Between the Marne and the vineyards, at Mont-Saint-Père and on the Coteau des Orchidées

In the footsteps of Léon-Augustin-Lhermitte, painter of the peasants of Champagne, late 19th century.
Walk up Mont-Saint-Père, passing by the Gland orientation table, then stroll along the Marne to finish up on the Chartèves hillside, a nature reserve where you can find around thirty plant species (orchids, etc.) and invertebrate fauna (spotted salamanders) and insectivorous birds.

Details

141145
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.28 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 225 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 218 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 192 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 60 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The start of the circuit is located in the car park of the Mont-Saint-Père playground, a small village 10 km north-east of Château-Thierry.

(S/E) When you leave the car park, turn left onto Rue de Tivoli. At the junction of the D3, Rue de Léon LHermitte and Route d'Epieds, take Route d'Epied for 10 m and go up the stairs on the left towards the church. At the top, go straight on, take Rue Saint-Émilion and then Chemin de Verdilly.

(1) At the end of the tarmac road, at the fork, continue straight ahead. At the last house, no. 11, called "Chalet", turn left. After 20 metres, take the path that climbs to the right.

(2) After about 350 metres at the top, take the path on the left. Enjoy the view on the left, the paragliding launch area. Turn right onto the small path that goes about 200 metres into the woods (see photo).

(3) When you reach a path, turn left – be careful, this path is muddy in wet weather. Follow it to the fork.

(4) Take the path on the left, then turn right at the edge of the woods in front of the vineyards.

(5) At the crossroads, take the road downhill on the left. Halfway down, stop at the orientation table. Follow Rue de Champillon into Gland. At the stop sign, take Rue D'en-bas opposite and follow it to the Marne.

(6) Turn left along the Marne, where there are a few picnic tables available. Pass the dam and continue.

(7) You can turn back here; the playground is on your left. Otherwise, continue along the towpath, passing under the bridge.

(8) Leave the Marne on the left via Chemin du Port in the commune of Chartèves. At the junction with Rue de la Croix Blanche (D3), turn right, then take thefirst left and thesecond right. At the end of the street, between numbers 22 and 23, take the path. Please note that you are entering a nature reserve. After 100 metres, cross the chain blocking the path. Follow the path uphill.

(9) Halfway up the slope, take a path on the left, marked with blue and yellow markings on a tree on the right, and follow this path to the statue of Christ.

(10) You are now on the Côteau du Pseautier. After the statue, begin the descent. Please note that the path is narrow. At the end of the descent, walk along a fence on your left, then after crossing Rue des Paradis, go opposite between the hedge and the EDF transformer. Cross the D3, Rue du Moulin, then take Cours des Bernards

(11). At the wash house, turn right, then at the Rue du Bac stop sign, turn left and take the first right. Head to the playground car park on your right (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 63 m - Car park at the Mont-Saint-Père playground
  2. 1 : km 1.28 - alt. 135 m - Chalet
  3. 2 : km 1.57 - alt. 169 m - Fork in the road
  4. 3 : km 1.75 - alt. 179 m - Fork in the road
  5. 4 : km 2.67 - alt. 191 m - Fork in the road
  6. 5 : km 3.32 - alt. 185 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 5.13 - alt. 61 m - Towpath - Marne (la)
  8. 7 : km 9.22 - alt. 61 m - Playground
  9. 8 : km 10.24 - alt. 62 m - Fork in the road
  10. 9 : km 11.39 - alt. 161 m - Junction
  11. 10 : km 12.16 - alt. 165 m - Statue of Christ
  12. 11 : km 12.74 - alt. 70 m - Wash house
  13. S/E : km 13.28 - alt. 64 m - Car park at the Mont-Saint-Père playground

Notes

Walking shoes

Worth a visit

Viewpoint after (2).
Orientation table after the (5).
The Coteau du Pseautier Nature Reserve (9)

The Church of the Nativity in Mézy-Moulins.

Château-Thierry, birthplace of Jean de la Fontaine.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

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

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On 7 June, we only explored the part located on the orchid hillside (Chartèves hillside). It was truly splendid, with many wild orchids in bloom near the path (about ten different species) and a beautiful view of the hills and plains on the other side of the Marne. This hillside is precious because orchids are rare elsewhere in the region.

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virgule
virgule
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pretty trail. Some orchids have already bloomed, while others are just beginning to flower. So it's the perfect time to visit. Fortunately, the trail is not very busy and is best reserved for people who respect nature.

Very beautiful view from the top of the hill.

The hike is not difficult at all.

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virgule
virgule

The orchids are early this year.

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elisllr
elisllr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a pleasant route with great variety, both in terms of scenery (vineyards, the banks of the Marne and a nature reserve) and effort required. There are a few climbs (starting right from the beginning to reach the church) but nothing too difficult, and there are some lovely views

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YRMILIE
YRMILIE

I'm not criticising it. I'm just giving my opinion on the hike.

The location is really lovely! The nature reserve has some wonderful surprises in store.
My comment is just my opinion about the hike. I still recommend it, because the place is worth a visit!

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Baladeuse66
Baladeuse66

Yes, indeed, reading your review, this charming little easy hike between the hillside and the Marne is a real ordeal! But I think your comment does not reflect the description on the website.

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YRMILIE
YRMILIE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This hike is difficult! Right from the start, the steps leading up to the church put us to the test. Following the route on the app, we felt like we were doing it backwards.

Right from the start, it climbs, then we arrive at the heights of Mont St Père, continuing to climb to the paragliding spot. A lovely place. We continue along a nice wide path through the woods! What can I say, the first 300 metres are pleasant. Then we have to go around fallen trees... Finally arriving in the vineyards, the short descent is risky... The orientation table is located between a spectacular viewpoint, which allows us to imagine an autumn landscape. Then we arrive along the Marne! It's flat and long... A few points of interest are the dam and the lock. Point 7, which takes us back to the start, leaves us hesitating... To let ourselves be tempted... A climb in a perfect nature reserve where we climb, climb, climb to reach a small spot in the forest... Where we tell ourselves that we're finally done! No, no! Finding Christ was easy, but be careful on the narrow path... Then came the final descent, which was quite difficult with rocks here and there, roots and small brambles to remind us of our hike! Finally at the bottom! All that remained was to find the edge of the marl. Be careful between points 9 and 10, as construction barriers prevent us from descending completely. Finally arrived! We were glad to find our car! And the pleasure of overcoming the challenge!

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virgule
virgule

Thank you for this information. We are indeed in full bloom.

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Pascal Denis 51
Pascal Denis 51

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike with beautiful views of the Marne Valley. For orchid enthusiasts, in addition to the many varieties in the nature reserve at the end of the trail, I saw a beautiful colony of goat orchids between the orientation table and the village of Gland. Also worth noting are the beautiful butterflies (swallowtail, blue, half-mourning and sulphur), which are rarely seen in our region.

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virgule
virgule
• Edited:

Thank you

I'm going to go and admire the ones growing near my home.

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gallaidan
gallaidan

flowering has begun

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virgule
virgule

Hello,

are the orchids in bloom?

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gallaidan
gallaidan

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

markings upside down compared to the description
climb up the steep hillside in hot weather

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Baladeuse66
Baladeuse66

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful autumn walk through a varied landscape of vineyards, woods and the banks of the Marne.
Very pleasant with panoramic views of the vineyards and the Marne valley.

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anteli
anteli

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

hike taken from "Guide Côté Chemin" in the region of La Fontaine, Marne Valley, Tardenois
loop completed in the opposite direction to the guide

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