From Carency to Mont-Saint-Éloi via Bois Poret

A fairly classic route around Mont-Saint-Éloi (the area is very well signposted), with three less-travelled sections to Villers-au-Bois.

It's a bit winding (not intuitive, as one of my friends always says), but it allows you to take a few less-frequented paths.

Technical sheet

2398802
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 19.38 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 166 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 159 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 163 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 99 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at Carency: small dirt square in front of the church

(S/E)  Opposite the church, turn right. At the crossroads, turn right to reach a T-junction. Turn left, then right a few meters further into Rue du Maréchal Foch. Opposite the water tower, turn right onto the road. Reach a crossroads.

(1) Take the track on the right through the fields. At the T-junction, turn right onto a small road, which you follow to the right to join the D58.

(2) Follow it a few metres to the left and take the 1st right-hand path. Go downhill to reach a small road which you follow to the left. After the last houses, the road becomes a path. Continue in the same direction up the Vallée Niclette until you reach the D65 (ignore all the side roads).

(3) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead, passing the renovated old railway station, then the military cemetery, until you reach a T-junction. Turn right onto a beautiful arched path which eventually bends left to cross the Bois de Villers. Reach a crossroads opposite a recently renovated chapel.

Turn left onto Chaussée Brunehaut. Keep heading south-east and walk for about 1.5 km. On the left, don't miss the gate leading to Bois Poret.

(5) Cross the barrier. At the gate, go right on a wild path through ferns, eventually reaching a 2nd barrier. Cross it and turn left on the path through the woods.

(6) At the edge of the wood, pass another fence on the right. Follow the attractive grassy path which bends left and reaches a T-junction opposite the water tower. Turn left to reach a T-junction where you turn right. Walk for about 300m.

(7) On the right, don't miss the narrow, straight path to Villers-au-Bois (you can see the church). At the end of the path, turn right into Rue Sanverne. At the T-junction (communal pond on the left), turn right, pass the church and stay on the road to reach the D58.

(8) Follow it to the right (little traffic here, be careful) and reach the cemetery. Turn left through the woods. No problem finding your way through the woods: stay on the main path. The only problem is that it deteriorates in rain, and some places can be a bit tricky. After a wider path (but not a very good one either), reach a T-junction.

(9) Take the path to the right to enter the woods again (much better path). Reach a T-junction on the outskirts of Mont-Saint-Éloi.

(10) Turn right into Rue Salengro, then left into 3e rue (Rue des Tours) to arrive opposite the towers of the former abbey (a visit to the back of the two towers is a must!). See practical info.

(11) Then turn left with the GR®127 and 145. Pass the Mairie (town hall) and continue in the same direction (still GR®) down Rue de la Warde. Pass the old-fashioned garage (on the left), then the Saint-Antoine farm (on the right) and reach a crossroads near a farm (it's ahead on the left). See practical info.

(12) Continue straight on (this is the old route of the GR®, but according to IGN it now seems to go off to the right. It's true that it's sometimes pretty bad in places, especially the last 100 metres. In mid-August 2019, after some rain, it was still decent (despite a few stinging nettles) and it's possible to avoid the most difficult parts by passing along the edge of a field on the left. Arrive at a T-junction on the edge of Bois l'Abbé.

(13) Turn left, ignoring the path to the right (GR®127 variant) and go straight on towards Carency with the GR® 127 in the middle of the fields.

(1) Turn right towards the water tower, then keep right (Rue du Général Barbot). Just before the D56, turn right again onto Rue de l'Église (leaving the GR®). At the crossroads, turn left to find the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 108 m - Carency: small square opposite the church, close to the - Carency (ruisseau) - Affluent du Souchez
  2. 1 : km 0.95 - alt. 132 m - Three-way junction after the water tower
  3. 2 : km 2.29 - alt. 119 m - Junction with the D58
  4. 3 : km 5.25 - alt. 137 m - Junction with the D65. Towards - Cimetière militaire britannique (Villers-au-Bois)
  5. 4 : km 7.45 - alt. 139 m - Crossroads opposite the chapel
  6. 5 : km 8.97 - alt. 142 m - Barrier at the entrance to Bois Poret
  7. 6 : km 9.76 - alt. 132 m - Woodland fence
  8. 7 : km 10.95 - alt. 137 m - Slightly hidden path on the right
  9. 8 : km 11.55 - alt. 143 m - Junction with the D58
  10. 9 : km 13.78 - alt. 135 m - Three-way junction at the wood exit
  11. 10 : km 14.57 - alt. 123 m - Junction with Rue Salengro. Towards the - Cimeière militaire d'Ecoivre
  12. 11 : km 14.93 - alt. 134 m - T-shaped Carrefour opposite the towers - Abbaye Mont Saaint-Eloi
  13. 12 : km 16.19 - alt. 101 m - Crossing near a farm
  14. 13 : km 17.47 - alt. 118 m - T-junction on the edge of Bois l'Abbé
  15. S/E : km 19.38 - alt. 108 m - Carency: small square opposite the church

Practical information

Good shoes and walking stick(s) highly recommended.

