This is the 3rd stage of the GR5 from Spa to Nice by the Mediterranean Sea.
This stage has a good climb at the beginning of the route. After that, it runs mainly on sloping roads through forests and farmlands. A beautiful route, mostly on small paved roads.
Today begins with a first: the first rain of our hike! Fortunately, it’s not raining too hard, but it’s still important that we pack all the wet gear as soon as possible. Around nine we leave the campsite. A trend is beginning to emerge: all the campsites are located in valleys near a stream, which means the morning starts with a tough climb. Nice to warm up the calves! 😉
At the end of the village is a Carrefour supermarket, where we stock up on the last things for the next few days. With our backpacks weighing a few pounds heavier, we follow the red/white markings over the Ardennes hills and the sun starts to show itself more often. It’s a wonderfully varied hike through forests and farmlands, over streams and through small, picturesque villages. Along the way we have a nice conversation with a couple who are walking the GR5 as well. However, they must return home after the weekend. We consider ourselves lucky that we can do this whole hike in one go!
Much of the hike runs on small asphalt roads. It’s easy to walk, but it becomes painful for our feet after a while. Fortunately, we have our little chairs strapped to our backpacks, making it easy to find a few break spots along the route, in some beautiful meadows. We are even greeted by a pair of grazing deer. They barely notice us, standing less than 100 meters away.
By half past three we arrive at the Hohenbusch campsite. This campground is located along the main road to St. Vith and has surprisingly nice pitches and beautiful views. And fortunately, a nice hot shower! Refreshed and warm again, we eat a burger and fries in the adjacent restaurant. Later in the evening we write this report in one of the small cabins at the edge of the campground. Tomorrow we have a day off, to do some laundry and give our muscles some rest. A nice prospect…😊
