Circular walk around Olhain Park starting from Olhain Castle

From the car park, you’ll find yourself facing Olhain Castle, one of the most beautiful in the region. The rest of the walk alternates between stunning views and short stretches through the undergrowth (not too dense) before reaching the ‘esplanade’ of Olhain Park. You’ll find yourself facing an exceptional panorama.

If you’re lucky, you might see paragliders taking off (admittedly, this is quite rare), and why not visit during the hot-air balloon festival to watch these huge, colourful balloons take off right before your eyes.

Details

8159459
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.83 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 93 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 98 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 180 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 78 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Car park 150 m from Château d’Ohlain.

(S/E) Leave the car park on Rue Léo Lagrange heading left, turn right onto Chemin de Bethune opposite the château entrance and follow the yellow markers to the top of the path.

(1) At the top of the climb, with four paths ahead of you, take the second one going up to the left, until you reach an esplanade where you can take a break, have a picnic or simply admire the view to the left.

(2) Cross the open area to the right and go round the buildings, taking the small tarmac road. Walk past the superb children’s playground. After the building, turn immediately left, heading towards the swimming pool. On the road, you’ll catch a glimpse of the treetop adventure course and the suspended nets.

(3) Go round the swimming pool on the left and head into the woods, following the small paths (do not enter the campsite but go round it). Take the path that goes downhill (be careful not to slip) and head to the right to join the white path.

(4) Turn left onto this path which crosses the fields (visible from quite a distance) and arrive at a crossroads.

(5) Turn left onto this path which runs alongside the power line and leads out onto a road (D57). Follow it to the left for just over a kilometre to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 87 m - Car park next to Olhain Castle. Near the - Brette (rivière) - Affluent de la Lys
  2. 1 : km 1.13 - alt. 156 m - Junction: path leading uphill to the left
  3. 2 : km 1.51 - alt. 177 m - Esplanade with panoramic views
  4. 3 : km 2.56 - alt. 178 m - Swimming pool
  5. 4 : km 3.03 - alt. 125 m - White path
  6. 5 : km 3.74 - alt. 85 m - Crossroads
  7. S/E : km 5.83 - alt. 88 m - Car park next to Olhain Castle

Notes

- Good shoes with good grip (some slightly sloping sections).
- Binoculars for birdwatching (a few birds of prey).
- Food and drink available on site at the brand-new cafeteria.

Worth a visit

- Olhain Castle (guided tours available).
- The Parc d'Olhain cafeteria (excellent and brilliant with its balcony overlooking the panoramic view).
- Disc golf (Frisbees).
- The golf course.
- The toboggan run, like a rollercoaster.
- The suspended nets (unique in Europe).
- The treetop adventure course.
- camping (only in July and August, I believe).
- The Fairy Table (Dolmen of Fresnicourt-le-Dolmen).

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.6 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Zuk59
Zuk59

Overall rating : 3.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : Yes

A nice route, though it was a bit tricky to spot the signposts with all the lush vegetation
Thanks to the GPX track, which needs to be redone

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Pirlou
Pirlou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a lovely walk

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Docaze
Docaze

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It’s easy to set off from Château d’Ohlain. However, it’s a bit trickier to find the path
after going round the swimming pool

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aned
aned

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Information to be added

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bapfred
bapfred

A walk I posted about and went on a year ago. It’s possible that this section has been removed by the site administrators. From memory, you walk between the swimming pool and the campsite, and there are small paths running alongside the campsite fence. You eventually come out onto a limestone path facing the fields. I’ll pop round there sometime to throw away my walking boots. However, I’ve done this route several times without any problems. Thank you for letting me know about this issue.

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G M
G M

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

There’s a problem between points 3 and 4 – we can’t reach point 5. We’ve done the circular route twice over the course of a week, and each time we lose the trail; we can’t find the path that runs alongside the power line.

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