also exhibited are a horse-driven lift, pickaxes, lamps, helmets and numerous iconographic documents.

The Plaines de l'Escaut (nature park of the Scheldt) covers the 6 green municipalities of Antoing, Beloeil, Bernissart, Brunehaut, Péruwelz and Rumes. The area is rich with agricultural, horticultural, and water features, as well as swathes of woodland. Within the natural park information centre, L'Escale Forestière will provide you with extensive detail and practical information on the region, the forest and hikes. On site, the Explor'forêt interpretation centre gives you the keys to the forest ecosystem. You’ll also enjoy the Promenoir des Cimes trail which leads you on a discovery of the forest 16 metres above the ground. Families will love the Pic'orée and boundary space and the barefoot trails. For hikers, 500 km of marked trails await them. Many walks take them along the Scheldt, in the middle of fields and nurseries or in one of the many wooded areas. For bird lovers, the Harchies marshes (classified as a Natura 2000 zone) are an essential site for the observation of migratory species. The natural park is also characterised by its heritage. The castles of Beloeil and Antoing, the Iguanodon museum and the mining museum are all attractions for visitors. Not to mention the good restaurants and craft breweries which abound in the natural park.

The Parc naturel des Plaines de l’Escaut nature park is a territory dotted with pollard willows, wetlands and forests. Nearly 500 km of marked hiking trails delight hikers, cyclists and riders. When accompanied by a specialised guide you will be able to discover this area of unspoilt nature, where land and water meet. Several sites are typical of the territory, e.g. the marshes of Les Marais d’Harchies, the Mer de Sable nature reserve in Stambruges, the tree nurseries of Lesdain and the Musée de l’Iguanodon (Iguanodon museum). The Maison du Parc is located near the basilica of Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours, which dominates the nature park. This visitor centre and nature education centre shows everything the park has to offer in terms of tourism and nature. The Hiking Area and an interactive screen indicate all marked trails for riders, hikers and cyclists. The Gastronomic Area presents various local products. The Maison du Parc is also the starting point of the "Escale forestière" multimedia tour on forest wildlife and plants, and of the "Promenoir des Cimes" raised walkway which enables you to walk among the treetops of oaks, ashes and beeches soaring 16m above the ground. ACTIVITIES: organised walks with nature guides throughout the year.

  Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours basilica is a neo-Gothic church built between 1885 and 1895 by the architect F. Baeckelmans on the site of a place of worship used since the 16th century. Originally, there was a statue of the Virgin, sheltered under an oak tree between the forests of Condé and Blaton. But in 1636, an initial chapel was built there and this was enlarged on many occasions. It was in 1910 that the church gained its status as a basilica. The building is constructed on a central plan in Tournai stone. The octagonal centre is flanked by a corolla of chapels with a massive light tower above. The façade features a jutting hexagonal porch with three large Gothic windows under a triangular pediment. Behind the porch, two square section towers rise five levels delineated by dripstone cordons. Above the towers is a square spire enclosed by corner pinnacles. Note the ceramics by Max van der Linden and the oak statue of the Virgin, formerly polychromatic, dominating the chancel and dating from the beginning of the 16th century. Listed (23-01-2001) Exceptional heritage site of Wallonia  

Our good old Belgian potatoes have finally been honoured! The brasserie restaurant PATATE HOUSE does your potatoes differently! It’s a new concept likely to appeal to a large number of gourmets! Guests can enjoy a wide variety of baked potatoes with the fillings of their preference. They have the tantalizing names “fromagère” (cheese maker), “chevrière” (shepherdess), “chicorée” (chicory), “marseillaise” (Marseillaise) and “nordique” (Nordic). There’s the full works! For those who don’t like potatoes, delicious salads are also available in various formats with each more original than the next. Grilled fish and meat complete this menu which can still vary with the seasons! All this in a welcoming environment where you can also have a delicious glass of beer or a bottle of wine selected by the manager, along with some home-made snacks that are also at attractive prices! Testing PATATE HOUSE... Is to adopt it!

Visit an authentic Belgian brasserie in Blaton. All beers are brewed and bottled on the premises.

This brewery has been producing artisanal beers for 20 years (4 passionate generations!) already, using local ingredients: Blanche des Sources, La Vieille de Bon Secours (blonde, amber, dark, fruity), Blonde de Noël.

