Country:
District:
Park in the Liessies church car park.
(S/E) Leave the church and follow the road to the left, which supports the yellow/red GR® de Pays Avesnois-Thiérache. Pass the town hall and post office, then ignore the road on the right.
(1) 50m further on, turn left towards Sainte-Hiltrude. The path descends and runs alongside the Parc Départemental de l'Abbaye de Liessies. Climb up to a gravelled forest road.
(2) Follow this road to the right for 1km and join the RD963.
(3) Cross carefully and immediately turn right, before the forest pavilion, onto a footpath. Descend gradually to a road.
(4) Head left towards the pond (view of Château de la Motte) and continue left along the pond for 150m, then climb the path on the left. The path climbs and descends three times.
(5) At the bottom of the bend, fork right onto the gravel path (Laie du Loup) and join the banks of the Étang du Breucq. Follow the forest road of the same name to the left for 1km.
(6) Turn right onto the straight path.
Come to a 5-6m-wide gap in the forest. This is the platform of an old railroad line, owned by the département and now used as a hiking trail.
(7) Follow this former railroad track to the right, leaving the common route of the GR® de Pays. This 3km stretch offers views over the ponds, and in places resembles a mini canyon. The first bridge overhangs a road. After a careful crossing of the RD133, a second bridge spans the Helpe Majeure, offering a remarkable view of the valley.
(8) Turn right onto Chemin de la Perrière. At the next junction, level with the cemetery, turn right into the village of Liessies along the RD33. On the way, note the water mill set up by the monks in the 17th century to produce flour. Cross the bridge over the Helpe Majeure and return to the church (S/E).
Visorando member
Easy 
Difficult 
AONB
Very difficult 
