Deule Canal at Haubourdin

Start at the dog park to let your dogs run off some energy before beginning the walk. Parking is available nearby on Rue Jules Guesde.

(S/E) Cross the railway tracks and immediately take the street on the left (Rue Denis Papin). Walk past the station and continue through the car park. Carry on through the park, then across the supermarket car park, and head towards the supermarket entrance.

(1) Carry on straight ahead along Rue Francisco Ferrer and, at the traffic lights, continue straight ahead along Rue Georges Clémenceau. Follow this street until you reach the Jardin Clémenceau park (you can enter the park if you wish).

(2) Then carry on until you reach a large junction.

(3) Turn left onto Rue Pierre Gilles de Gennes and follow the pavement on the right, which is more pleasant. Carry on straight ahead until you reach a roundabout, cross the two lanes carefully and join the Voie Verte.

(4) Head right , taking care at junctions with cyclists, and you’ll reach a fork in the path near a stretch of water.

(5) Carry on to the left, then to the right, and cycle along the canal on your right-hand side. Cycle past Haubourdin Town Hall, go under the bridge and arrive at the footbridge over the Canal de la Deûle.

(6) Cross the footbridge to reach the opposite bank. Turn right and quickly join the quay running alongside the canal. Follow the quay (the path may be narrow; best avoided with a reactive dog), pass under the motorway bridge and continue to the next one. Walk on for about a hundred metres until you reach a junction with the nearby road.

(7) Turn left and head up towards the bridge. At the roundabout, cross the road and take the pavement on the right. Cross the bridge with care: the crossing is narrow and dangerous, so keep a firm hold of your dogs. Then continue until you reach the^first street on the left, Avenue du Train de Loos.

(8) Take this avenue and then head left towards the prison complex. Follow the road round the perimeter and head towards the canal bank: please note that this area is under surveillance, so keep a firm hold of your dog. At the next junction, turn right and then, facing the motorway, turn left. At the end of Avenue Kiener, turn right onto Rue Georges Clémenceau, go under the motorway bridge and rejoin the route you took at the start.

(3) Continue straight ahead along Avenue George Clémenceau and follow the route in the opposite direction to reach the car park on Rue Jules Guesde (S/E).

(5) You can turn back by continuing to the right along the canal (keeping it on your left) before turning right and walking across the plain between the dual carriageway and the path you have already taken. You can follow the Voie Verte up through the small woodland above, but watch out for mountain bikers.