Arques-la-Bataille, its ponds, the forest

This hike allows you to visit the ruins of Château d'Arques and enjoy magnificent panoramic views of the three surrounding valleys thanks to its privileged location.
Pass by the Varenne ponds and the superb Pont de Pierre bridge. Return via the Arques Forest and its magnificent beech trees.

Details

49154
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.48 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,017 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 997 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 377 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 20 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

The hike starts at the town hall square or Place Pierre Descelliers, where you can park.

(S/E) Take Rue du Bel, to the left of the town hall, then turn right and follow the sign for Château. Climb the log staircase to reach the château, walk around it and enjoy the views of the valley and the ponds. Turn right into Rue du Bel.

(1) Turn right up the hill towards the cemetery, which you will need to cross. At the end of the cemetery, go down the steps on the left next to a bench. Take Rue Creny on the right until you reach the three-way junction 70 metres further on.

(2) Follow the path on the right, which climbs for 1,500 metres.

(3) At the intersection at the entrance to Quévremont, take the path that curves around and descends into the cave on the left.

(4) When you reach the pumping station, turn right. Continue for about 200 m until you reach the road. Turn right until you reach the intersection.

(5) Turn left. Follow this road for 800 metres (the road turns right after 400 metres). At the next junction, turn left and then immediately right onto Rue Jean Manneville for 50 metres.

(6) At the Les Mazies sign, turn left onto Chemin du Mont Blanc. After descending into the woods, take the path on the left at the intersection.

(7) Continue left towards the valley to join the D154.

(8) Cross the D154 and take the path opposite. There is a pumping station on the right. When you reach the river, take the large stone bridge on the right. Continue along the path and when it turns right, turn left into Rue des Marais, towards the ponds.

(9) Walk along the ponds on the right. At the end of the pond, take the wooden footbridge and the small bridge on the right.

(10) Continue along the path opposite and walk along the pond. The path turns right and leads to the D149 road.

(11) Turn left, pass in front of the Chatellenie and cross the Avenue Verte. Continue and turn left to go around the church.

(12) Cross the D1, turn right and take Rue de Florence on the left. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue Marie Simon then quickly turn right onto theGRP®. Red and yellow markings.
Follow the path that climbs towards the forest and joins the tarmac road to Florence.

(13) Take the path immediately on your left and follow theGRP® markings. Pass the power line.

(14) After an S-bend, at an intersection, continue straight ahead, ignoring the path that descends to the left.
Continue along the path that turns right. At the large intersection, turn left onto Route de Blainville. Go straight ahead and, after an S-bend, join the D56.

(15) Cross carefully, paying attention to traffic. Turn left and follow the D56, then quickly turn right onto Route de la Commission. The path makes a hairpin turn. Continue along it and climb for about 600 m until you reach a left-hand bend.

(16) 20 metres after this bend, turn completely left onto the forest path until you reach the junction with theGR® Route de Biron. Then turn right and continue on theGR® for about 350 metres. Turn left onto the GR® until the next intersection with a main road, the Route de Sully.

(17) Turn left and continue to follow the GR®. Just before the left-hand bend, turn right (plot 19) and follow the GR® for 450 m until you reach plot 17 on your left. Continue for another 20 metres.

(18) Leave the GR® and turn left onto a downhill path at a large tree.
After 200 metres, take the very steep path that descends to the left and leaves the forest to arrive at the British cemetery. Once you reach the D1, cross carefully and head left towards the roundabout.

