Robertville Travel Guide

The lake of Robertville is one of the (smaller) barrage-lakes in the Ardennes. Watersports are possible, but not extensively eploited along the shores of this lake. The barrage-damm can be seen near the village and behind it the lake stretches for a few kilometres filling the valley with water. It at least gives great views over the lake and it's foresty shores.

In the national park there is a visitorcentre just a few kilometres before the highest elevation in Belgium. Here they built a tower that offers visitors (when they are in time and ask nicely at the informationdesk ?!?!?) a splendid view over the "Hautes Fagnes - Hoge Venen". Behind the restaurant that is here as well is a strange structure. It's a small hill with on top of it a staircase and a memorialplate. A clever Baron (or should I say strange and excentric?) created this to elevate Belgium (in name of the king) to a complete higth of 700 metres! As the natural hill here reaches until 694 metres, he thought to be clever and bring it up this way (obviously to get into positive daylight with the king himself). What people don;t do to get noticed (-:

This national park can be called THE national park in Belgium. Situated around the Signal de Bortange it has a special nature that invites the visitor to make long walks in a wonderful setting. The paths are well guided and often one gets a little legend presented along the way. In my General tips on this page I will have some extra information on this, as well as on the natural side of the park.

Favorite thing: As already told, this area as a quite own climat that is not that inviting in wintertime. Along the path that starts at Barraque Michel, one reaches a place where a sad, sad story. Legend or truth ... we don't know anymore, but here's in short the story.
The son in a poor family fell in love with the duaghter of more wealthier family and this was mutual. However the parents of both were fiercely against the relationship the two were building up and thus the two decided to run away from home. The made it into the wilderness of the "Hautes Fagnes - Hoge Venen", but the snow made the progress come to a hold and they lost their way in the white wide world. In spring the froosen bodies were found clung together in embrace. A tragic story that should be thought of when standing in front of the little memorial in the national park.

Favorite thing: Peat has a very high organic matter-level and is therefor extremely furtile. The black soils of the "Hautes Fagnes - Hoge Venen" are also used in the resorts like Spa, as a packing to improve the health of skin and innerbody. In the natural park one can see this soil on some spots along the boardwalk-paths that are going through the swamps. Now, don't hop in here as it will disturb nature ... just go to Spa and book a treatement, that also includes the fresh mineralwaters and some other forms of relaxation (see my Spa-page).

Favorite thing: In this high plane rainfall (incl. snow) is higher then anywhere else in Belgium. This rain is stored in the thick peatlayer and only slowly disappears in the rocky underground of the Ardennes. Filtered and added with minerals it eventually comes out in famous Spa's like ... SPA. Yes, in English they even took the name of this place to point to a place that is known for it's sources. In the Ardennes one finds many of them, especially around the national park "Les Hautes Fagnes - De Hoge Venen", as there are besides Spa: Chaudfontaine, Sty, Val d'Aisne, Spontin and Ordal. Therefor one now-a-days recognises the importance of this area and the value of keeping it the way it is.