The best walks and hikes around Herve

In the small Walloon village of Saint-Jean-Sart, part of the municipality of Aubel and located near the famous Abbaye de Val-Dieu, you'll find an old traditional spring of great historical importance to the local population. Often referred to in French as Fontaine de Saint-Jean-Sart, this spring is more than just a water source. For centuries, it was where villagers drew their drinking water directly from the ground, forming a tangible link to village life in the past. The spring is located at 9 Rue de Lammerschot in Saint-Jean-Sart, a quiet street in this rural village in the province of Liège, Belgium. It is a natural outflow from the ground, where clean spring water emerges, a fact that was of great practical importance to residents before modern water supply systems existed. Today, many locals still use the spring to fill bottles with spring water. On the stones of the spring or near it, there is often an inscription or reference to the history of the village, first mentioned in sources around 1216. This demonstrates how long Saint-Jean-Sart has had a community around this spring and its church. Saint-Jean-Sart is a small village whose history is closely linked to that of Val-Dieu Abbey. The village was already mentioned in documents around the beginning of the 13th century, and the presence of a spring like this played a role in its development as a settlement. The inscription you can see at the spring, "j'ai vu naître Saint Jean-Sart 1216," symbolically emphasizes that the village was born in that year and that the spring played a central role there from the beginning. The second reason this spring is remarkable is that such public springs were once essential for daily needs, such as drinking, cooking, livestock, and other agricultural tasks. In a time without piped water or municipal water supplies, this spring served as a local meeting and living place.

A church is much more than just a building because it's a place where history, faith, architecture, and community converge. For centuries, churches have been the heart of villages and towns. Often the oldest buildings in the area, they serve as landmarks in the landscape, visible from afar thanks to their steeple or robust walls. Architecturally, churches tell the story of their time. From austere Romanesque styles with thick walls and small windows to Gothic churches with high, pointed arches and colorful stained-glass windows that let light in almost magically. Every stone arch and niche has a function and symbolism, often aimed at lifting the gaze upward, both literally and figuratively. But a church is more than just a religious symbol. It is also a place of gathering where people have gathered throughout the centuries for joyful moments such as weddings and baptisms, but also for silence and mourning. Even for those who are not religious, a church often exudes peace, contemplation, and timelessness. The silence within contrasts with the world outside and invites slowing down and reflection.

In landscape architecture or spatial planning, a coulisse landscape refers to a landscape with alternating open and closed spaces, often created by hedges, rows of trees, or buildings. It resembles a stage with varying sightlines.

A low sun is beautiful in this hilly landscape.

Beautiful views, with the backdrops nicely defined by hedges and rows of trees.

Here you're walking on a sunken path through the woods. As you can see in half of the photos. Where the other photos come from is a mystery to me... (not really, many panoramas come from other highlights, closer to the abbey).

The cross, also known as the Croix sur le chemin de Fort-Pays, is attached to a chestnut tree at the entrance to a path leading through the meadows to Lammerschot and then on to Saint-Jean-Sart. This type of wayside cross belongs to the so-called petit patrimoine sacré—small religious heritage—typical of the Pays de Herve and Wallonia. Such crosses traditionally served as spiritual beacons for travelers, pilgrims, and local residents, and are often placed at crossroads, paths, or village entrances.

From a bench, you have a view of the tower of Val Dieu Abbey. It's nice to see two older horses roaming freely here. A long path leads you down to the abbey.