From the Aa to the Bois d'Esquerdes

Remilly-Wirquin car park, Place de la Mairie (Rue de la Moulière)

(S/E) With your back to the road, head towards the town hall and join a small street. Follow it to the left until you reach Rue Bernard Chochoy. Follow this to the right, cross the Aa and ignore a turn-off to the left until you reach a Fork in the road. Take the D192 on the left towards Crehem. After about 200 m, look out for the path branching off to the right.

(1) Take this downhill path (sometimes slippery) until you reach a small road. Turn left. After a few metres on tarmac, follow a slightly uphill stony path until you reach a Fork in the road.
Take the wide, uphill farm track on the left. You’ll reach a T-junction. Turn right. Shortly afterwards, the track turns left and eventually joins another T-junction.

(2) Take the grassy path on the left, which joins the D192 at the entrance to Crehem. Follow it to the right for about a hundred metres, then turn left into the first street (at a small square). This straight path eventually takes a sharp left-hand bend and reaches a Fork in the road (just past a wind turbine on the left).

(3) Turn right and head straight on to reach a junction at the edge of the Bois d'Esquerdes.

(4) Turn right at the edge of the woods. After about 800 m, ignore a wide path on the left (blocked by a gate) and arrive at a clearing (on the left): hiking marker

(5) Head left towards the gate. Go over the small hill and turn right at the edge of the woods onto a lovely path. Follow it. It gradually slopes to the left and eventually reaches a clearing (trail marker no. 9). Cross the clearing, keeping to the right of the hedge. Head back into the woods, staying on the lovely, gently sloping path. Reach the first houses of Esquerdes and come to a Fork in the road. Leave the Trail markings and turn left to reach the railway line.

(6) Head straight ahead to cross the railway line. At the next two junctions, go straight ahead to reach the Aa.

(7) Turn left without crossing the river and follow the lovely Sentier des Soupirs. 
Walk alongside the Aa, then head away from it to reach Place Jean Jaurès (church on the left). Turn right onto Rue du Pont Neuf (pretty tower on the right) and cross the Aa. Immediately after, turn left into Rue Bernard Chochoy and follow it for about 150 m until you find a street on the left.

(8) Take this street and head towards the gate marking the entrance to the Poudrerie site. Enter and continue straight on for about 200 m to cross the River Aa. Turn immediately right and follow the river to reach a Fork in the road (turret opposite).

(9) Turn left to follow the ponds and reach another Fork in the road. Turn left again and reach a T-junction.

(10) Turn left, cross the River Aa and leave the site to reach a wide path. Follow it to the left, then turn right into Rue Basse, crossing the railway line to reach a road junction.

(11) Turn left onto Rue de Fersinghem, which runs close to the railway line, then follow it to reach a T-junction. Then first turn right then left to head towards the cemetery. At the end of the cemetery, find a wide path on the right (GR®145).

(12) Follow this GR®145, which climbs up to the Bois d'Esquerdes, then crosses it to reach a T-junction.

(13) Turn left and, climbing along the edge of the woods, return to the junction you passed earlier.

(4) Leave the GR®145. Turn right to cross the plateau, then begin the descent. Take the first path on the right (Mont à Cheval on the right) and continue straight on to reach a T-junction.
Turn left downhill to reach another T-junction.

(14) Turn right onto the tarmac path and reach a junction. Head left to descend back into the valley with the^GR®® de Pays de l'Audomarois on a beautiful but challenging path. At the first junction, continue straight ahead to quickly reach a second junction.

(15) Then turn right onto the old railway line. At the next junction, leave the GRP® and turn left, continue straight ahead at the crossroads and cross the Aa.

(16) Just after the bridge, turn left onto the lovely path that runs alongside the river before veering away from it to arrive opposite a chimney. Continue until you reach a small road.

(17) Follow it to the right. About 200 m further on, when the road bends to the right, take the path on the left. This will lead you to a small road.

(18) Follow it for 100 m to the left before turning right onto a grassy path. You will reach a small road (the hamlet of Assinghem).

(19) Turn left and cross the Aa again. After another hundred metres or so on the tarmac, you’ll find the entrance to the greenway linking Lumbres to Remilly on the right.

(20) Follow it to the right. Join Rue des Prés and follow it until you reach Rue Bernard Chochoy.
Follow it to the right, in the opposite direction to the outward journey, and cross the Aa to reach the car park (S/E).

Of course, you’ll need to be wearing suitable footwear.

The 21 km route takes you to the Poudrerie site.
To do the 19 km route: at (6), turn left and head towards (12). Then take the path on the left towards (13).

For the return journey, I chose to take as many paths as possible, but it is easy to take a shortcut to reach the (18) or the (19).

Between (5) and (7), I didn’t see any signposts, but there might be some.

It is a figure-of-eight route:
- The southern section can be done starting from Remilly-Wirquin.
- For the northern section, start from (7); there is a car park on the other side of the Aa.

For the more adventurous, it is possible to link up with the “Return to the Coteau d’Elnes” walk by turning right just before (15). Enjoy!

La Poudrerie website: https://eden62.fr/espaces-naturels-a-dec...