The big circular from Lac du Val Joly (mountain biking)

Continuing on from the "leaning bell tower" route, this route takes you even further north, towards the small villages of Solrézis. This journey requires a great deal of determination, even though the return journey is easier, as it is mostly along the Avesnois Greenway, a route reserved for soft mobility and part of a vast network of cycle routes. You are on EuroVelo 3, known as the Scandibérique, which links Trondheim in Norway to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Details

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  • Mountain biking
    Activity: Mountain biking
  • ↔
    Distance: 46.81 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 5 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 375 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 372 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 238 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 158 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Avesnois
  • ⚐ District: Eppe-Sauvage (59132)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 50.121803° / E 4.12241°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2806O, 2807O

  • ◶
    Type of surface:
  •  
     
     
     33% Road  34% Byway  33% Path
  • ⇧
    Bike carrying: Not specified
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the route

Park in the car parks at the Val Joly water sports centre.

(S/E) With the building behind you, turn right towards the lake, passing under the mini golf course. Then head right to follow the lake shore towards the pedal boats, going around the centre of the resort and its water sports complex (swimming pool), until you reach a fork in the road.

(1) Leave the lake shore, turn left and head towards the woods, coming out at the corner of the equestrian club. On the road, leave the resort on the right and arrive at the departmental road.

(2) Cross carefully and continue straight ahead (Chemin de Nostrimont), keeping to your right as motorists are travelling in the opposite direction. At the end, turn left (D83, Route du Touvent) and arrive at the border in Sivry.

(3) Turn right towards the campsite and walk alongside it, keeping it on your left, under the forest canopy. Watch out for the barrier preventing motorised two-wheelers from crossing. Pass the first crossroads with a picnic area and continue straight ahead, at the edge of the forest. Be careful, as this path can be muddy after rain. Continue until you reach the tarmac (Rue de la Loripette).

(4) Follow it and pass the first road on your right. At the left-hand bend, continue straight ahead along a small country road that is a dead end, Rue de la Liporette. At the end, opposite a building, turn right onto a forest path that runs alongside and overlooks the Orbaye border stream. Cross the stream via the narrow footbridge.

(5) Climb up the French side of the Chemin Passée des Paucottes -sorcières-. At the end, at the blue stone oratory, turn right (D83, Route d'Orbaye) and climb up to Clairfayts and its church. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue Haute, D104. Pass the church and cross the village to the third crossroads, Rue de Mons. It is located before the village exit and after a bus stop in front of the houses.

(6) Follow it to the right. It continues along a dirt track that curves to the right and then to the left before joining a road (Rue du Bosquet). Take this road to the left, pass the hamlet of Le Bosquet and continue straight ahead until you reach a path on the right, at the corner of a property.

(7) Leave the road and turn right along the boundary wall (Chemin de terre d'Epinoy). Be careful, as the path descends and climbs quite steeply above the Riamé stream. At the top, turn left (Chemin de campagne du Moulin à Vent) and continue along a carriage road to the leaning bell tower of Solre-le-Château.

(8) At the four-way crossroads, near the stone oratory, turn right (Rue du Quartier) and at the end, turn left (D962, Rue de Beaumont) towards the centre of Solre-le-Château. Continue to No. 23.

(9) Turn right onto Petite Rue, cross Rue Nationale and continue straight ahead (Rue Marlière). At the roundabout, go straight ahead and then immediately right (Chemin de terre de la Cabuterie) to reach a four-way intersection.

(10) Continue straight ahead (Chemin de terre des Écrevisses). At the end, leave the D962 on your right and continue left on the dirt road that curves around the Ruisseau de l'Écrevisse and returns under the groves to the D962.

(11) Cross over and continue straight ahead on the C6 towards Beaurieux. At the corner of a house, at the Beaurieux town sign, turn left onto the gravel path. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead, slightly to the right, until you reach the road. Take it to the left, pass the Hestrud town sign and arrive at the next three-way junction.

(12) Take the gravel path on the left, cross the road carefully (D962) and go downhill opposite. At the intersection, turn left and you will arrive opposite a private property.

(13) The path turns right with a view of the agricultural plain, still on the edge of the forest. At the end, turn left into the forest onto the small paved road that winds through the trees. Continue on this same road until you are out in the open again.

(14) Leave the road at a bend (electricity pole) and turn right, then left onto a dirt track between the fields towards Bérelles. At the houses, turn right to the end of Rue du Mazy and turn left (D80, Rue de Cousolre) to the church.

(15) Turn left then right onto the D80 towards Solrinnes. In the left-hand bend, leave the road and go straight on along a path reserved for agricultural machinery and local residents. The path heads north-west. Keep left at the fork to reach a crossroads in a small wood.

(16) Turn left twice and begin the descent on the way back, following the edge of the field and then between the fields, on a grassy path with ruts that may be hidden. At the road, at the stone oratory, turn right, enter Solrinnes and arrive at the stop sign.

