Route of wildflowers in Salesches

The route takes you along "caches", hedgerow paths connecting the villages and surrounding pastures,
farm tracks and quiet roads.

Details

1565007
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.36 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 50 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 50 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 141 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 95 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Avesnois
  • ⚐ District: Salesches (59218)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 50.203204° / E 3.588719°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2607E, 2706OT, 2707O
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Place Roger Salengro in Salesches.

(S/E) With your back to the church, leave the square and follow Ruelle Saint-Aubert. At the end, take the path on the right. At the end, turn left onto Rue Georges Caffiaux.

(1) At the next intersection, turn right down Rue du Viterland (dead end). At the next crossroads, turn left onto the lane towards the Chapelle des Prés (do not cross the stream).

(2) Leave the chapel on your right and pass under an old railway line. Continue straight ahead (south-east). The path gives way to Rue Notre-Dame: continue straight ahead until you reach the stadium.

(3) After the stadium, turn left onto Rue de Keighley. At the crossroads, take Rue Henri Roland opposite and, when it turns right, continue straight ahead on a footpath. Further on, cross Rue du Quesnoy and continue opposite on the footpath to Rue des Warennes.

(4) Follow it to the right downhill. Take thesecond left, Rue du Coucou. Ignore a turn-off on the left and then a turn-off on the right. After walking alongside a stream on the left, turn right onto a path. Go through several turnstiles.

(5) Cross Rue de la Cavée du Drain and continue straight ahead. When you reach Rue du Calvaire, first turn left then right onto Rue des Arts. Turn right at thefirst street, Place Talma.

(6) At the end, turn left onto Rue Talma. Take thefirst right and then immediately thefirst left onto Rue du Percepteur. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead onto Ruelle du Percepteur.

(7) At the end, turn right. At the next intersection, turn left onto the dirt road Williot Res des Prés. This road runs straight for 1 km.

(8) Here, two contrasting landscapes meet: on the right and opposite, the bocage dominates, while on the left are fields of grain. Turn right. About 750 metres further on, at a fork, turn left. Ignore a path on the left. At the crossroads (calvary), first turn right then left to continue straight ahead.

(9) Immediately turn left onto the lane just behind the cemetery. Cross the road and continue along Rue Prince. Take thefirst lane on the left. When you reach Rue Saint-Humbert, first turn left then right and follow Rue du Château.

(10) Take thesecond right. Cross an alley and note the Château de Vendegies-au-Bois (private property) on your left. Continue straight ahead, leaving Rue Saint-Humbert on your right, and go straight on into Rue Basse. Turn right onto Rue Prince. After about 50 metres, follow a small lane on the left and walk alongside a tennis court. You will come out onto Rue de l'Église; follow it to the right. Then turn left and walk alongside the church.

(11) Cross Rue d'Ovillers (D286) and continue straight ahead along Rue de l'Enfer. At the crossroads, turn right onto Rue Rés Humbert. At the end, turn left onto Grand Rue (D86). After about 200 metres, turn right into a new alleyway and continue straight ahead between the fields.

(12) At the end, turn right onto the D86. Immediately turn left with the road. At the crossroads, go straight ahead onto Rue Luthon. Leave a path on your left and pass the water tower. Cross Rue Lacomblez and then, at a fork, continue straight ahead.

(13) Take thefirst lane on the right to go around the fortified church of Sainte-Elisabeth (16th century). You will come out onto a street; follow it to the left. Immediately, at the T-junction, turn right onto Rue du Maréchal Foch. About 150 metres further on, turn left onto the "cache" that leads to the Saint-Georges stream. Cross the stream via a small bridge. Climb up Rue du Moulin opposite and turn left at the end.