(19) Turn right onto the D54 to reach Arques-la-Bataille. Cross the town, pass in front of the school complex and take a detour to see the church and reach the (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 85 ft - Place Descellier or the town hall
  2. 1 : mi 0.9 - alt. 105 ft - Fork in the road at the cemetery
  3. 2 : mi 1.16 - alt. 128 ft - Three-way junction on Rue Creny.
  4. 3 : mi 2.09 - alt. 335 ft - Intersection at the entrance to Quévremont.
  5. 4 : mi 2.2 - alt. 226 ft - Path climbing up through the woods
  6. 5 : mi 2.68 - alt. 331 ft - Turn left at the intersection.
  7. 6 : mi 3.29 - alt. 377 ft - Les Maziès sign.
  8. 7 : mi 3.83 - alt. 177 ft - Turn left at the intersection.
  9. 8 : mi 4.57 - alt. 75 ft - Intersection with the D154. Towards the bridge at - Varenne (rivière) - Affluent de l'Arques
  10. 9 : mi 4.92 - alt. 43 ft - Intersection with Rue des Marais
  11. 10 : mi 5.33 - alt. 33 ft - Footbridge and small bridge
  12. 11 : mi 5.74 - alt. 46 ft - Intersection with the D149. Cross the - Béthune (rivière) - Affluent de l'Arques
  13. 12 : mi 6.05 - alt. 79 ft - Intersection with Rue de Florence
  14. 13 : mi 6.52 - alt. 312 ft - GRP
  15. 14 : mi 7.16 - alt. 318 ft - Straight ahead
  16. 15 : mi 7.96 - alt. 138 ft - Intersection with the D56.
  17. 16 : mi 8.7 - alt. 341 ft - Path on the left
  18. 17 : mi 9.54 - alt. 308 ft - GR on the left
  19. 18 : mi 9.96 - alt. 269 ft - Junction with the GRP
  20. 19 : mi 10.56 - alt. 30 ft - Archelles roundabout.
  21. S/E : mi 11.48 - alt. 82 ft - Town hall square

Notes

Worth a visit

Fishing and sailing on the ponds.
The ruins of Château d'Arques.
The Obelisk.
The architecture of the school complex.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
abcfdy2010
abcfdy2010
• Edited:

At point 5, the sign indicating "cegelec" points in the opposite direction to the suggested route. If I had followed the "cegelec" arrow, I would have taken the route from 5 to 4 through the private woodland. Having arrived at point 5 via the tarmac road, I therefore followed the suggested route to point 6.

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bernard popiol
bernard popiol

Thank you for your comment. Regarding point 4, I will modify my hike to suggest another route, but with more tarmac.
As for point 5, I'm not quite sure, but we follow the small road that leads to the hamlet of Beaumaine.
If you could tell me more, I'd appreciate it.
Thank you.
Happy hiking!

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abcfdy2010
abcfdy2010
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I hadn't read the comments, particularly those on point 4, and I can confirm that the path is no longer visible. As mentioned in the comments, it clearly leads to private woodland (there is a sign before point 4 indicating "private property" and at point 5 there is a sign indicating "Cegelec"): should the route be changed?

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grandin
grandin ★

Thank you, Bernard Popiol. You can also remove the warning I added once the forestry work is complete and the area is no longer off-limits.

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bernard popiol
bernard popiol

Thank you all for your comments.
At point 4, there is construction work in progress and it is best to avoid passing through, but I checked with the town hall and the wood is private but there is no prohibition on passing through by the owner. While waiting for the work to be completed, Bettina's suggestion is a good one. You can also go down to Martigny (a lovely place to visit) and take the path to the church in the woods behind the town hall.
At point 16, the route was mapped out on a map, and as the path does not exist on the map, the route I propose is not accurate. I will redo it in August to improve its accuracy.
Some paths are no longer used or are rarely used, which may explain the presence of brambles, but as mentioned above, I will improve the route and in the meantime, continue on the Sully road and take the path on the right at the bends (marker 84 on the map).
Thank you again, and I plan to modify this hike for the end of August, after the holidays.
Happy hiking, everyone!

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grandin
grandin ★

Thank you for your feedback. I have mentioned the route change suggested by Bettina80 in (4) in the description.

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Gofi
Gofi

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Hike completed on 5 August 2020.
First point: the climb to the woods (point no. 4) is difficult to find due to ongoing forestry work. (The climb is not obvious.)
Second point: No. 16, the trail is not good, it makes a 180° turn when the path is a little further to the left.
Third point: between points 17 and 18, after taking the path on the right, you end up at the end of this path in a small clearing overgrown with ferns and brambles, and it is very difficult to find the path. I had to use GPS to find the path through the brambles and ferns!
It is still a very beautiful hike with varied landscapes and beautiful views.
Thanks to the author.

