The Vimy Ridge, starting from Souchez

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This circular route, steeped in history, invites you to discover a historic site paying tribute to the 11,000
Canadian soldiers who died during the capture of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. You’ll skirt the Vimy State Forest, where you’ll see the landscape scarred by shelling. The Canadian Vimy Memorial also offers a breathtaking view of the mining basin and the Artois hills

Details

n°17240950
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.47 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 469 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 443 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 479 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 233 ft
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Photos

Memorial
The bomb craters at the site of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Canadian Memorial
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial

Description of the walk

To get to the start, head towards Souchez; the car park is situated in front of the Town Hall, Place Kensington.

(S/E) Start by crossing Rue Carnot and heading towards the church on Rue Raoul Briquet. Walk to the right of the church, then turn right at the junction with Rue Victor Hugo. Follow the signs for “Givenchy en Gohelle – Canadian Cemetery” shown on the green signpost. Continue along the red and white-markedGR®®127variant until you reach the underpass beneath the Anglais motorway and a crossroads.

(1) Carry on straight ahead along the GR®. Walk past the small Canadian military cemetery and continue to the equestrian centre.

(2) Turn right, heading south. Continue carefully along the verge of the D55 until you reach a roundabout on the Vimy Ridge.

(3) Leave theGR®® here, cross the car park and head north to rejoin the path. Continue along Rue Pierre Curie, then turn right into Rue Charles Ferrand. You will rejoin theGR®® at the junction with Rue de la République.

(4) Turn left here, then turn right onto Rue de la Chapelle. At the junction with Rue de l’Égalité, head straight ahead onto the small path to the right of the sign for the Nature Reserve. Continue until you reach Rue Jean Jaurès.

(5) Turn right onto it, then immediately turn left onto the small path next to house No. 32 Bis, heading north-west. Stay on the Ablain Saint-Nazaire local track, which bends sharply to the left (90°) before reaching the junction with Rue Marcel Sambat.

(6) Cross the road, continue straight ahead along Rue Pasteur, then take the path that extends from it. Walk along the edge of the Bois des Bruyères until you reach another crossroads with a memorial stone.

(7) Turn right at the stone marker and, near the A26 motorway, you will come to an inverted Y-junction. Turn left at almost 180°, follow the motorway to return to the junction near the Canadian cemetery.

(1) Follow the same route as on the way out to return to the car park at the Town Hall on Place Kensington (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 243 ft - Town Hall car park, Kensington Square - Sochez (rivière) - Canal de Lens
  2. 1 : mi 0.9 - alt. 420 ft - Junction of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 1.41 - alt. 446 ft - Equestrian centre
  4. 3 : mi 1.77 - alt. 479 ft - Vimy Ridge - Mémorial Canadien de Vimy
  5. 4 : mi 2.59 - alt. 249 ft - GR127
  6. 5 : mi 3.01 - alt. 236 ft - Rue Jean Jaurès
  7. 6 : mi 3.2 - alt. 276 ft - Rue Pasteur
  8. 7 : mi 3.75 - alt. 410 ft - Memorial stone
  9. S/E : mi 5.47 - alt. 243 ft - Town Hall car park, Kensington Square

Notes

(S/E) Car park
There are no drinking fountains or picnic tables along the route

Worth a visit

(3) Vimy Ridge: you are now at the site of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. From the roundabout, you can see the memorial 250 metres to the east, the Moroccan monument on the left, and the scars left by bombs on the wooded landscape of Vimy.

(3) Canada’s National Vimy Memorial
Memorial Park
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Memorial

You can combine this walk with walk no. 240688, which starts at (3) and takes you to the site of the Canadian Memorial at Vimy

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.

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Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 4425679

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A good route. I enjoyed the route. Point 4 isn’t very clear. I had to veer off the route. I reached Rue de l’Égalité via a different path, which made the walk a bit longer. There’s a residential area under construction. That might explain why I got a bit lost. For me, it was a lovely walk in glorious sunshine. I did it at my own pace without worrying about my performance.

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Armando59
Armando59

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, with the Canadian monument as its highlight – do make the detour.
Please note: regarding stage 5, the path no longer exists due to the construction of a housing estate; you must now go via the village of Givenchy.

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GOLGOTE
GOLGOTE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, it was a pleasure to have done a short walk on a Sunday morning with our club, "Les Galoches d'Eleu" (Pas-de-Calais)
We also had some walkers from another club joining us. Otherwise, there wasn’t too much mud, and it’s a good walk for when it’s cold. See you soon, Hervé

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Elise62
Elise62
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
I did this hike yesterday.
A few points to note:
the GR 127 is marked in red and YELLOW
No more ‘Nature Reserve’ signs (point 4)
A word of advice: this hike is not recommended in very hot weather as there are many sections with no shade.
Beginners should avoid this as it’s quite a climb

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