Route of the three castles and five churches starting from Aumale

Park on Place des Marchés, near the Church of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul: plenty of parking spaces except on market days, of course, usually on Saturdays but check beforehand.

(S/E) Take Rue Saint-Pierre and walk past the impressive Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul Church on your left. Go round Place du Maréchal Leclerc on the left, cross the bridge over the Bresles and immediately afterwards turn left into Rue Guerrinfroid, which runs alongside the river. Continue along Rue du Jeu de Paume.

(1) At the T-junction, turn right and cross the river again. At the junction (marker), follow Rue Henri IV to the left. Cross Rue Jeanne Leclerc (D49) and continue straight ahead. Cross the level crossing at Basse Boulogne and turn left immediately.

(2) At the end of a right-hand bend and just before the sign marking the end of the built-up area, take the path/track branching off to the left (barrier preventing access to cars). Continue straight on until you reach the hamlet of Cardonnoy. You will come to a good hard-surfaced track; follow it to the right, climbing up to the next junction.

(3) For those who wish, a path (not shown on IGN maps) branching off sharply to the left allows you to visit the Notre-Dame du Cardonnoy chapel via a short detour.

(3) Head south (^2nd on the right when returning from the chapel,^1st otherwise), and climb. Cross the D502 and continue climbing straight ahead. Pass under the high-voltage power lines.

(4) Enter the forest and go straight on, ignoring the paths branching off to the sides. Pass a chapel and continue straight on. Leave the woods and turn right. Stay on the edge of the woods and turn left then right.

(5) Come to a wider path and follow it leftwards uphill. Cross the D1029 with great care (heavy and fast-moving traffic). Take the tarmac road opposite leading to the village of Digeon. Pass Rue de la Garenne on the left then turn left onto the main road (Rue de Normandie).

(6) At the junction with Rue Saint-Pierre, enter a wooded park. Pass a small church on your left, followed by a pond. Emerge onto Rue de la Forge and follow it to the left. At the crossroads, turn right into Rue du Coq Gaulois. Continue straight on until you reach the main entrance to Digeon Castle.

(7) Then turn right and follow a dirt track south-southeast between a hedge and a boundary wall. Join a small tarmac road and follow it to the right.

(8) At the end, turn left. At the next junction (elevation 211), go straight on along a dirt track and follow it to the next junction, at a place called Les Trois Cornets.

(9) Turn right (south) onto the path that runs between two hedges. Join a small road and follow its tarmac extension straight on to the village of Escles-Saint-Pierre.

(10) Turn right just before the church and walk past it on your left. At the next junction, turn right into Rue Marquet. At the end, turn right onto Rue d’Aumale.

(11) After about 200 m, turn left onto a very good path that starts between two houses and continues through the fields. At the junction (elevation 211), go straight on.

(12) At the edge of a wood, leave the main path and take the one branching off to the left, descending into the wooded valley. Follow the left bank of the ravine until you reach a T-junction. Turn left, then right to cross the railway line at the level crossing. You’ll come out onto the D68; follow it to the right.

(13) Take the^first path on the left, at an acute angle, passing the garage and house no. 11 on your right, then walking alongside a brick building on your left. Head south-east and, further on, rejoin the D68 and follow it to the right until you reach a junction (war memorial).

(14) Take the Chemin de la Plaine, which climbs to the right. Initially tarmac, it becomes a stony track where it meets another track branching off to the left. Continue straight on, climbing between the fields. Cross the D316 and continue along the small road opposite. Pass the Château de Beaulieu and its pheasant farm, and reach a T-junction.

(15) Turn right onto a path running alongside a fence. Enter the forest, passing lanes to the right and left, blocked by ‘no entry’ signs. Continue until you see the statue of the Virgin Mary clearly visible some distance away on the left. Continue a few more metres along the main path to find, after the boundary of the municipality marked by a ditch, a path branching off to the left, with no barrier or prohibition sign, and less well-maintained than the other paths.

(16) Take this path. After 350 m, the path turns sharply right, heading due north, and follows the military ridge. Ignoring the tracks branching off to the right, continue for about 500 m until you reach a T-junction.

(17) Follow a good path to the right and uphill to the junction marked by a fine forest house (elevation 208).

(18) Return to the main track you left earlier and follow it to the left. Head uphill initially, then descend via a few bends. This will take you to Fleuzy.

(19) Take the^first road on the right (D316) for about a hundred metres to discover an architectural curiosity of Moorish style. Then return to the crossroads.

(19) Take the next road on the right, Rue du Moulin. After about a hundred metres, you’ll be treated to a lovely view of Fleuzy Castle. Return to the crossroads.

(19) Continue straight on (north-west). Pass Chemin du Canada on your left and immediately turn right onto Chemin de la Verrerie. Cross a stream via a small bridge.

(20) At the junction, turn right and cross the railway line at the level crossing. Continue along this path, which climbs between detached houses. Pass under high-voltage power lines and immediately ignore a turn-off on the right. Walk alongside imposing industrial buildings on the left, then the cemetery on the right. Just before the D929, take the footbridge over the railway line on the left. On the other side, turn left, cross the D929 at the pedestrian crossing and head left until you reach a junction.

(21) Turn right onto Rue Saint-Lazare. Cross Rue du 8 Mai 1945 and then Rue Alexandre Duchesne. At the next junction, turn left onto Rue Nationale. At the crossroads, take the^second right, Rue René Gicquel. Continue straight on until you reach the church and then the start car park (S/E).

All shops in Aumale.
Easy paths and trails: light walking shoes are sufficient.

Accessible by TER train to Aumale station on the line between Beauvais and Le Tréport. On leaving the station, turn right onto Route de Picardie and start the walk at point (21) on Rue Saint-Lazare.

(13) Possible shortcut: head to point (19) via the D68 (2 km, little traffic). Reduces the total distance by 6 km.

(16) Shortcut available: head straight to point (18).

Aumale Church

The Cardonnoy Chapel

Digeon Castle and floral park

Beaulieu Castle

Nearby, 1 km from Aumale Church (due west via the Coppegueule road), you can also visit one of the V1 launch sites from the Second World War.