Bibliothèque Carnégie (Reims) walks

Twenty-third stage of the Jura to Hauts-de-France via the Francigena. Following the Marne-Aisne Canal, you leave the Champagne vineyards and the Reims mountains behind to arrive in Reims and its Notre-Dame Cathedral. As you cross Reims, there is a wealth of heritage to discover: the cathedral, of course, but also the Basilica of Saint Remi, Gallo-Roman ruins and engravings by Albrecht Dürer. You then leave this beautiful city behind and continue through vineyards and forests towards the Massif de Saint-Thierry, one of the four Champagne production areas.

This hike will take you across the Montagne de Reims along beautiful paths with almost no tarmac. Much of it is marked by the Randonneurs & pèlerins 51 association. You will meet walkers from all over the world, especially Holland and Belgium. The outward or return journey is by TER train between Aÿ station and Rilly-la-Montagne station, where you can park for free. It is accessible from Paris either by TER via Epernay or by TGV via Reims.

Twenty-fourth stage of the Jura to Hauts-de-France via the Francigena. For this stage, you leave Champagne by crossing the Saint-Thierry massif. Once you reach Cormicy, the terrain becomes a little flatter. You pass through Berry-au-Bac. This is where the Berry-au-Bac National Necropolis is located, which contains 3,972 bodies, 2,014 of which are in individual graves and 1,958 in ossuaries. You then continue on to Corbeny, where you can see the Oratory of Saint-Marcoul. Then you follow the "Chemin des Dames", a major site of remembrance of the Great War, to arrive in the village of Bouconville-Vauclair, where you will find the Abbey of Vauclair, the Château de la Bôve and a network of trenches from the 1914-18 war.