La Roche-en-Ardenne

The castle of La Roche is a hilltop castle, built on top of a Celtic oppidum. Pippin the Elder, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, founded a hunting lodge here at the start of the seventh century, which was expanded into a keep in 844. The castle fell into the hands of the counts of Namur in 1152, and then passed on to the counts of Luxembourg by the end of that century. The last large expansions to the castle were done between 1681 and 1688, under the reign of Louis XIV of France. At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the castle came into Austrian hands, and was then mothballed and neglected. The castle sustained damage in 1721 from lighting which caused a fire. The castle was later dismantled, and became further damaged by vandalism and a heavy bombardment during World War II. Today, the castle is open most of the year for you to explore yourself for €8.50. Guided tours are available at a surcharge of €50 per guide. You can further combine this with a tasting of local produce, for another €27.

A Celtic hill fort in use from the seventh until the fifth century. The site has been subject to extensive excavations, but the damage done to it over time has largely been restored, retaining key features such as the 1750 m-long double rampart. The hill fort is accessible by foot and bike only. A small unpaved parking lot can be used by the bus halt just outside of the town of Maboge, from which the hike to Le Cheslé takes about 25 minutes.