Stage 26. Jalhay (BE) to Spa (BE)

Jalhay is located at the gateway to the Nature Reserve Hautes Fagnes and has countless possibilities for walks in the Hertogen forest along the streams through splendid landscapes and exceptional nature. At the restaurants and brasseries you can taste the regional cuisine such as cabbage or Jalhay black pudding and of course game in autumn.

Spa is located in the Belgian province of Liège and has more than 10,000 inhabitants. The thermal baths of Spa are listed as UNESCO World Heritage.

Known for its thermal waters Spa boomed in the sixteenth century when the fame of its waters became booming. And the term “Spa” has become a generic term for spa tourism. In 1774 the second casino in Europe was opened in Spa.
The wealthy bourgeoisie had castles built in Spa and numerous crowned heads, composers and writers stayed in Spa, thats why Emperor Joseph II from Austria nicknamed Spa the “Café of Europe”.

At the Casino on September 19, 1888, was held the world’s first beauty contest.
Queen Maria-Hendrika of Belgium lived in the Villa Royale from 1893 until her death in 1902 in Spa and the celebrities who stayed in Spa include: Victor Hugo, Tsar Peter the Great and Alexandre Dumas.

The company Spa Monopole has been the exclusive producer of thie famous spring water since 1921, which does not come from the same sources as the ferruginous water.

Overview map:

Stats:

Start:	Jalhay
Coordinates (DD):	50.558994 / 5.965489
End:	Spa
Coordinates (DD):	50.492297 / 5.862506
Distance:	15,3 kilometers
Uphill:	260 meters
Downhill:	390 meters
Path, dirt road, gravel, nature trail:	91%
Asphalt, road:	9%
More additional info like GPX track:	*Go to Komoot page here… (external)**
Print:	Go for download here… (pdf)

*Komoot is a navigation and route-planning app that enables you to create and follow routes that are based on walking/riding type and ability. Be aware you have to sign up for free to have access to the app.

See and share with QR code:

You will see stage 26. when you scan the QR code (In Komoot).

Highlights:

The Spa cemetery dates from 1841. At the entrance to the cemetery (on the left) you will first see a grave on which rests a racing driver’s helmet. There is buried Whytworth a motorcycle rider, who was killed during a motorcycle grand prix in Francorchamps in 1950.

Behind these tombs, your attention will be drawn to the large number of monuments with English inscriptions.
There is nothing exceptional about this presence, considering that Spa has always been strongly appreciated by the English as a place of health.
So you can find in the cemetery typical British names such as: Callaghan, Benson, Mackenzie, Maccarthy, Dallas and Cuningham.
Let’s go back a bit to discover (to the right of the path at the entrance) the Cockerill family tombstone.
William Cockerill, father of the famous John Cockerill (modernizer of the steel industry at Liège), settled in Spa towards the end of the 17th century.
The Cockerill family marked Spa with its presence for about fifty years, they resided in the grand hotel, the current city hall.
Going up the central alley, on your left, you will linger in front of the monument to civilian victims, resistance fighters and combatants of the 1940-45 war.