The Escapardenne, 159 km of ridges, valleys and forest from Luxembourg into Belgium

The Escapardenne is northern Luxembourg’s serious walk. It’s two trails that meet at Kautenbach and together cover 159 km of the Ardennes in Luxembourg and Belgium, almost all on narrow paths and earth tracks well away from roads and villages. Visit Éislek sums it up as taking you «loin de la civilisation», and to me that’s exactly what sets it apart from every other route in the country.

A label very few routes hold

Both trails, the Lee Trail and the Éislek Trail, carry the Leading Quality Trails - Best of Europe label from the European Ramblers’ Association. According to Visit Éislek, only 35 long-distance routes across the continent have it, and here you get two in a row.

The Lee Trail, slate ridges above the Sûre

The Lee Trail leaves Ettelbruck station and reaches Kautenbach in three stages, never far from the railway. visitluxembourg’s technical sheet gives 50.75 km and 1,810 metres of ascent; the government portal rounds it to about 55 km and nearly 2,000 metres. In Luxembourgish a «Lee» is a rocky ridge, and the trail crosses the Sûre valley several times as it links one slate ridge to the next.

Stage one, 18 km, ends at Bourscheid-Moulin, on the banks of the Sûre, with Bourscheid Castle, Luxembourg’s largest, just over a kilometre away in a straight line. Stage two, 19 km, runs to Hoscheid, and stage three, 15 km, drops down to Kautenbach. Along the way are the viewpoints visitluxembourg singles out, the Gringlee near Bourscheid-Moulin, one of the best known in the country, and the Molberlee ridge by Hoscheid, plus the Doigt de Dieu, a row of rock spires above Dirbach. With just two days, I’d walk stages two and three.

On 15 April 2025 visitluxembourg posted a notice about a diversion on part of the Lee Trail because of works, marked in green. Before setting off, I’d check whether it still applies on the official listing.

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The Éislek Trail, forest all the way to Belgium

The Éislek Trail starts at Kautenbach station and reaches La Roche-en-Ardenne in five stages and 106 km (107.27 on the technical sheet), with 2,390 metres of ascent. The first two stages are entirely in Luxembourg. From Kautenbach it climbs through the Kiischpelt to Munshausen and follows the Woltz valley to Clervaux, 24 km. Stage two, 21 km, skirts above Troisvierges and follows the Trëtterbaach stream to finish at the old mill in Asselborn.

Stage three crosses into Belgium at boundary stone 265, between Hoffelt and Buret, where the path passes from the Rhine basin to the Meuse and near the remains of a canal between the two rivers dreamt up by William of Orange. Then come Houffalize, Nadrin, the old Celtic hill fort of Cheslé and the finish at La Roche-en-Ardenne.

Sights just off the path

The beauty of the Escapardenne is how it threads in culture without detours. On the Lee Trail, visitluxembourg suggests pairing it with Bourscheid Castle and the General Patton Memorial Museum in Ettelbruck, which honours the commander of the US Third Army, whose troops liberated the town on 25 December 1944. Near Hoscheid the path passes St Michel’s Chapel, all that remains of the abandoned village of Oberschlinder.

On the Éislek Trail, the official listing itself recommends stopping in Clervaux for The Family of Man in Clervaux, Edward Steichen’s photography exhibition, which UNESCO lists as Memory of the World, and ending with a stroll round La Roche-en-Ardenne. Above Troisvierges the trail crosses the Sideschlee, another slate ridge with a view over the town.

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Getting ready

Visit Éislek stresses three things. Good boots, because the climbs are big and some ridges are very narrow; enough food in your pack, because villages and places to eat are thin on the ground; and sun cream in summer, as some stretches are fully exposed. It adds that baggage transfer services exist, along with a network of hosts certified «Randonneurs Bienvenus».

My advice is to use the train. Both trails are well connected to the rail network, which is free in second class within Luxembourg, so you can stay two or three nights in one place. For the wider region, see my guide to the Luxembourg Ardennes.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Clervaux and pick one that fits your day.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Luxembourg before you arrive rather than at the desk.

If you still need a way in, check the best ticket deals to Luxembourg from where you are.