GR412
Les Sentiers de Terrils

Belgium

The GR 412 Sentier des Terrils is a longdistance hiking trail of nearly 300 kilometres that stretches from Bernissart in the province of Hainaut to the historic Blegny-Mine near Liège, winding its way through the former coal mining basins of Borinage, Centre, Charleroi and Liège in Wallonia. The name “412” refers to 4 December, the feast day of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners, and serves as a symbolic homage to the miners who worked for generations in these underground industries.

Unlike typical recreational routes focused solely on landscape beauty, this itinerary was designed around the Walloon slag chain — the striking artificial hills left by coal extraction in the 19th and 20th centuries — which are now recognised as remarkable features of both natural and historical heritage.

These terrils shape an extraordinary terrain: an unexpected sequence of rolling, greencovered mounds rising from the countryside, where the memory of industrial labour merges with nature’s own regenerative processes. Along the trail, hikers encounter canals, waterways, former railway tracks, and industrial remains that collectively narrate the story of Belgium’s rise as a powerhouse during the Industrial Revolution.

In addition to the dramatic silhouettes of the terrils themselves, the route passes close to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites linked to mining, such as GrandHornu, BoisduLuc, and Bois du Cazier, offering opportunities to deepen one’s understanding of the social and technical transformations of the region.

This path is not merely a physical journey but an interpretative one, inviting walkers to reflect on the connections between industrial past, environmental change, and cultural memory, and to enjoy unexpectedly rich biodiversity that has developed in and around landscapes once dominated by heavy industry.