The upper Lys valley

The source of the Lys, the Lugy Mill and a lovely route across the plateau (beautiful views).
This walk can be more difficult in wet weather as some paths are regularly churned up.
Some tarmac, but on minor roads.

Please note: the path leading up through the Lugy woods after the (5) can be very difficult in wet weather.

Details

702284
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.55 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 673 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 666 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 614 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 262 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Lisbourg (62134)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 50.506804° / E 2.216406°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2305O
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Place de Lisbourg. Take Rue du Moulin. 400 m further on, turn right onto a path. Cross the Lys (rustic footbridge or ford). Turn left onto the tarmac and reach a T-junction.

(1) Turn right and, 100 metres further on, turn left towards the stadium (Rue du Moulin). Reach a T-junction where you turn right for a long, easy climb. Reach a crossroads.

(2) Turn left and keep going straight on this good path (sometimes a bit tricky just before the woods) to reach the Bois de Lugy. Cross it and reach a fork.

(3) Take the path on the left and head down towards Lugy. At the tarmac road (a lovely ‘book box’, which disappeared on 17 April 2026), turn right to join the D130 (large chapel and lovely picnic area). Follow it to the left and cross the Lys.

(4) Turn left along the riverbank and reach a small road near the beautiful Moulin de Lugy (you are very close to the confluence of the Traxenne and the Lys). Follow it to the right and reach the D130 (inviting bench).

(5) Follow it to the right, then turn left into thesecond street (Rue d’Hézecques). 800 m further on, at the three-way junction, turn right, cross the Lys and enter Hézecques. At the three-way junction, turn left to pass in front of the church and the manor house dating from 1622. Reach the D133E.

(6) Turn left. At the fork, continue straight on for 100 metres. Look out for the path branching off to the right.

(7) Take this path, which heads towards some farm buildings and then passes through them. The path becomes very grassy and eventually joins a small road. Follow it to the left to reach the D130. Cross it and take the path opposite (slightly to the left) – marked in yellow – which crosses the Bois de Lugy: there are some steep climbs and ruts that can be quite challenging. At the top, turn left and rejoin the D130.

(8) Follow it to the left and, 150 m further on, take the path on the right (towards two wind turbines) for 1 km.

(9) Take thefirst path on the right to join the D130. Cross it and take the path opposite for 200 m until you reach a Y-junction.

(10) Turn right onto the wide path and follow it for about 1 km.

(11) Just after a wind turbine on the left, don’t miss the path branching off to the left (sometimes hard to see as it is ploughed every year).
In mid-April 2026, it was fairly easy to follow.
Walk gently down between the fields. After a left-hand bend (elevation 154), turn left at the three-way junction to reach a T-junction.

(12) Follow the small road on the right. At the junction, continue straight ahead for about 300 m.

(13) Take the wide path on the left, which quickly becomes a track (part of which is ploughed annually too!) and reach a T-junction. Head right for 1.3 km.

(14) At the T-junction, take the track to the right, then right again. After a left-hand bend, ignore the path coming from the right and reach a three-way junction.

(15) Take the path straight ahead and continue in the same direction for 1.5 km (it narrows towards the end and secateurs may be useful; relatively clear in mid-April 2026) until you reach a T-junction.

(16) At the hedge, take the path (under the trees) on the left. The path is sometimes overgrown, but passable in mid-April 2026. Head downhill to join the D95. Follow it to the right for 250 m and turn left to pass near the source of the Lys (a lovely picnic spot that may be accessible from Lugy or Hézecques). Head to the square (you can optionally go via the cemetery) (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 381 ft - Place de Lisbourg
  2. 1 : mi 0.47 - alt. 361 ft - T-junction after the ford
  3. 2 : mi 2.35 - alt. 502 ft - Crossroads
  4. 3 : mi 3.26 - alt. 417 ft - Exit from the woods
  5. 4 : mi 3.85 - alt. 272 ft - Bridge over the - Lys (rivière canalisée)
  6. 5 : mi 4.35 - alt. 308 ft - D130 (bench)
  7. 6 : mi 5.42 - alt. 299 ft - Junction with the D 133E1
  8. 7 : mi 5.65 - alt. 299 ft - Path on the right towards farm buildings
  9. 8 : mi 6.74 - alt. 587 ft - Return to the D130 after crossing the woods
  10. 9 : mi 7.43 - alt. 610 ft - Path on the right after the two wind turbines
  11. 10 : mi 8.04 - alt. 561 ft - Wide path to the right
  12. 11 : mi 8.62 - alt. 564 ft - Path on the left
  13. 12 : mi 9.42 - alt. 554 ft - Small road in the hamlet of Le Groseillier
  14. 13 : mi 9.73 - alt. 528 ft - Wide path on the left
  15. 14 : mi 11 - alt. 591 ft - On the right, at the T-junction
  16. 15 : mi 12.12 - alt. 482 ft - Opposite the three-way junction
  17. 16 : mi 12.84 - alt. 509 ft - Path on the left
  18. S/E : mi 13.55 - alt. 381 ft - Place de Lisbourg

