BELGIUM – GR126 (7) – Lasne / Villers-la-Ville

07:30: Back in Lasne. In Lasne, there is the association “Lasne Nature” who identified small walking trails all over the commune. All the trails have a reference and those references are indicated on wooden panels. It’s a real pleasure to walk on those tracks so I decided to do a little detour on those tracks instead of walking along the national road to catch up again the GR126. Close to the church there is “Sentier nr 65 du monument Prussien”. I followed the trail through the grass, in a wood, through a sugar beet field. As you can see on the first picture, the farmer respected the trail. There is no mud on the trail produced by his machines.
During the first hour, the GR126 follows all kind of those small walking trails through meadows, between two gardens and in parts of private wood. Pay attention not to touch the wires from the fences as I noticed some of them are isolated from the ground and it could be possible that there is some electricity on it. Picture 2.
It’s know GR trails are avoiding as much as possible villages. You will pass Court St Etienne and Bousval but not in the centre of those villages. Pictures 3 & 4: landscapes along the GR126 around Bousval
In Bousval, just after crossing an old rail road which is now a concrete cycling trail, I noticed camino markers. There are a lot of camino markers so I started to follow them. But after a while, I noticed that I was off road and went back. I realized that in Bousval, there is an intersection with the Via Gallia Belgica, coming from Diest, Tienen, Jodoigne heading to Nijvel/Nivelles, St-Quentin, Paris. The GR126 and the Via Gallia Belgica are one common track for a few hundred meters until this marker (picture 3)
Today’s walk will end in Villers-La-Ville. Villers-La-Ville is not a town as the name suggests. But there is an important historic site. Villers abbey was one of the most important Cistercian abbeys of Europe. It was founded in 1146 and abandoned 600 years later. The site is fallen into ruins but reconstruction is a fact, bit by bit. Most impressive is the church (picture 6) with imposing vaulting, arches and rose windows.
One kilometre further, there is a train station. I took the train back to Ottignies.