Circuit de Ludres par Messein

Departure from the "Gare" car park in Ludres, route de Fléville (D73) near the Collège Jacques Monod.

(S/E) Take the passage under the railway line, turn right, then take a small road on the left after a hundred metres (it is also possible to park here if there are only a few of you). This road continues as a path.

(1) After passing between the church and the cemetery, continue in the same direction on the other side of the road, walking alongside the car park on your right. Find a path that leads to Rue Joseph Prétot, walk up it a few metres on the right and then take the path on the left, above the fountain. After passing a small water collection structure on the left, you will reach a point where a marked route turns to the right.

(2) Take the path that goes straight up. You will arrive at the wide path known as the Mine (the buildings on the left are a reminder of this) and find a Grand Nancy - FFRP signpost. Turn left to go around these buildings and continue climbing towards the plateau, following route no. 9 Grand Nancy - FFRP.

(3) When you reach a wide forest path (known as a strategic path), take it to the left for a few metres, then turn right after a metal barrier. This path runs alongside a ditch on the right, then the two paths join. Continue in this direction, marked by a few boundary stones.

(4) When you reach plot 495, the proposed route leads down into a thalweg, then back up the other side. If you want to avoid this climb, simply turn left (GRP® at the start) to reach the point (5). Otherwise, continue along the path associated with the ditch for 50 metres, leave it at a sloping marker to follow it on the left (avoiding a blockage caused by fallen trees) and rejoin the main path. When you reach a fenced-in meadow, follow the path that goes around it on the left. Cross three small streams coming from the old mine galleries and continue climbing up to the plateau.

(5) At the intersection (change in slope), take the dirt track on the right, marked with a green rectangle. This track becomes stony, then paved. Continue for about 300 m, then take a path on the left. The green rectangle markings are now accompanied by a red ring. Follow these markings, which branch off further on to the left at an intersection. You will then walk along a rocky embankment that gradually becomes higher and turns into a cliff. Continue along this path, known as the Roches, for about 400 m. At an intersection on the right (a steep slope that was once a "descenderie"), you can see the ruins of old mining buildings. After about 700 m, the route branches off to the right and leads down a short descent to a large grassy terrace.

(6) Leave the Anneau Rouge (Red Ring) trail for a moment and follow the Rectangle Vert (Green Rectangle) trail on the left. This will take you close to the terrace, where you can admire the grounds of the Ermitage Saint-Joseph. Enjoy the panoramic view of the Moselle valley, Xeuilley (and its cement factory) and the Pont Saint-Vincent plateau. Continue downhill towards Messein. At the calvary (and the electricity pylon), take the path on the left (signposted Messein via Camps d'Affrique and marked with a green rectangle) to climb back up to the plateau.

(7) At the intersection with the GRP® Autour de Nancy route, follow it to the right (shared section with green rectangle markings) to reach the top of the plateau. At the wide forest path that crosses the Cité d'Affrique, turn right. The northern boundary of this former Camp Leuque is clearly marked by two deep defensive ditches.

(8) After the sign presenting this site, turn right between the boundaries of plots 7 and 8. At the intersection, take the path on the left for about 100 metres, then take the path downhill on the right. At the meadow, after passing a large old mining building on your right, you will see the southern part of the Nancy basin (including the chimneys of the La Madeleine factories); continue straight down towards the village (ignore the Grand Nancy FFRP signposts).

(9) When you reach Rue des Blanches Vignes, turn left and continue downhill to Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, Place Ferri de Ludre.

(10) The old fortified farmhouse opposite can be bypassed on the right (urban route) or on the left via a path running alongside the walls of the estate. Return to the starting point (S/E).

Equipment: walking sticks recommended

Cité d'Affrique: this is a Leuque oppidum occupied around 2,500 years ago, covering an area of 5 to 7 hectares. Traces of bronze tool production have been found here. It is bordered by cliffs to the south and a system of double earthen ramparts with a lime base.