En passant par Lorette (avec mes croquenots)

Park in the large car park on Rue des Lombards in Aix-Noulette.

(S/E) From the car park, with your back to the church, head to Rue des Lombards and follow it to the right. At the T-junction, turn left to pass under the motorway. Immediately afterwards, turn right onto Chemin d'Angres. Shortly after the last house, turn left onto the wide, straight path that leads to the beautiful Bully water tower (I passed by at night, and it's even more beautiful then).

(1) Turn right onto a new wide, straight path.

(2) Ignore the path on the right (military cemetery) and continue to a crossroads.

(3) Turn right. Cross two small roads and arrive in front of a business. Cross the car park and, just after the last building, turn left onto a path. You will reach a T-junction.
Turn right, follow Rue du Maréchal Joffre and you will arrive at a path.

(4) Turn left onto Rue Anne Frank. After 150 metres, leave this road and take a path on the right. The path turns left. Continue straight ahead to reach Route de Souchez. Cross it carefully and take Rue des Ormes opposite. It turns right, crosses Souchez and reaches a T-junction. Follow Rue des Normands on the left (pedestrian area on the right). Shortly after the stadium, a path branches off to the right.

(5) Follow this path, which climbs slightly, away from the road and you will soon reach a barrier on the right.

(6) Go through it to enter the woods. You will soon reach a T-junction and turn right (fence on your left). The path turns left and reaches a fork. Take the right fork (leaving the fence behind) to reach a clearing (see practical information). From there, continue in the same direction (south-east) to reach a barrier and exit the woods.

(7) A grassy path leads to Rue Victor Hugo. At the T-junction, turn left to reach Rue Lamendin.

(8) Follow it for about 100 metres to the right, then turn right again into Rue Pasteur. Ignore a turning on the left. Shortly afterwards, the tarmac gives way to a good path. You will reach a T-junction with a stele.

(9) Turn right and join a main road. Take the hairpin bend on the left to follow the motorway. You will reach a crossroads.

(10) Turn right to pass under the A26 motorway with the^GR®®127variant and descend towards Souchez. Just before the pumping station, look for a path that branches off to the left.

(11) Follow this pretty path (still^GR®®) which crosses a small stream and joins Rue Victor Hugo. Follow it to the right, leaving the GR®^®. Heading north-west, you will reach a T-junction.
Turn left, then immediately right into Rue Voltaire. Follow it for 150 metres before turning left. You will reach the back of the church. Continue straight ahead on a small road that crosses Souchez and joins Rue Pierre Curie.

(12) Follow it to the left and reach the D937. Cross and take Rue Brossolette (and the^GR®® variant) opposite (slightly to the left). After about 100 metres, turn right onto Rue Rice Oxley. Continue straight ahead and slightly uphill, it becomes a path (Chemin Vert) and reaches a T-junction.

(13) Turn left (^GR®®) and, continuing in the same direction, you will reach the first houses of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire. Just before you reach the ruined church of Ablain, look for a path on the right (there are numerous hiking marks on the ground). You can make a short return trip to the church.

(14) Take this uphill path which turns left and arrives near "la Blanche Voie".

(15) Turn right onto the path to climb towards Lorette (a well-maintained path that was upgraded a few years ago! A great initiative!). When you reach the cemetery, turn right towards the Anneau du Souvenir and go around it on the right. Just after the ring, cross a grassy area, then the road, and another grassy area to reach the eastern end of the cemetery

(16). Walk along the eastern edge of the cemetery.

(17) At the end, turn left and continue along the cemetery. Pass the Abri des Visiteurs (restaurant), then the museum, and turn left to reach the south-western tip of the cemetery.

(18) Take the path on the right that leads to Bois de Mont (GRP® and PR®) and follow it for about 600 metres until you find a trail on the right

(19) Take this path, which is flat at first and then descends steeply (difficult path). The slope levels out and you will reach a fork.

(20) Take the tarmac road on the left (Voie "Verte"). Pass a small military cemetery (on the right, return trip possible), then turn right to reach a fork.

