From Les Hauts du Terne to Les Hauts Buttés

This hike will take you in the footsteps of the Cerceaux quarry workers and the inhabitants of the "Hauts" who once lived off livestock farming, crop cultivation and forestry. You can stroll along these varied paths, perhaps once trodden by pilgrims from Saint-Antoine des Hauts Buttés. On the way back, you will enjoy an easy descent along the Pilette stream.

Details

639620
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.72 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 348 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 348 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 482 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 178 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The car park at Auberge de la Roche à 7 Heures is located on the outskirts of Monthermé in the direction of Hargnies (RD989).

(S/E) From the car park, head east towards the Maison Forestière des Cerceaux. Follow theGR® trail to the end of the old Carrières des Cerceaux quarries.

(1) Turn left (leaving theGR®) and then immediately right. The path climbs gently and steadily. After two hairpin bends and a 90° curve, you will reach the Route Forestière des Woieries.

(2) Turn right, then left at the first crossroads and head for the village of Les Woieries. Cross the village and take a path on the right opposite the last house. Follow the yellow-marked path to the Six Chênons clearing.

(3) Turn left to cross the clearing. Leave the forest road that branches off to the right and continue for 300 metres until you reach a small path on the right that runs along the edge of the national forest. Take this path to the Route Forestière des Hauts Buttés.

(4) Turn left and after 200 metres you will reach the RD989. Turn right and after 200 metres, turn left onto the road leading to Hauts Buttés.

(5) Turn left twice to reach, at the edge of the village, a path on the right that borders a fenced-off agricultural field: Chemin vers la Pilette. Take this path, which quickly enters the forest.

(6) You will reach the Ruisseau de la Pillette stream, where the path widens as it descends. The path first takes you to La Roche Vautoux (signposted).

(7) Continue along the forest road beside the stream until you reach the confluence of the Pilette and Trou Caillou streams (barrier and water intake on the right).

(8) Go up the forest road on the left until you reach the Route Forestière de la Grande Commune. Descend to the right for 1 km.

(9) Take the path on the left heading east (restricted traffic, yellow markings, barrier 50m after leaving the tarmac forest road) to reach the Hauts du Terne housing estate. Continue in the same direction to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 260 m - Car park at the Auberge de la Roche à 7 Heures
  2. 1 : km 1.45 - alt. 281 m - End of the old Cerceaux quarries
  3. 2 : km 3.29 - alt. 403 m - Woieries Forest Road
  4. 3 : km 5.83 - alt. 464 m - Clairière des Six Chênons
  5. 4 : km 7.64 - alt. 482 m - Hauts Buttés forest road
  6. 5 : km 8.86 - alt. 450 m - Les Hauts Buttés
  7. 6 : km 9.71 - alt. 365 m - Pillette stream
  8. 7 : km 11.12 - alt. 272 m - La Roche Vautoux
  9. 8 : km 12.78 - alt. 206 m - Confluence of the Pillette and Trou Caillou rivers
  10. 9 : km 13.94 - alt. 178 m - Path on the left
  11. S/E : km 15.72 - alt. 259 m - Car park at the Auberge de la Roche à 7 Heures

Worth a visit

During the hike:
Anciennes Carrières des Cerceaux.
Clairière des Six Chênons.
Saint-Antoine des Hauts Buttés Church, built between 1874 and 1877
Sundial near the church of Hauts Buttés.

Also worth seeing near the car park
Viewpoint at La Roche à 7 Heures.
Viewpoint at La Longue Roche.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

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

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Bretagne22
Bretagne22

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a lovely hike that took us past the slate quarries. The forests are varied and the six oak trees, with their dolmen and small slate menhirs, are astonishing.
At point 4, we continued through the forest to reach the Citronnelle mission memorial and then crossed the D989 to take a path opposite, followed by a very narrow, barely marked but pleasant track that led us to the entrance of the protected area of the Hauts Buttés marshes.
The church is still as interesting to see as ever with its ex-votos. We had a picnic nearby on the benches.
the descent is as described.
No particular difficulties and a very pleasant hike

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gerard poher
gerard poher

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk in the Ardennes forest, as described
During the heatwave, the forest trail is very pleasant.

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fourmis
fourmis

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route far from the noise. It's always a pleasure to revisit Roc la Tour.

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weidenfeldm
weidenfeldm

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route.
Please note: between 1 and 2; after leaving the GR and after the two hairpin bends, you have to climb straight up the slope, heading north-west. The path is barely visible at first and then disappears completely (wood cutting) before joining the Woieries forest road.
The last part, which runs alongside streams (very abundant at this time of year), is particularly pleasant.

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FabriceFradet
FabriceFradet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route that I plan to do again this summer. It's fine in wet weather. Your shoes will get wet, but there are no muddy sections. The streams were quite full.

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bozierbruno
bozierbruno

Hello Pascal Denis
Thank you for your comment, which contrasts with the previous one but is similar to the other reviews.
Perhaps it's all a matter of mood when it comes to enjoying a hike?
Enjoy your hikes in the Ardennes and elsewhere.
bozierbruno

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Pascal Denis 51
Pascal Denis 51

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike in the Ardennes forest with views of the Monthermé meander (before returning to the starting point). The descent along the Pillette after Les Hauts Buttées is magnificent, with a beautiful variety of ferns. Thank you to the 'creator' of this hike for this wonderful day in the Ardennes.

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DomTom63
DomTom63

Overall rating : 3.5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Description in PDF format of the ballad not detailed enough.
difficult to get started.
Unable to use the GPX map on my smartphone. (Visorando
Got lost two-thirds of the way through the walk due to lack of detail.
Luckily, Google Maps brought us back to the car.

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Jacques2019
Jacques2019

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful course, playable in wet weather.

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bernature
bernature

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello.
Keep up the good work, thank you
BG.

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OLETTE
OLETTE

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Choosing a path after leaving the career was very complicated

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Baraquine08
Baraquine08

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hikers who have followed this route introduced me to this site 👍
In the practical information section, please add the Auberge le Balcon en Forêt for a gourmet break 🤪
Enjoy your hike!

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Bertrand Viltard
Bertrand Viltard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Varied, with many points of interest.

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phok
phok

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

For the less adventurous, the hike can be shortened to 10 km. Once you reach Woieries, take the road north until it crosses a stream that flows down to the left and joins the Pilette stream. Follow the right bank of this pretty cascading stream and, at the confluence between this stream and the Pilette, you will find yourself back on the original route.

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NATHALIE MONFORT
NATHALIE MONFORT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

a very beautiful route
In the mist, the landscape looked enchanting. At the edge of a forest, standing stones catch the eye. Come closer and discover the tchar a scaille and the restaurant of the same name. A place to recommend!

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