(17) Continue downhill on the D80 towards Dimechaux, cross the bridge over the Solre and, on the uphill stretch, leave the D80 and take thefirst dirt track on the left, Chemin Vendray. This track crosses a wood; stay on the main path, climb uphill and admire the view over the plain. You will come to the D27.

(18) Cross carefully and continue straight ahead towards Dimont. At the crossroads in a place called Les Offies, turn left towards Lez-Fontaine and at the three-way junction, turn right. Walk past the Chapelle Saint-Jean chapel and continue along the dirt track below, passing an old fountain. At the next junction, you will arrive at the Avesnois Greenway.

(19) Take it, turning left. Be careful at the various crossroads with the roads, and you will pass Solre-le-Château. Cross four roads and you will come to a fork with No. 39 on your right.

(20) Cross carefully (D962) and continue straight ahead on the Greenway. Cross a forest and arrive at the entrance to Liessies.

(21) Leave the Voie Verte and take the D133 on the left to reach the centre of the village. At the end, turn left onto the D963 (Rue du Maréchal Foch), towards Val Joly. Just before the church, continue left onto Rue Roger Salengro and cross the bridge over the Helpe Majeure.

(22) Continue and take the first right (Rue de l'Helpe). Continue left at the mill and its bridge (Rue des Beaux Monts), then left at the three-way junction at No. 19. Then go straight ahead on the street that goes uphill to a four-way intersection (Route du Val Joly, D133). Cross carefully and continue straight ahead on Rue des Beaux Monts until you reach a Y-shaped fork and a blue stone oratory.

(23) Turn left onto Chemin des Wattinettes. At the end, continue along this road and enter the woods. Pass the first path on your left and, at the gate , enter a private area. Stay on the paths, turn right and immediately climb up to the left onto the Renard trail via a wide path. At the end of the straight line, the path turns and descends to the right. Take care in wet weather. You will pass an old blockhouse.

(24) Pass it, leave the woods and the private property via a stone path. At the road, Rue des Beumont, continue straight ahead along the hedgerow fields. Turn left onto the first dirt track and you will come out onto a road.

(25) Turn left (Rue Camberlin) and walk alongside the farm buildings on your right. Continue along a path that descends and runs behind the Val Joly campsite. Pass under a footbridge and the path leads to a small lake. Turn right and continue to a crossroads. Cross carefully (Route du Val Joly, D133) and take the cycle path on the left. Pass the Maison des Sports Nautiques, take the footbridge and join the Maison des Cycles. Please be courteous and adjust your speed to that of the pedestrians with whom you are sharing the path (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 180 m - Maison des Cycles, Val Joly tourist station - Lac du Val Joly (Eppe-Sauvage)
  2. 1 : km 2.67 - alt. 180 m - Fork
  3. 2 : km 3.34 - alt. 217 m - D133 bis
  4. 3 : km 4.27 - alt. 227 m - Border
  5. 4 : km 5.26 - alt. 234 m - Rue de la Loripette
  6. 5 : km 7.07 - alt. 197 m - Footbridge and stream
  7. 6 : km 9.48 - alt. 235 m - Rue de Mons
  8. 7 : km 11 - alt. 221 m - Property
  9. 8 : km 12.41 - alt. 207 m - Leaning bell tower of Solre-le-Château
  10. 9 : km 13.17 - alt. 188 m - Intersection
  11. 10 : km 14.03 - alt. 186 m - Chemin de terre des Ecrevisses
  12. 11 : km 15.62 - alt. 201 m - Departmental
  13. 12 : km 18.25 - alt. 230 m - Three-way junction
  14. 13 : km 19.1 - alt. 210 m - Private property
  15. 14 : km 22.2 - alt. 209 m - Exit from the woods
  16. 15 : km 23.4 - alt. 194 m - Church of Bérelles
  17. 16 : km 24.85 - alt. 219 m - Crossroads in a wood
  18. 17 : km 26.67 - alt. 179 m - Solrinnes, Stop, Grand Rue - Solre (rivière)
  19. 18 : km 29.52 - alt. 206 m - D27
  20. 19 : km 30.64 - alt. 190 m - Greenway
  21. 20 : km 33.21 - alt. 200 m - D962
  22. 21 : km 40.05 - alt. 181 m - Rue Clémenceau - Église Saint-Lambert (Liessies)
  23. 22 : km 41.33 - alt. 161 m - Helpe Majeure (rivière)
  24. 23 : km 42.18 - alt. 194 m - Oratory, Chemin des Wattinettes
  25. 24 : km 43.68 - alt. 189 m - Blockhaus
  26. 25 : km 45.01 - alt. 218 m - Farm
  27. S/E : km 46.81 - alt. 180 m - Maison des Cycles, Val Joly tourist station

Worth a visit

(S/E) Lac du Val Joly.
Oratories and church along the route.
(9) Solre-le-Château.

rental
https://www.tourisme-avesnois.com/preparer-son-sejour/se-ressourcer-en-pleine-nature/le-velo/ev3-2-2-2/6268108_location-de-vtt-vtc-vtt-electriques-et-trottinettes-electriques/

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