The Three-Fountains hike: welcoming autumn in Gaume underfoot

The starting point, where it all begins

You’ll need to look for the entry to the Three-Fountains hike near Sommethonne, a small Gaume village where the streets seem suspended between sky and earth. The path starts from the village square, edged by low stone houses with red-tiled roofs. From the first steps, a special atmosphere settles in: the air is crisper, laden with the scent of early fallen leaves. Here, time stretches out, as if the villages of Gaume have kept a slowness long abandoned by cities.

The Fountains, messengers of water and time

The trail first winds between fields still gilded by the last September sunbeams. Then, after a gentle climb through woods of beech and oak, the first springs make their appearance. These are mere trickles piercing the moss, barely audible, yet enough to remind us that this region sits atop a generous water table. According to locals, the Three Fountains take their name from three main springs that bubble up in a secluded valley, where the water forms small natural pools before flowing towards the Ton.

It is here, in this hidden fold of the forest, that one understands why Gaume folk once set stone markers by these water points. They served as guides for travellers long ago and as resting places for ramblers. To this day, taking a seat on one of these stones, feet in the cold water flowing from the ground, is to fall silent and listen to the rustle of leaves twirling around. Foresters call this spot the “breath of Gaume”, as though the water and wind swapped whispers only heard here.

Autumn, the perfect accomplice

In September, the Three-Fountains hike offers a show exclusive to this season. Wild blueberries, still clinging to the forest’s edge, speckle the underbrush with purple patches. Ferns, already yellowing in spots, hint at the wild mushrooms soon to appear. And in clearings, horsetail shoots stand tall like ghostly sentinels.

The lucky few might even glimpse roe deer, which in this season come down from the heights to drink at the springs before the rutting period. Their quiet presence reminds us that this region, despite its proximity to major roads, remains a haven for wildlife still largely untouched. Some historians believe Gaume was one of Belgium’s last wolf refuges; while that era is gone, the wild feeling lingers along these paths.

The return, where the landscape closes in on you

The trail returns in a neat loop, bringing the hiker back to Sommethonne by another route. This gives a fresh perspective on the village, as though the houses reveal themselves anew. The late afternoon sun lights up dry-stone walls and blue shutters, lending the whole scene a palpable tranquillity.

Coming back to Sommethonne after this walk also means crossing early signs of local autumn: baskets of misshapen apples laid outside a barn, a vintage tractor parked near a shed, or the aroma of a wood-fired oven baking tourtes. On that day, Gaume reveals itself fully—a blend of generous nature and village life rooted in time.

A hike that honours its secrets

The Three-Fountains trail strikes a perfect balance between accessibility and mystery. It asks for no particular fitness, yet rewards those who stop, listen and look beyond the path. It also reminds us that this southernmost tip of Belgium is an open book of landscapes waiting to be read. And when autumn arrives, with its colours and morning mists, these trails become the finest pages of a story Gaume has been telling for centuries.