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Bettina80
Bettina80

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Hike completed on 1 August 2020 after a reconnaissance trip in March (just before lockdown!).
The reconnaissance went well overall because the vegetation was not as dense. Let's just say that one of the difficulties encountered during the reconnaissance became more pronounced in the summer!
First point: climbing into the woods (point no. 4) is strictly prohibited, as it is private property. We had climbed into the woods during the reconnaissance, but this time a forestry operator was present and kindly explained to us that the woods were dangerous because trees were at risk of falling.
You must therefore continue along the road and, at the fork further up, turn left and continue the route as normal after finding the path a little further on our left, which we should have reached by going through the woods.
Second slight error in the route: at point 16, the trail is not correct, it shows a 180° hairpin bend when the path is a little further to the left. We had to cross through brambles to find it again using the GPS. In March, the brambles were not very developed, so we found it more easily.
Third difficulty (mapping error?): between points 17 and 18, after taking the path on the right, we found ourselves at the end of this path in a small clearing completely overgrown with ferns and brambles, and it was very difficult to find the path again! Was this a problem with trail maintenance or a mapping error?
Looking at the map, I think you can avoid this by taking the pyramid road and then the second left to reach the Baroness's wood? To be tested...
Otherwise, no worries, it's still a very beautiful hike alternating between woods, hamlets, ponds... and beautiful views.
It just needs a little review. Thanks to its author!

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Bettina80
Bettina80

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello Bernard
Thank you for this great hike and for your message. Well, I read it after the hike, but we had our picnic right at Pont de Pierre! It was great!
I didn't have too much trouble finding the path at point 4 thanks to my hiking GPS, onto which I had downloaded the GPX track. I was just a little unsure at point 16, as the track showed a hairpin bend a little earlier than the actual path, which we ended up finding a little further on. It wasn't very well marked at the start, but we quickly found our way!
I'm not disappointed at all and as soon as this lockdown period is over, I'll be happy to take the members of my club there!
Best regards

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bernard popiol
bernard popiol

Hello
You can grab a bite to eat at the stone bridge, which is very pretty (waypoint 9), and there are benches around the ponds.
There is also a picnic area in Saint Aubin le Cauf, just after passing the green avenue on the left near the church.
Be careful at point 4, as there has been some forestry work and the path will be difficult to find, but if you start about ten metres before the right-hand post in the forest, you will find the right path.
Enjoy your walk!

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Bettina80
Bettina80

Hello,
I need to scout this hike tomorrow before suggesting it to my Nordic walking club.
Is there a good place to stop for a snack?
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Best regards
Bettina

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bernard popiol
bernard popiol

Hello,
Thank you for your information.
I will modify the description by adding a waypoint at this intersection.
Happy hiking
B POPIOL

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WIEDMANN
WIEDMANN

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, The end of the route description after Florence lacks a little precision because you arrive at a crossroads where there are no details in your description. A very varied and interesting route.

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bernard popiol
bernard popiol
• Edited:

Hello Benoit.
It's true that the path is difficult to find because it's hardly ever used. What's more, at this time of year, the leaves must completely cover it. I'll try to find more visible landmarks to make it easier to find.
As a result, you did not go through the woods and therefore did not see the remarkable tree.
As for your other comment, you must have followed the D56 to get that high. The description is not very clear in point 13, so I will revise it.
Thank you for your comments.
Happy hiking!
Bernard

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benoitrando
benoitrando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,

A very beautiful hike with several points of interest and a path between fields and forest. However, Bernard, you will certainly be able to help me because I encountered two problems. Between 3 and 4, I couldn't find the small path, even though I checked twice. So I continued along the road and turned left at the first road towards Beaumaine. This allowed me to find the route again, but I missed seeing the beautiful oak tree (too bad). At point 13, I followed the GR markings and found myself much higher up on the D56. To get back on the trail, I crossed the D56, went straight ahead and turned left onto Route Duquesne, reaching point 15 (but what a waste of time). But I'll say it again, it's a very beautiful hike, I had a blast, but the hike ended up being 22.8 km.

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