Marsh trail around Biache - Saint-Vaast

Hiking through the marshes of Biache - Saint-Vaast, Plouvain Roeux and Pelves.

Details

1870
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.10 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 8 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 8 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 52 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 44 m

Photos

Description of the walk

From the Arras Douai national road at Fresnes- lès- Montauban, follow signs for Biache - Saint-Vaast. In the centre of Biache, turn right into Rue Clemenceau. At the end of this, turn left into Rue de la Commune de Paris and, 200m further on, take the small street immediately after a bridge over the Rivierette. Park in the car park 300-400m further on.

(S/E) From the car park, turn left and follow the path alongside the ponds. This path will turn left at 90° after 200-300 m.

(1) Continue for the same distance and take the first track on the right (Chemin du Petit Marais). Continue along this path until you reach a junction with the D42E2 asphalt road. Turn left at the edge of the Scarpe river.

(2) Turn right, then pass under the Autoroute des Anglais (A26) and continue to the former loading dock of the Carrière de Roeux (now the Lac Bleu).

(3) Follow the path along the docks. After the wooden gate at the site exit, take the street on the left towards Roeux, where you'll arrive via Rue du Marais.
In Roeux, turn left into Rue Henri Robert.

(4) Turn left into Rue du 19 Mars 1962, which you follow to the post office. Turn left towards Monchy-le-Preux, Pelves
.
(5) Just after the bridge over the Scarpe, take the towpath on the left and continue along this path towards the Biache - Saint-Vaast locks. On this towpath, you will again pass under the A26 freeway and then the loading docks of the former Pelves chalk quarry.

(6) At the Biache locks, turn left over the bridge over the Scarpe and continue straight on towards the town centre for a few hundred metres. Turn left into the second street (Rue Poincaré). Then turn left into Rue du 19 Mars 1962,
pass a stadium, do not take the right-hand street (Rue de la Commune de Paris), but continue straight on for a further hundred metres.

(7) Turn right into the 'Impasse du Marais' ('Marsh dead end') and follow the main pond of the Marais de Biache along Chemin de la Rivierette.
At the end of this path, turn left for thirty meters. You're now at the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 44 m - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.48 - alt. 44 m - Biache Marsh
  3. 2 : km 1.54 - alt. 45 m - Edge of the - Scarpe (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 3.07 - alt. 46 m - Blue Lake
  5. 4 : km 4 - alt. 48 m - Rue du 19 Mars
  6. 5 : km 4.66 - alt. 51 m - Bridge over the Scarpe
  7. 6 : km 8.89 - alt. 49 m - Biache Saint Vaast locks
  8. 7 : km 9.7 - alt. 44 m - Impasse du Marais
  9. S/E : km 10.1 - alt. 44 m - Car park

Notes

If it recently rained, some parts may be muddy.
Many birds can be seen in the marshes and on the Scarpe: heron, bittern, kingfisher, osprey, wild swans, numerous duck species, wild geese.
At dusk, many bats can be seen hunting above the Scarpe.
Don't hesitate to bring your binoculars.

Worth a visit

Lac Bleu at Roeux.
You can walk along one of its banks.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
DFOUL
DFOUL

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful 10.5 km hike! A bit monotonous on the way back along the towpath! But if you like birds, it's cool! Very easy to do with no particular difficulties! Bring shoes and a bag to pick up the litter left behind by pseudo nature lovers! Like everywhere else, for that matter!

Machine-translated

Michel D2.
Michel D2.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely discovery of the Biache marshes, a pleasant walk to Roeux. Return along the Scarpe, which is more monotonous

Machine-translated

JMDELIEGE
JMDELIEGE

Thank you for your opinion

Machine-translated

Marc defontaine
Marc defontaine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk between woods and towpaths. Easy to follow

Machine-translated

MKnol
MKnol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty, very natural walk. It avoids the fields and is often in the shade. In short, it's very cool when it's hot!
A word of advice: take a bag with you to pick up litter. And there's quite a lot of it around the Lac Bleu, unfortunately...

Machine-translated

JMDELIEGE
JMDELIEGE

Thank you for your feedback.
Yours sincerely

Machine-translated

marcheursderoeux
marcheursderoeux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a lovely walk, rather muddy at the moment, but like most places.

Machine-translated

JMDELIEGE
JMDELIEGE

In spring and summer, you can't go round the Lac Bleu - you'll even be fined! The Gendarmerie keeps a close watch, especially at weekends.

Machine-translated

catdes
catdes

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk with a section around the blue lake

Machine-translated

JMDELIEGE
JMDELIEGE

Re bonjour, I don't see anywhere in the description a possibility of shortening to 8km. According to visirando, the walk is 10.1 km. At certain times you can add a "back and forth" along the Lac Bleu, which makes it a bit longer. You can also add a route to Boiry that goes round the old Pelves quarry, but that's about twenty kilometres!
Give me a screenshot of the information you've seen. Have a nice day

Machine-translated

dkasprzik
dkasprzik

Very nice circuit but I never found where to cut for the 8km circuit we were forced to do 11km I would like to know where to go for the 8km.
Thank you

If the 8km circuit does not exist, why put it on the document and in the title 8 11 and 17?
Please update and remove 8km
For the rest it was a very nice walk

Machine-translated

JMDELIEGE
JMDELIEGE

There is no way to shorten the journey except by swimming across the canal, but this is not recommended! On the other hand, it is possible to lengthen the journey by making a diversion via Pelves on the Boiry road along the Pelves quarry.

Machine-translated

dkasprzik
dkasprzik

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice circuit but I never found where to cut for the 8km circuit we were forced to do 11km I would like to know where to go for the 8km.
Thank you

Machine-translated

Papy-Rene
Papy-Rene

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

A hike to be repeated in spring when the paths are less muddy.
Nevertheless, it's a pleasant walk.

Machine-translated

MagDalie
MagDalie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I loved it! A walk between nature and water, exactly what I was looking for...
It was soothing, really very pleasant, thank you very much!

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.