(14) At the intersection, turn left and then left again. Go down Rue Gambier and, before the stream, turn right onto Ruelle du Bosquet, which climbs uphill. At the fork, take the right-hand lane. After a right-hand bend, follow Grande Rue to the left and immediately take an alleyway on the right. Wind your way along and, at the end of the alleyway, go around the church on the right. This will bring you back to Place Salengro (A/D).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 114 m - Place Roger Salengro
  2. 1 : km 0.58 - alt. 106 m - Rue du Viterland
  3. 2 : km 1.13 - alt. 107 m - Chapelle des Prés
  4. 3 : km 2.09 - alt. 119 m - Rue de Keighley
  5. 4 : km 3.2 - alt. 127 m - Rue du Coucou.
  6. 5 : km 3.91 - alt. 123 m - Rue de la Cavée du Drain
  7. 6 : km 4.47 - alt. 114 m - Rue Talma
  8. 7 : km 4.84 - alt. 128 m - Rue Eugénie Lefebvre
  9. 8 : km 5.93 - alt. 134 m - The bocage
  10. 9 : km 7.39 - alt. 135 m - Cemetery
  11. 10 : km 8.19 - alt. 128 m
  12. 11 : km 8.94 - alt. 126 m - Church of Vendegies-au-Bois
  13. 12 : km 10.37 - alt. 127 m - Route D86
  14. 13 : km 11.24 - alt. 113 m - Departure from the alleyway
  15. 14 : km 12.21 - alt. 111 m - Intersection
  16. S/E : km 13.36 - alt. 114 m - Place Roger Salengro

Notes

In wet weather, wear suitable footwear.

Route registered with the PDIPR (Departmental Plan for Walking and Hiking Routes)

Follow the yellow markings.

Short 5km variant:

Follow the beginning of the main route description to (1).
Cross the Saint-Georges stream on the footbridge on the right ( take care in wet or icy conditions) and follow the farm track to a wayside cross.
Go up the road on the left and, before the old railway line, turn right onto the grassy path. At the end of the path, cross the road and turn left to walk along the side of the road.
You will arrive at Rue Luthon, not far from the (13). Turn right
and you will reach the fortified church of Neuville-en-Avesnois. From the church, the route is identical to the main route.

Worth a visit

(2) Chapelle des Prés. The origins of this chapel seem to be quite distant. Adding to the mystery of its origins is a legend: "While mowing in the meadows along the Saint-Georges stream, peasants found a statue of the Virgin Mary near the fountain. This statue was taken to the church but was found the next day in the same place. The miracle occurred three times, which led to the decision to build a chapel on this site."

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
candy59
candy59

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Having done this hike in May 2020 and a few days ago, I strongly recommend doing it on a fine day when spring is well underway.

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Fab et Mary
Fab et Mary

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike
Problem at the end of the hike: the small path was impassable due to vegetation

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Mitch59
Mitch59

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in a bucolic setting.
It should be noted that the section leaving Vendegies au Bois was completely impassable on the day of the hike
as it was overgrown with brambles and nettles.

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meats
meats

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 : No

A beautiful hike that alternates between countryside and
beautiful villages
It's a shame that the last section hadn't been cleared.

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Fiddler Fab
Fiddler Fab

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Muddy passages in winter, please report; shoes with good grip are required.

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OlivierH59
OlivierH59

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, often along shaded paths, passing through three villages for added enjoyment.
Pretty chapel and beautiful castle along the route.
The route is very well marked, so it's impossible to get lost, and the paths are well maintained.

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mouriaux
mouriaux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route.
Personally, I do this one on Saturday afternoons so I can stop off at La DREUM brasserie in Neuville en Avesnois. This place is really worth a visit at the end of the route.
Enjoy your walk!

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Francis Duflos
Francis Duflos

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At some point, this route was privatised, which is completely abnormal given the paths in use. When will collective rights be respected in this country? Should hunters and landowners be allowed to lay down the law, to the detriment of the collective?
Thank you and best regards,
Francis;

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PATRICK NOTTE
PATRICK NOTTE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route, but brambles in some places may close off the hedgerow paths.
Some sections along the winding little river are magnificent.
The villages you pass through add to the enjoyment of the hike.

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gerendo
gerendo

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route through the countryside, not very busy, but the season is not particularly conducive to walking along country lanes.
Come back in spring to take some lovely photos.

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