La Boucle des Sept-Roches

1/ From the tourist office, take rue du Docteur Lemaire, rue André-Compain, then cross the two bridges over the Semoy. Take rue de Phades on the left, then the forest track on the right.

2/ Take the embankment to the right on a quarry path and climb towards La Vinaigrerie. The path crosses a forest track, joins an old quarry and then the Col Bayart.

3/ Descend to the right, either by the path in the rocks, or by bypassing the side of the ridge, and reach the plateau and the monument of Quatre-Fils-Aymon. Use the alleys, cross the Meuse and reach Château-Regnault. Go along the Vanelles school on the right and go up rue Bernisseaux (on the left, door with the inscription "Joseph-Maré" on a section of the wall: the only remains of the Grosse Boutique) for 300 m. Take rue de l'Echelle to the right, with its stepped housing estates, then follow rue Haute to the right (a path intersects the bend in the street) which leads to the split rock of the Hermitage (viewpoint).

4/ Climb the path to the old restored quarry huts.

5/ Reach the rock at Sept-Villages, via a balcony path (viewpoint of the Roma rock, Braux, Levrézy, Château-Regnault, Deville, Monthermé and the old abbey of Laval-Dieu).

6/ Continue on a crest path and cross the D 989. After the barrier, descend to the left then to the right, via a succession of paths.

7/ Continue to the Mal-Hanté slate extraction gallery.

8/ Use the slate path to reach the shooting range and surround the pit. Go past the Croix Saint-Anne and go down the Chemin de l'Embranchement. Cross the D 1, go along the edge of the Meuse and cross the bridge.

9/ Turn right to return to the tourist office.

Route taken from the topoguide Les Ardennes à Pied, June 2017