George Sand wrote of the stretch of the Meuse that winds through the Ardennes that "its high wooded cliffs, strangely solid and compact, are like some inexorable destiny that encloses, pushes and twists the river without permitting it a single whim or any escape". What all the tourist literature writes about, however, are the legends of medieval struggles between Good and Evil whose characters have given names to some of the curious rocks and crests. The grandest of these, where the schist formations have taken the most peculiar turns, is the Roc de la Tour, also known as the Devil's Castle, up a path off the D31, 3.5km out of MONTHERMÉ, a slate-roofed little town with nothing of great interest except a twelfth-century church with late medieval frescoes.The journey through this frontier country should ideally be done on foot or skis, or by boat. The alternatives for the latter are good old bateau-mouche-type cruises (RDTA; July & Aug Tues–Sun; April–June & Sept–Oct weekends only; tel 03.24.33.77.92), which depart from the Vieux Moulin (Musée Rimbaud) in Charleville-Mézières and the quai des Paquis in Monthermé, or live-in pleasure boats – not wildly expensive if you can split the cost four or six ways. These are rented out, with bikes on board, by Ardennes Plaisance in Charleville-Mézières, 76 rue des Forges-St-Charles (tel 03.24.56.47.61), and Ardennes Nautisme in Sedan, 16 rue du Château (tel 03.24.27.05.15), the next town downstream from Charleville. The latter moor their boats just east of Dom-Le-Mesnil on the D764 at the junction of the Meuse and the Canal des Ardennes. The local walking organization, Comité Départemental de Randonnée Pédestre des Ardennes (tel 03.24.26.55.95), can provide footpath maps; for details of canoeing, biking or riding, contact the regional tourist office at Charleville. For public transport from Charleville, trains follow the Meuse into Belgium, and a few buses run up to Monthermé and LES HAUTES-RIVIÈRES, the latter on the River Semoy. The GR12 is a good walking route, circling the Lac des Vieilles Forges, 17km northwest of Charleville, then meeting the Meuse at Bogny and crossing over to Hautes-Rivières in the even more sinuous Semoy Valley. There are plenty of other tracks, too, though beware of chasse (hunting) signs – French hunters tend to hack through the undergrowth with their safety catches off and are notoriously trigger-happy. Wild boar are the main quarry being hunted, and nowhere near as dangerous as their pursuers: the bristly beasts would seem to be more intelligent, too, rooting about near the crosses of the Resistance memorial near REVIN, while hunters stalk the forest at a respectful distance. A good place to stay, overlooking the river at Revin, is the Hôtel François-1er, 46 quai Camille-Desmoulins (tel 03.24.40.15.88, fax 03.24.40.32.93; €40–55), which rents out bikes and canoes, and gives good advice on walks. The abundance of wild boar is partly explained when you rummage around on the forest floor yourself and discover, between the trees to either side of the river, an astonishing variety of mushrooms, and, in late summer, wild strawberries and bilberries. For a quaint insight into life in the forest, stop in at the Musée de la Forêt, situated right on the edge of the Ardennes, 2km north of Renwez on the D40 (March–May & mid-Sept to mid-Nov daily 9am–noon & 2–5pm; June to mid-Sept daily 9am–7pm; mid-Nov to Feb Mon–Fri 9am–noon & 2–5pm; €3.80). All manner of wood-cutting, gathering and transporting is enacted by log dummies along with displays of utensils and flora and fauna of the forest; it's also a tranquil spot for a picnic.
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