Parc naturel Viroin-Hermeton, Nature park in Namur province, Belgium
The Viroin-Hermeton Natural Park covers multiple municipalities with forests, limestone hills, and varied habitats. It is accessible through an extensive network of walking routes and cycling paths that cross the terrain.
The park's creation was proposed in 1977 by the Cercles des Naturalistes de Belgique. It originally covered Viroinval and Doische; Doische withdrew on 18 December 2003, reducing the area to 12,090 hectares. In May 2019 Couvin and Philippeville joined, restoring the Hermeton and bringing the park to 48,000 hectares.
The park's name comes from the Viroin river and the Hermeton, which rejoined the park in 2019 after 15 years. Since 2013 the park has run a market of local produce and crafts in Nismes on the first and third Saturdays of each month from March to November, 9 am to 1 pm. Over 600 old-variety fruit trees have been planted on public land, and their fruit is free for residents to pick.
Marked hiking trails and cycling routes run through the park's varied landscapes at different difficulty levels. These paths are well-maintained, allowing visitors to choose routes suited to their abilities.
The park's karst hollows are called fondrys in the local dialect; the best known, the Fondry des Chiens near Nismes, reaches almost 100 metres long and over 20 metres deep. The limestone ridge running through the area is the Calestienne, whose dry grasslands draw botanists in May and June.
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