"Freshness, simplicity and diversity" have been the values behind their cuisine for almost seven years now. Located in the largest tree-filled square in Belgium, you will easily find space to enable you to stop off there and to come and enjoy our Greek culinary specialities. In a warm and cosy atmosphere, in a setting in which the decoration has been freshened up, thanks to professional hosting, you will be able to discover freshly-prepared dishes straight made to order at the foot of the Acropolis or sip an ouzo while biting into feta with that lovely taste of Kolymbari olive oil with an uninterrupted view of the town of Oia in Santorini. Place 31 specialises in grilled dishes, and all dishes are carefully home-made. Dolmades, soutzoukakia, keftedes, kokalakia giouvetsi, to mention but a few: names that will surely remind you of pleasant evenings spent on holidays in Greece. Place 31: an opportunity to go back to Greece, without even having to get on a plane! Take advantage of this chance to visit the Haut Pays area, which is less than 20 minutes from Mons. Place 31 has two outdoor seating areas and a private garden.

Gaetan Moury and his team invite you to join them in this warm, friendly medieval setting and give your eyes and your taste buds a treat at Le Médiéval. Traditional cooking and local specialities like stuffed pigs’ ears, tartiflette and grills. When it comes to what to drink, try one of the beers from near and far... the choice includes Orval, Karmeliet and Saint-Feuillien. Le Médiéval also organises banquets (parties, weddings, communions, etc.), offering customised packages to suit your preferences and your budget.

It’s very close to Mons and less than an hour from Brussels, in the immediate vicinity of the main roads. The minaret, which is very easy to access, is never far from home. Since 1989 it has been at the head of this cosy family restaurant. Hocine Benseghir can rightly be proud of his couscous. Available in a whole range of flavours and a good complement to meat and fish, it’s grilled in front of you over a wood fire.Demanding and rigorous, his golden rule is “quality and freshness first”. He personally supplies slaughterhouses and markets! In addition, every Saturday evening and Sunday lunchtime a superb barbecue is grilled in a chimney fire to the delight of North African food fans. Others will appreciate the beautiful range of dishes honouring French cuisine.The wine menu covers different regions of France and, of course, the three countries of the Maghreb. You have to taste dishes such as the Méchoui couscous, the Angus t-bone steak with coarse salt and bone marrow, or the roasted sea bream with scents of the country. The setting, the warm welcome and the high quality food will make you regret you didn’t come sooner...

Enter the magical world of Le Funambule (literally, the tightrope walker)... Step on to the rope and brave the delicious flavours, put together with so much skill. Soak up this feeling that overwhelms you and explore the flavours of food from the southwest. Let sunshine fill your plate and share this wonderful experience... in a rustic little town there is a peaceful restaurant that’s just as rustic as its setting. Your eyes as well as your taste buds will enjoy these dishes that are both innovative and traditional, at very reasonable prices... The paintings are real works of art where every stroke creates a feeling of wellbeing, joy and above all a desire to tell everyone you know about this place.

Holiday home on the 1st floor of a 17th-century farmhouse, adjacent to the owner’s home. Situated in the peaceful countryside, surrounded by meadows and facing a poplar grove. This comfortable, modern holiday home is ideal to relax and go for walks in the Scheldt plains and the Hauts Pays nature reserve. Meadow with shelter for horses (stopping place for riders). Living/dining room, kitchenette, bathroom, toilet. Garden: balcony, barbecue, car park.

http://bb-la-garde-des-ablais.visit-wallonia.com/en/

Near to the woods of Strambuges, "Sea of Sand", swamp of Harchies, Bonsecours forest, castle of Beloeil, archeological site of Blicquy and Aubechies, etc.

Located in the small village of Grandglise in the Beloeil administrative area, right in the heart of the River Escaut Plains Nature Park, the “Gîte des Chevaliers Teutoniques” hosts you in a quiet and calm setting. On the edge of the woods and close to the former “Roches Rouges” quarry which has not been in operation for decades, this charming pied-à-terre with all modern conveniences is ideally located in an area which is rich in heritage, and could also act as a starting-point for many types of outings – on foot, by bike, by mountain bike, on horseback, and so on.

Welcome to the Saint Daniel Hotel Housed in an ancient seed merchant’s house, halfway between Mons and Tournai, this warm, contemporary and comfortable hotel was designed in 2013. The Saint Daniel Hotel is located in very tranquil surroundings, whilst very close to the railway station (approximately 150 meters) and only a few minutes away from the town centre. https://www.hotelsaintdaniel.be/en

In Péruwelz between the cities of Mons and Tournai, the Saint-Daniel Hotel was opened in 2013. It is located in the peace and quiet, in the immediate vicinity of the station (±150m) and just a few minutes from the downtown area. Converted from a former seed trade establishment, the hotel offers warrm, contemporary and comfortable rooms. For relaxation, a private recreation area is envisaged as well as the reception’s bar.