The Champ-Fêtu Forest

de fr

From Vareilles, discover the beautiful Champs-Fêtu forest, reforested at the end of the 18th century. You will walk along the wild boar park and arrive at the old Champ-Fêtu farm and its 35-metre giant sequoia.

Details

n°255968
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.16 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 164 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 160 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 216 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 102 m
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Photos

A friendly gathering

Description of the walk

Departure from Vareilles church.

(S/E) Turn left after the church and take Rue du Prieuré. Pass in front of the priory and the Moulin d'en-bas. Cross the Ru de Vareilles on the small bridge, follow the path and immediately turn right onto Rue des Prés. Continue for about 300 metres until you reach the Ferme des Prés.

(1) Turn left onto the path that climbs towards Theil. Join the D76 road and follow it to the right.

(2) After about 250 metres, leave the road and turn left towards the forest. Follow the path through the fields and then along the edge of the forest.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right and enter the forest. Follow the path south-west for about 1.4 km, ignoring the perpendicular paths. Pass in front of a wild boar park.

(4) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead on the Champ-Fêtu road, which soon turns right and descends towards Vaumort. When you reach the edge of the forest, turn right and keep heading west-northwest, along or near the edge of the forest.

(5) At the crossroads of six paths, take the first path on the right, which climbs into the forest (do not descend towards Theil). Head south-east then east, ignoring the paths on either side.

(4) At the crossroads you took on the way there, continue straight ahead (south-east).

(6) Pass in front of the old Champ-Fêtu tile factory, continue east-southeast, leave the forest and arrive at a place called Les Pilus.

(7) At the exit of the hamlet, turn left and descend northwards. At a fork, veer left. At the next crossroads, continue left to the north-west and walk along a wood on your left.

(8) Turn right to leave the edge of the woods and head north on Chemin des Cerisiers. Descend, ignoring a path on the right and then two on the left. Cross the Ru de Vareilles.

(9) Pass Moulin Saint-Rémy, then turn left onto Rue de L'Érable. At the next fork, go straight ahead to reach the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 102 m - Church of Vareilles
  2. 1 : km 0.46 - alt. 102 m - Ferme des Prés
  3. 2 : km 1.01 - alt. 112 m - Mardelle des Grolois
  4. 3 : km 1.83 - alt. 146 m - Crossroads (elevation 148)
  5. 4 : km 3.23 - alt. 203 m - Crossroads (elevation 204)
  6. 5 : km 5.14 - alt. 170 m - Crossroads of 6 roads
  7. 6 : km 7.1 - alt. 203 m - Champ-Fêtu
  8. 7 : km 8.69 - alt. 216 m - Les Pilus
  9. 8 : km 9.84 - alt. 200 m - Crossroads (elevation 199)
  10. 9 : km 11.62 - alt. 106 m - Moulin Saint-Rémy
  11. S/E : km 12.16 - alt. 102 m - Church of Vareilles

Notes

Worth a visit

(S/E) Saint-Maurice Church, dating from the 9th century. An information panel describes this church.

In Rue du Prieuré, you will find the Saint-Léger Priory, built in 1188, followed by the Lower Mill, which is probably contemporary with the priory.

(1) At the end of Rue des Prés is the Ferme des Prés, also known as the Ferme des Seigneurs de Vareilles.

(2) The mardelle des Grolois.

To ensure solid foundations for the superstructures of their wooden houses, the men of the Iron Age dug deep holes to install massive support piles. The lower part was used as a cellar, where it was pleasant to stay during the cold weather. Over the years, these cavities formed small pools, hence the name Mardelles.

Between (3) and (4), wild boar park. Presence of wild boar wallows: clay bottoms where water stagnates. Possible signs of deer passing through.

(6) Le Champ-Fêtu. In the 18th century, Champ-Fêtu was a farm and tile factory belonging to Dilo Abbey. A 70-metre-deep well (in the wild boar park) supplied water for this industry. The barn is a former brickworks building. At the entrance to the property, there is a giant sequoia (35 metres tall with a circumference of 1.65 metres). The Champ-Fêtu forest covers 36 hectares and was reforested at the end of the 18th century.

(7) Les Pilus, hamlet of Cerisiers

(9) The Saint-Rémy Mill or upper mill (information panel).

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 7 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
Philippe89320
Philippe89320

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk, very peaceful.

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isadu89
isadu89

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike; the circular route is a bit long.

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Seth Oman
Seth Oman

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The signposting via Visorando is not a problem in itself. There have been no changes. Be careful when walking through the forest (which is very beautiful) as fallen trees can cause complications on the route (especially in wet weather) on windy days. I never recommend this type of hike when the wind is blowing quite strongly (beware of gusts) due to the lack of clearing of the woods since the storm of 1999. Each time we pass through, we find trees on the ground that were not there before.

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Mary8977
Mary8977

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

At the beginning of June, with temperatures reaching 31°C, this hike was greatly appreciated because there are regular sections through the woods and the low altitude created a gentle breeze, making the climb, which was not very difficult but still challenging, very bearable. You can enjoy nature, the peace and quiet, the flora and fauna (but do bring mosquito repellent) and the encounter with the herd of wild boars in their park was very pleasant. Some of them are even as curious as we are and come up to meet us. Given the undergrowth in wet weather, make sure you wear good shoes.
This hike felt like a day's holiday because it ended for us in Vareilles at the very welcoming Bistrot de campagne, which is open at weekends (lemaquisdevareilles.fr), where you can eat and drink, but that's not all, because it also serves as a bookshop, second-hand shop and grocery store (see their website and Facebook page for their programme of evening events and guaranteed opening hours). It was a very pleasant way to end our walk.

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letsim
letsim
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

At the end of your trip, don't hesitate to stop off at the village grocery shop, Le Marquis de Vareilles, for a drink or to buy some local produce!

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hukan89
hukan89

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice hike despite the very wet weather. Some paths, particularly near Champ Fetu, were very soggy... Seeing the wild boars was also nice.

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GuyLar
GuyLar

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 14, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

An easy hike with no surprises. Wild boars in the park or roaming free in the forest are sure to be seen.

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