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Park in the "Gare" car park in Ludres, on the Route de Fléville (D73) near the Collège Jacques Monod. You can also park in the car park opposite the station.
(S/E) Take the passage under the railway line, turn right, then after about 100 metres, turn left onto Chemin Saint-Blaine. This path, marked Grand Nancy-FFRP, continues along a footpath.
(1) Just after passing between the church and the cemetery, continue in the same direction on the other side of the road, walking alongside the car park on your right. Find a path that leads to Rue Joseph Prétot. Follow the Grand Nancy-FFRP route, which takes you a few metres up to the right, then take the path on the left, above the fountain. After passing the Cuse wetland and two small water collection structures on the left, you will reach the point where the marked route makes a turn right.
(2) Take the path that goes straight up. When you reach the wide path known as the Mine (the buildings on the left are a reminder of this), turn left and follow the GR®5F and Grand Nancy-FFRP markings. Leave these buildings on your right and continue straight ahead. After the meadow area, just before entering the forest, climb up to the right, following the Grand Nancy - FFRP markings, to reach an intersection with a forest road. You will rejoin the GR®5F by turning left and shortly afterwards an information sign marks the entrance to the city of Affrique (former Camp Leuque, bordered by a double ditch).
(3) At the intersection with the GRP® Autour de Nancy, follow it along the section it shares with the GR®5F towards Messein, to the left. This well-marked path starts with a descent, then follows the hillside to the west and descends steeply towards the village of Messein.
At the edge of the forest, near the Ermitage Saint-Joseph, there is a magnificent view of the Moselle valley and the many ponds that border the river. Continue to the Canal de l'Est, following the GR® markings, and cross it via the bridge on the right.
(4) Keep right and follow the old towpath to a lock where you will find the GR®5F markings. Follow these again after crossing the canal to the main road (D115) connecting Messein to Neuves-Maisons, where you will turn left and continue for about 100 metres.
(5) At the signs indicating the change of municipality, turn right onto Rue des Vallieux and follow the Chevalet Rouge (Chavigny shortcut) markings, which climb steeply towards the plateau to the foot of the cliffs. This path is an old iron mine descent. Join the Chemin des Roches.
(6) At this intersection, you can see the remains of old mining buildings. Head towards Chavigny (red ring markings) on the left. About 20 metres further on, on the right, you will see the old entrance to the Fontaine des Roches mine. Shortly afterwards, take the path that climbs up to the right. When you reach the plateau (the last part is very steep), leave the path that runs along the cliffs and take the path opposite. When you reach a wide forest road, turn left. At the entrance to the hairpin bend, you can cut across the bend by taking the marked path on the left. You will reach the first houses of Chavigny below the cemetery.
(7) At the first intersection, turn right to continue along the hillside, following the "de la Mine à l'Usine" route marked with a Red Cross. This route is dotted with information panels made of thick steel sheet. It makes a large curve with a bridge over the main road of the commune to cross over to the northern side of the valley. About 200 m after this bridge, leave this route (which leads to the Val de Fer mine pithead) and take the Chemin de la Botte on the right.
(8) 50 metres from the intersection, take a path that climbs to the right and joins Allée St-Blaise after crossing Rue du Grand Pierrer. Then follow the yellow-crossed route on the left, which, after a wide circular loop, leads to the Chavigny forest house (MF).
(9) Once you reach your destination, head towards the D974, cross it and, 20 metres on the left, take the path that leads directly to the forest, then turn right at the first intersection and right again at the next intersection.
(10) The start of the path is marked by a stone marker. Then, after about 100 metres, at the intersection also marked by a stone marker, turn right onto the path that descends into the Fond de Renonvaux valley (ignore the intersections with paths starting on the hillside). At the edge of the forest, the path continues between two park fences and reaches the first houses in Chavigny.
(11) Immediately turn left towards the bottom of the valley, again between two park fences. When the path enters the forest, at a three-way junction, turn right and follow the meadow to its end. At the corner of the park, follow the path on the left that climbs back up to the plateau and rejoins the GRP®.
(12) Follow it to the left for about 20 metres, then take the wide path on the right between plots 493 and 494 to reach the Bagneris Forest Road. Turn right towards the barrier and, before reaching it, turn left onto the path (you could also follow a ditch a little further on) that leads to the radio tower. Leave the road on your right and continue in the same direction. At the next intersection, you will reach a bend in the CAF's Anneau Bleu marked route.
(13) Follow these markings on the right until you reach the forest road, where you turn left to reach and cross the bridge over the A33 motorway.
(14) After crossing the bridge, descend to the right along the old road leading to Houdemont, following the Anneau Rouge route of this commune. After 300 m, continue along this route to the left. You are now on a section shared with the Anneau Vert route of Houdemont, which you will follow until you rejoin the GR®5F.
(15) Leave the Anneau Rouge route and follow the Anneau Vert route, which descends, then turns left, follows part of Rue du Fonteno and descends towards the cemetery and then the church.
(16) Return to the Anneau Rouge route and follow it uphill. You will then cross orchards and walk along the wall surrounding the grounds of Mont au Ban Castle. Continue uphill along Chemin de Ludres. Shortly after passing under the A33 motorway, continue the route on the right along a sometimes steep slope that leads to a viewpoint. If necessary, you can avoid the climb and shorten the route by continuing along the GR®.
(17) A short detour takes you to an orientation table offering a beautiful view of Nancy, its surroundings and the Vosges mountains.
Follow the Anneau Rouge markings for just 200 metres, then turn left and follow the CAF's Anneau Bleu markings. When you reach the forest road, turn left. About 900 metres further on, just before a small climb, this road crosses a path marked Anneau Noir (Houdemont), which you should take on the left.
Halfway down the descent, follow the Black Ring markings on the right, starting with a few steps. After a fairly rugged section on the hillside and a fork to the left leading downhill, this path takes you back to the GR®5F, which you left a short while ago. Take it on the right and climb up the hillside to a riding centre, which you cross.
(18) Shortly afterwards, at a raised pedestrian crossing, take the path on the left which will take you straight down to the foot of the hillside. After crossing a meadow, a few metres of road on the left, then stairs on the right lead directly to the SNCF railway station. Take the street on the right, pass under the railway line and return to the car park (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Easy 
