nsal Dale or Dovedale, but always, perhaps, without that subtle note
of wildness that robes even the mild splendours of Derbyshire with a
suggestion of mountain dignity. The Ardennes, in short--and this is
their scenic weakness--never attain to the proper mountain spirit.
There is a further point, however, in which they also recall
Derbyshire, but in which they are far preeminent. This is the vast
agglomeration of caves and vertical potholes--like those in Craven, but
here called etonnoirs--that riddle the rolling wolds in all directions.
Chief among these is the mammoth cave of Han, the mere perambulation of
which is said to occupy more than two hours. I have never penetrated
myself into its sombre and dank recesses, but something may be realized
of its character and scale merely by visiting its gaping mouth at
Eprave. This is the exit of the Lesse, which, higher up the vale, at
the curious Perte de Lesse, swerves suddenly from its obvious course,
down the bright and cheerful valley, to plunge noisily through a narrow
slit in the rock--

"Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea."

Rochefort, which itself has a considerable cave, is a pleasant centre
for the exploration of these subterranean marvels. Altogether this
limestone region of the Ardennes, though certainly not remarkable for
mountain or forest splendour, comes as a somewhat welcome relief after
the interminable levels and chessboard fields of East and West
Flanders, or of the provinces of Limburgh and Antwerp.

End of Project Gutenberg's Beautiful Europe - Belgium, by Joseph E. Morris

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