(21) Turn left and, 150 metres further on, turn right onto a path through the undergrowth. It is often quite spongy but not too difficult. Ignore a path on the right. The slope levels out and you reach a fork.

(22) Take the path on the right. It is fairly easy to follow (but is not shown on maps) and heads roughly north-east. (At the end of September 2025, there were some very useful pink markings)
You will eventually reach the edge of the forest (at 9/93 on the IGN map). You will then need to descend a small embankment to reach a good path.

(23) Follow this path to the left. It quickly turns right and you will reach Rue Notre-Dame de Lorette. At the end of the street, turn left and you will reach a crossroads.

(24) Take the pretty little lane opposite. At the end, turn right into Rue Delsaut. At the end of the street, turn left and you will reach a stop sign. Cross Rue de Bouvigny and continue straight ahead (the lodge is on the left, the malt house and its beautiful sign are on the right). Just after the malt house, take the lane on the right. At the end of the lane, turn right and stay on the pretty path that zigzags before joining Chemin de Sains (just before, there is a nice grassy area ideal for cleaning your shoes). Turn right to join the D 937.
Follow it to the right. At the pedestrian crossing, cross to follow Rue des Lombards, which will take you back to the car park (S/E).

More than ever, good footwear is essential.
And at least one walking stick is useful!

After the point (6), at the clearing, you can consider taking a short additional circular loop. Just turn right and follow the main path. The paths are quite difficult and it is best to use the app with OpenStreetMap world hiking. After about 500 metres, the path turns left and comes to a barrier. Turn left again, pass the grave (on the left) and, 500 metres further on, you will find the main path, which you follow to the right towards the point (7).

After the point (15), you can of course visit the cemetery and the Ring. It is then easy to reach the point (16).

Old route

(15) Walk along the eastern edge of the cemetery. At the end, join the path on the right, then immediately turn right, downhill, onto a path
recently paved path (greenway?). This path has two names: Chemin des Vaches and Route du Roi d'Angleterre (look for
the error). Ignore the path on the left and continue to a crossroads (houses).
Turn left into the woods onto a path that is often wet. At the edge of the woods, just after a car park, turn left. 50 m
further on, turn right onto a tarmac path. You will reach a crossroads. Continue straight ahead to reach a T-junction (on
left, there is the Château de Noulette, but it is not visible). Turn right and reach a crossroads.
Turn left onto Rue de la Chapelle. Pass in front of ...the pretty chapel (surprising, isn't it?), then in front of the goat farm.
Ignore all the turnings on the right until you reach a large crossroads (just after a school).
Turn left towards the Bois de Noulette. Stay on the wide, uphill lane that turns right, then left before
reaching the tarmac road.
Turn right. After about a hundred metres, turn right onto a path that takes you into the woods.
It is often quite spongy but not too difficult. At the edge of the woods (barrier), you will arrive at the first houses of Aix-Noulette.
Continue straight ahead, ignoring a turn-off to the right, then another to the left.
You will come to a crossroads just after No. 14 (be careful, just before No. 14 there is a very inviting property entrance...).
Take the pretty little road on the left. At the end, turn right into Rue Delsaut. At the end of the street, turn left and
you will reach a stop sign. Cross Rue de Bouvigny and continue straight ahead (the lodge is on the left, the malt house and its beautiful sign are on the right). Just
after the malt house, take the lane on the right. At the end of the lane, turn right and stay on the pretty path that zigzags before
reaching Chemin de Sains (just before this, there is a nice grassy area ideal for cleaning your shoes). Turn right
to join the D 937.
Follow it to the right. At the pedestrian crossing, cross to follow Rue des Lombards, which takes you back to the car park (S/E). At the end, join the path on the right, then immediately turn right, downhill, onto a recently tarmaced path (Voie Verte). This path has two names: Chemin des Vaches and Route du Roi d'Angleterre (spot the mistake). Ignore the path on the left and continue to a crossroads (houses).

Bully water tower

Bois des Bruyères

For food lovers: in Lorette, you can go around the cemetery on the left and stop at the estaminet
I don't know it, but it has a good reputation.

Ablain Church