Around Muncq-Nieurlet

Start: Start in the car park opposite the church.

(S/E) Leave with your back to the Starter café and take the D217 road to Ruminghem.

(1) At the public school, turn right into Rue de la Paix.

(2) At the stop sign, cross the road and continue straight ahead, still on Rue de la Paix.

(3) After 550m, turn left into Rue de la Belle Vue, which is uphill.

(4) At the farm, keep right on the path which continues to climb.
After the curve in the undergrowth, you'll come to the Notre-Dame farm buildings.

(5) Continue straight ahead on the road up to the reservoir.

(6) Leave the tarmac road and turn right onto the dirt track.
After 700m, when you reach vegetation, stop and turn around.
On your left, you'll see Tournehem at the foot of the plateau. Opposite, there's the Tournehem forest. Above the plateau, but not visible, is Boulogne, 40 Km away. To the right of the plateau, you'll see the Fiennes wind turbines.

Behind you, on your right as you follow the path, is the coastline with Dunkirk and the Gravelines power station.

A little further on are two concrete walls; one is a former V1 launch pad. Following on from the two walls, you can make out London, 175km away as the crow flies.

(7) Go back down the Communal to the village in front of you. Admire the landscape once again. At the bottom you reach a tarmac road.

(8) Go left for 450m.
At the crossroads, bear left to take the "Saint-Gilles Est" path.
This asphalt road becomes a dirt track. Continue straight ahead.

(9) Cross the D219 and continue along the dirt track.
At the end of the T-junction, turn left uphill to reach the entrance to the Eperlecques forest.
Enter the forest and continue uphill.

(10) At the fork (no-entry sign 200m ahead), turn left to join the D219.

(11) Continue straight ahead on the road. Be very careful

(12) After 800m, turn left into Rue de la Panne. (no other option)
Beautiful view of the entire coastline. On the left, the white buildings show Calais. Opposite, with its six reactors, is the Gravelines power plant, then continuing to the right, are the cranes of the western port of Dunkirk, Solac and the port of Dunkirk. You're looking at 40km of coastline.

(6) The path takes you back to the Notre Dame farm.

(5) Take the dirt track between the farm and the farm machinery building. This is the same path you took on the outward journey.
You'll reach the Belle-Vue farm with its panoramic view of the coastline.

(4) At the farm, continue left (opposite is a private road).

(3) At the bottom, join the asphalt road, which you follow to the right.

(2) At the stop sign, go straight ahead.

(1) At the school- town hall, turn left to reach the church and the starting point (S/E) .

Start: Start in the car park opposite the church.

Refreshments: You'll be out in the wilderness for the whole trail, with no refreshments.
Bring water and a snack.

A little history:
The first traces of the village can be found in 1145, when it was called NIWERLEDE, then over the years, in 1460, it was called MONCQUIEWERLET, and again in 1720 it had the name MUNCQ-NIEURLET. The monks passed through here and a river was dug MUNCQ (monks) NIEURLET (new river). The monks from Clairmarais developed the land. Our Commune is predominantly agricultural: mixed farming, a little livestock and some woodland. Two rivers cross the Commune and are renowned for their pike, trout and whitefish fishing.

19th-century Saint Joseph church.
The church dates back to 1862, and is part of the Audruicq deanery.
In the last century, the Commune had the honor of having a child of the village named Bishop Monseigneur Joseph Évrard. Born in this Commune in 1889, he died at the Saint-Omer retirement home and is buried in Calais.
The family bequeathed his crozier to the Church after his death, and it is still on display there.

The Éperlecques blockhouse is a huge reinforced concrete blockhouse built at the end of the Second World War in the Eperlecques forest. It was designed to launch the V2 rockets destined to destroy London.
The Blockhaus is open every day (including Sundays and public holidays).
Annual closure: December, January and February.