The Authie river, the ravine and the moor

A very varied route, but the weather of the previous few days made it very muddy, especially towards the end.
The Ravine is indeed surprising, with quite a few fallen tree trunks.
We were surprised to come across a doe just as it was leaving.

We probably lost the thread a bit in the last part (the moor), and found ourselves crossing a field covered in mud and water. It has to be said that there are a lot of paths here.

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I watched your video again this morning.
What fun!!! I can't wait for the good weather to return to this course.

I think you could make equally beautiful videos on the Fressin course and at Lucheux (for the southern part).

Enjoy your rides!
Joël

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Hello,

I discovered this route on Baudoin B.'s blog "Nom d'un randonneur"(https://nomdunrandonneur.com/2023/08/09-...) and found it absolutely fabulous!

A huge THANK YOU for suggesting this route, which is without doubt one of the most beautiful I've done in the region to date.

I loved it from start to finish.

Following the Authie was a pure moment of wonder, the Ravin is completely crazy (if I'd seen a dinosaur pass by there I wouldn't even have been surprised...) and finally the Rietz where I thought I was in another region for a while.

I've created a short video of this route from my many photos and videos and put it on Youtube,

You can find it here:
https://youtu.be/qh1yKP81N7o?feature=sha...

I'll definitely be doing it a second time and I'll be taking a closer look at your other suggested routes.

Thanks again!

Denis

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Thank you for your superb commentary and the lovely photos!
It must have been hot in Le Rietz on Wednesday.

But with notices like this, the Nœux-les-Auxi town council will have to create car parks to accommodate the tourist buses.

The ravine is indeed a strange place. The first time I went there with my wife, there was also a flock of crows whose cries made the place even more 'worrying'.

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Thank you Joorange for another great suggestion!

I didn't use the description because, as usual, I load the route onto my GPS, but I had read it and memorised it before setting off and there's nothing really fundamental to complain about.

I didn't really like the long straight stretches along the old railway line, but the local council (?) has installed observatories where the wooded edge opens up and it's great fun. What a great initiative!

The route along the Authie is divinely superb! I was moving at a snail's pace, so keen was I to make the most of every moment.

At Auxi-le-Château, I fell in love with the Cité du Soleil!

I didn't see a sign at the entrance to the Ravin des Cavernes, but the entrance is well enough marked not to miss it. What a wonderful and amazing place! You'd think you were in another world... well... on another continent!

In the Réserve des Riez, I'd advise you to try to stay as high up as possible, otherwise you run the risk of being drawn towards the path that follows the fence at the bottom, and that would be a shame because from the very top you have a superb view of the valley! Unfortunately, I didn't see any sheep or goats, but what a magnificent spot it was too!

All in all, despite the many days of rain in this rotten month of July, all the paths we took were passable. In the end, it was on the old railway line that we found the most mud, but not enough to take a bath in! Hardly a foot bath!

I'd have to recommend you do this walk, but I'm afraid the whole of France will be doing it, and that would upset me In any case, our region is beautiful, and thank you again for letting us discover it, Joorange!

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Very nice route, excellent descriptions and layout, a big well done to the author! I had downloaded the GPX track on my watch and there were no errors. Just as indicated in the description, the part in the riez is very difficult to describe, but the GPX trail helped me find my way. It's hard to get lost if you're following a trail. Don't always stay towards the fence, but start to climb back up as soon as possible.
We met cows in the riez and sheep, but no goats!
The section in the ravine, which is a little more technical, is passable, with no more trees in the way.
It's a shame that the picnic spots are too early if you set off in the morning, but we had our picnic in a mown field just before entering the ravine.
The scenery is varied: riverside, woodland, plain, ravine, Riez and the passage out of Auxi le Château. There are plenty of information panels and the village of Noeux les Auxi is very interesting to explore.
I really recommend this route, most of which is signposted GRP and PR.

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parish specific to Brittany. After the storm, they are in the process of clearing the trees in the ravine.

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A comment like that could only encourage me to return to the area. I did so on 08 September in extraordinary weather.
In fact, the ravine went through without a hitch despite the piles of branches.
Between 12 and 13, the goats were there, as well as a dead sheep (sad! I warned the Mairie). By mid-morning, the temperature was still pleasant. In the first part, keep as far to the right as possible, close to the fence. After the second barrier, you reach a fork where you need to turn left to climb a little higher and pass over the quarry. And after the third barrier, you have to stay close to the fence. I think that's the easiest way, but you can do pretty much what you want...
I took the opportunity to change the route a little at point 4, which means you can avoid the D941.

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I took this walk on Sunday 5 September (not yet hunting season ), in sunny, warm weather (29°C). I didn't meet anyone along the way apart from the fishermen on the Authie! But it was worth it, I really enjoyed it.
Not too many roads. But there were quite a few shadeless stretches between fields, and when the going gets rough, you have to have what you need.
The part along the river is very pleasant. The ravine is great, a sudden change of scenery, you feel like you're somewhere else. Lots of fallen and tangled trees, nothing insurmountable to climb over. Then the protected area (markers 12-13), not easy to find the path, but a real treat in the middle of the grass and slope, the tinkling of goat bells to boot.
A little bit of nice, fun change in altitude, views over the valleys... it's all there. 4h10 for me solo, plus a snack break.

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Hi, lovely varied walk through countryside, rivers and woods. A bit of a climb but not too difficult. Plenty of places to picnic. Very pleasant, thank you.

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Something was bothering me in your message.

After some thought (it took a long time, it must be my age!), I found it.

The association of IQ and hunter seems a bit abusive to me. It seemed to me that hunters stopped evolving 10,000 years ago. What a pity that their weaponry has continued to evolve!

I'm attaching a link to a song by Morice Benin, who has just gone to singing heaven, but who had it all figured out a long time ago (you can also listen to "On va tous crever" by the same singer).

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...

Friendly

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Hello, another great hike by Joorange! What energy! Clearly we cheated and went from point 10 to the return point .... so no ravine for us but we'll do it again soon. At point 8, on the right, a hunter shoots at a kestrel ... pathetic, but his skill was proportional to his IQ, and the falcon is still flying. We'll be doing it again this winter. Thanks again Joorange for your selflessness!

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A beautiful hike, which we had to do in several stages because of the bad weather. A bit frustrating, I would have liked to do it all in one go!
A very varied walk: woods, riverside, unusual landscapes: ravine, "riez", small village (Noeux les Auxi).
Nothing to throw away!

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A lovely, green walk.
I'll be doing it again soon, as I wasn't able to finish (I stopped at the 13th kilometre because one of my dogs was limping). I enjoyed it, even in the rain.

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This is a pleasant hike because it is undulating, winding through the valley and over the heights, and is often shaded in the beautiful, deep sections. From point 15 to point 2, you follow the old Frévent - Auxi le Château railway line. At the end of May, the bottom of the ravine was obstructed for more than 30 m by a tree felled 40 m after the start of the ravine. This obstacle is not insurmountable; it can be avoided by descending further into the ravine; to do this, do not take the first descent but the second, which you will find further on as you leave the field. If you want to continue along the path on the left as you leave the ravine, it's best to rely on the geolocation on the map.

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