Notes

This walk, which is very pleasant in dry weather, can prove much more difficult in very wet conditions. Proper kit is essential.
Trousers are recommended, especially for the final section of the trail.

Water point in the cemetery at Hézecques; tap at the foot of the church opposite the entrance gate.

Worth a visit

Lugy Mill
Hézecques Manor
Source of the Lys (beautiful colour!)
And with a bit of luck, lots of animals (none on Sunday 6 August, but lots of deer around the Bois de Lugy in spring)

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
joorange
joorange

Let's keep our fingers crossed!!!

Machine-translated

riquita
riquita

Good evening, Mr Joorange,
It's done. Suricate has once again received a report for this section.
We hope this will help resolve the issue.

Machine-translated

joorange
joorange

A month ago, I reported this difficult section (on a marked trail) to SURICATE.
The request has been forwarded, but so far, the relevant authorities (???) have not responded.
It might be useful for you to report it as well.

Machine-translated

riquita
riquita

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful stretches through the forest, along the River Lys and through small villages, but also long, straight lines across the plateau that are a little less pleasant.
Some paths may disappear into the fields once the crops have grown. It's best to do this route in spring!
The end of the route is really tricky; our calves struggled to make their way through the nettles and brambles. We did the route this weekend in May, so there were no problems with mud or dampness. In wet weather, some sections may be difficult.
We followed the route with GPS tracking, without any problems.

Machine-translated

BenBay
BenBay

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty route, particularly hilly near the source of the Lys river!

Machine-translated

joorange
joorange

I just looked at the description and it clearly states "on foot".
But Visorando also allows you to create routes for cyclists, hence the logo...

Machine-translated

phdelvigne
phdelvigne

In this case, you can remove the bicycle image from the Visorando institutional logo. PhD

Machine-translated

joorange
joorange

Criticising a walking route when you are travelling by mountain bike seems nonsensical to me.
My routes are designed for walkers without motorised assistance.
As for the signposting (or lack thereof, in this case), it is Visorando's policy to promote unmarked trails.

Machine-translated

phdelvigne
phdelvigne

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Very little of interest on this AE hybrid bike ride, except for the surrounding Ternois countryside and the Lugy mill. Chalky, rocky ground across cereal fields, on paths rutted by agricultural machinery. No signposting. Not recommended.

Machine-translated

francoise.prevost@nordnet.fr
francoise.prevost@nordnet.fr

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful route off the beaten track through fields, which unfortunately shows that the region is starting to become very poor in hedgerows.
To cross the path at the end of the route, it's best to wear trousers because of the nettles.
We did the walk in beautiful weather, were able to have a picnic and have no regrets about doing so, quite the contrary.

Machine-translated

tof1967
tof1967

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful route, magnificent lilies, superb Lugy mill, doors open from time to time. Passage at point number 9, no problem but the field had not yet been ploughed. However, after point 11, the field had been ploughed and the path too, but it was passable in summer. Point number 14 under the trees, a beautiful passage but not maintained when I passed through, with very tall brambles and nettles (but passable). Thank you for this route, it is worth doing again and again.

Machine-translated

joorange
joorange

This trail is actually very wide at the start.
So I've changed the description of the hike a little.

It's a shame for you, because the final part is very pleasant. A good opportunity to do the route again???

Machine-translated

Julien 62
Julien 62

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Very nice walk, well marked map and description, but I couldn't find the path on the left at point 11, so I continued straight ahead and then turned right and went down the street to return to Lisbourg.

Machine-translated

la longue raie
la longue raie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

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