A glance at the map shows that the walk can be shortened.

On the variant below, I propose a nice and not too long extension (1.6km and 40m ascent).
Variant: after the (10) sign, opposite Rue des Tours, you'll find a path to the right. It veers left, goes along the gardens and joins the D341. Follow this for a few metres to the right (caution), then turn left onto a wide track that descends to the entrance to Écoivres. At the T junction, turn left and immediately left again, taking the GR® 127 up towards Mont-Saint-Éloi. Just before the D341, turn left onto a narrow path which then veers right to reach the D341. Cross the road and head uphill, turning right a little further up the Rue des Tours to return to the original route.

At (12), you can take the left-hand path and return. It's a bit tricky, but I really like it (1.5 km round trip).

In the nearby area

Passages through the woods are always pleasant (between 3 and 4 roe deer last week).

Mont-Saint-Éloi abbey.

For classic car enthusiasts, the old-fashioned garage.

Some signs about the Great War in Mont-Saint-Éloi.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

5 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Clarity of route map
5 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
VAN DE WOESTYNE
VAN DE WOESTYNE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

The route was completed in fine weather. The path from point 2 was in good condition. No ferns as indicated from point 5 onwards. The path at point 8 is in very poor condition but dry, so passable. A pleasant 5-hour hike.

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PATRICK NOTTE
PATRICK NOTTE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

At last some fine weather, which gave us ideal conditions for this very fine walk.
Lots of wooded paths, little tarmac, beautiful villages and the icing on the cake, the ruins of Mont St Eloi Abbey.
L'entente des randonneurs Wattrelosiens

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Marc 62
Marc 62

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Lovely walk with varied scenery.
The parts in the woods were the most enjoyable.
All the paths were very passable.
The work at point 2 is complete.
No problems at point 4.
Thanks to the author

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JVS59000
JVS59000
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very fine route on the last day of October. Woods, plains, roe deer and pheasants were all there.
Preferably done in good weather to avoid some muddy sections.
Thank you for this beautiful route

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Rando59223
Rando59223

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Part of this walk was done on 13 August 2022 because it was merged with part of the "Bois et monts à Gouy-Servins" walk to make a total of 30km.
In the middle of a drought and heatwave (the walk started at 8.30am and lasted until 1.45pm to avoid the hottest temperatures), the trails were very dry and pleasant. It's very hilly and varied (forests, fields, villages...).
I'd definitely recommend it.

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MousseMousse
MousseMousse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Lovely walk in beautiful spring sunshine with blue hyacinths carpeting the undergrowth and in other places, it's white with anemones. I hear they're called "Sylvie.
A fine way to get to Mont St Eloi from the bottom. It's a shame there isn't a bar open in the village. It was thirsty...

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ghostalier
ghostalier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Beautiful scenery, especially on this sunny early morning in frost-white countryside. Many of the paths were muddy, but fortunately the frost made things easier. This route is very popular with mountain bikers on Sunday mornings.

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capauri
capauri

And even a hiking partner 😁

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tof1967
tof1967

Baby walker

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joorange
joorange

Well done!
Crossing the Bois de Mont Saint Éloi can't have been easy.
My wife wonders if the baby has a name? And she insists...

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capauri
capauri

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

I didn't see any deer either, but the pushchair went everywhere! A fairly easy route overall, but what a panorama! For our first 20 km we were not disappointed thank you joorange!!!!!

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tof1967
tof1967

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Thanks to joorange for this beautiful route, not too much mud (just a little, due to the showers of the previous days).
Some nice little climbs, but not too many.
Passage through the woods very pleasant, no deer seen, too bad.
Did the extra at Mont St Éloi, but not the second one. I will certainly see her again.

Thanks again, 👏🏻😊

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joorange
joorange
• Last modified:

I think we're in for some particularly slippery outings.
I was in the Ternois yesterday and the paths were spongy at best.
A good opportunity to brush up on the slippery step technique.

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Stef3291
Stef3291

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Nice walk
However, given the weather conditions, it was a very, very greasy section
The information provided by Jorange is as accurate as ever.

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