Between marsh and pasture around Fretin

A hike that begins by circling the Marais de Péronne, then moves on to the hamlet of Maresqueldes and ends at the Marais du Warlet. This loop offers diverse landscapes, between water (the Marque (stream), marsh, pond), and fields and pastures. It runs alongside two small roads, otherwise it's all on footpaths.
On the program: observation of marsh birds, fish in a fishing pond and a variety of native wildlife.

Details

4475202
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.23 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 5 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 5 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 33 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 27 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Fretin (59273)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 50.552952° / E 3.140888°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2505E
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the car park, Rue du Maréchal Foch.
(S/E) Leave the parking lot and cross the road. At the crosswalk, continue for a few metres on your right, then take the path on your left.

(1) At the wooden gate, take the first path on the right and follow it straight ahead along a small stream.

(2) At the fork in the road, take the track on the left, then at the next one, keep right and join a road.

(3) Cross the road and continue along it on the right for 100m. Take the track on the left, which runs straight ahead through the trees. At the fork in the road, turn left.

(4) At Le Maresquel, follow the tarmac road on the right, then the first road on the left for 400m.

(5) Take the track on the left. Once you've crossed the road under a power line, continue straight ahead on a partially paved track. Take the first track on the left and follow it across the fields.

(6) At the junction with the GR®° 121B, turn left, going along a fishing pond and leaving it on the right, continue straight ahead.
Turn right onto a wide track that joins the barrier you passed on the outward journey.
(1) Return to the starting point.

(S/E) Continue around the Marais de Warlet. Follow the path away from the car park (as if leaving Fretin). Go straight ahead on a paved path that runs into a wood and joins the Marque.

(7) Follow the river to the left for almost a kilometer until you reach a footbridge.

(8) Turn left onto the footbridge, then left again to continue around the marsh.

(9) Take another footbridge on the left, cross a wood and enter a field.
Turn right to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 28 m - Rue Foch car park
  2. 1 : km 0.11 - alt. 28 m - Wooden barrier
  3. 2 : km 0.65 - alt. 28 m - Branching out under the trees
  4. 3 : km 1.29 - alt. 30 m - Route d'Ennevelin
  5. 4 : km 2.31 - alt. 30 m - Le Maresquel
  6. 5 : km 2.99 - alt. 33 m - Back on the road
  7. 6 : km 4.6 - alt. 29 m - GR junction
  8. 7 : km 6.04 - alt. 28 m - Along the - Marque (rivière)-à finaliser
  9. 8 : km 6.9 - alt. 27 m - Airgrettes footbridge. Warlet Marsh
  10. 9 : km 7.54 - alt. 27 m - Desmazières footbridge. Warlet Marsh
  11. S/E : km 8.23 - alt. 28 m - Rue Foch car park

Notes

In wet weather, some passages are muddy.

Worth a visit

Car park close to a children's playground.
Restaurant, mini-market, bakery, pizza takeaway or chip shop in Fretin.

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

4.5 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Epee
Epee
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is pleasant and offers a wide variety of landscapes. A very enjoyable and peaceful walk!
The second part takes place around a marsh. In good weather, the views from the footbridges and bridges crossing the water are enchanting and exotic.
One slight downside was that the start of the walk was slightly marred by the noise of aeroplanes around Lesquin airport and a high-speed train passing not far from our route. Fortunately, it didn't last long!

Machine-translated

User 26192240

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Without GPS, the route is not very clear to follow at certain points. Otherwise, the app is very good

Machine-translated

PHub
PHub

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a very pleasant ride. The scenery is surprisingly varied over a short distance.
We stop to watch the birds on the pond.

Machine-translated

Véronique B
Véronique B

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant and varied walk

Machine-translated

guytout
guytout

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Bring waterproof footwear

Machine-translated

Xavier de Bouvines
Xavier de Bouvines

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with the opportunity to observe birds on migration...
The only drawback is the proximity of the motorway, which makes for a bit of noise:

Machine-translated

VéB
VéB

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Many thanks!

Machine-translated

Xavier de Bouvines
Xavier de Bouvines

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with the opportunity to observe birds on migration...
The only drawback is the proximity of the motorway, which makes for a bit of noise:

Machine-translated

visoBB2019
visoBB2019

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice little family hike in the sunshine. Thank you.

Machine-translated

POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★

Thank you myv for your constructive feedback. Change made.

Machine-translated

myv
myv

Short, pleasant walk. Best done in dry weather. Question: why does the "hat" describe the walk as starting in the marsh before heading towards the hamlet of Maresquel, when the description and route are the other way round: you start by heading towards Maresquel and finish by going round the marsh?

Machine-translated

barni
barni

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

good walk across fields, very few crossings with houses and roads, so no stress with cars!

Machine-translated

karlorris
karlorris

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A good walk with nice dogs

Machine-translated

4641881059
4641881059

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant walk, particularly around the Warlet marshes

Machine-translated

sy.debarbieux
sy.debarbieux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

thank you for this route which corresponded completely to my research and does not exist, to date, on the commercialised hiking maps (therefore no markings!)

but on the route, we met some volunteers who were marking out another route that did exist on the hiking maps... thanks to them!

sylvie dlp

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.