Cross-border trail - Bachy Rumes Bachy

A walk between France and Belgium in the Pévèle and Hainaut plains. This trail crosses the path of Monique, a Resistance fighter who evacuated Allied pilots who had fallen during the war. It also gives an idea of the work of the customs officers who guarded this border and the tricks that smugglers could use to thwart their surveillance.

Technical sheet

210865
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 32 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 32 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 75 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 42 m

Description of the walk

Start from the Bachy church car park at Place de la Liberté in front of the town hall

(S) Pass the church on the right, ignore a cul-de-sac on the right and, at the next crossroads, turn right into Rue de l'Égalité.

(1)Follow Rue de l'Egalité past the cemetery, ignoring the manor dead-end on your right, continue to the right-hand bend (leaving the farm track on your left), continue for 100m and turn right at the next crossroads.

(2) At the T-junction, turn left into Allée du Château, then continue into Rue Roger Salengro. Follow this street to the roundabout with Rue de la Libération.

(3) Turn left onto Rue de la Libération towards the hamlet of Sartaine. After approx. 1 km, turn right onto the Rue de la Libération and drive past the customs post (ignore the gravelled farm track on your left) for 100m and:

(4) turn left at right-angles, heading due east towards Belgium.
Continue along Rue de Sartaine, which becomes Rue du Sentier in Rumes.
At the right-hand bend in the road, turn left onto the concrete farm track
marked with a sign prohibiting all traffic except carts.

(5) After approximately 500 m at the T-junction, turn left along the concrete path for approx. 200m to reach a T-junction (ignore the dirt track ahead).
(6) Fork right and follow for about 700 metres, then turn right onto the concrete path heading east.

(7) Follow the concrete path to the railway line.
Continue left at the T-junction to the asphalt road.
Turn right onto the road and after about 100 m turn left onto the asphalt road.
(alternative: go straight on for 300 m and follow the concrete path on the right to reach point 8)

(8) Turn left into Chemin du Bois de Mourdry (rooster farm). Continue straight ahead, ignoring the road on your right which passes over the railroad. 500m further on, the concrete track bends to the left.
Ignore the gravel path on your right for approx. 1 km.
Continue straight on to the T-junction (small house in the meadow on your left).

(9) Take the farm track on your left for about 700 metres to the T-junction.

(10) Take the right-hand path up towards the Bachy bell tower. At the end of the track, turn right into Rue de l'Égalité, then left into Rue Pasteur to return to the car park (E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 74 m - Parking place de la Liberté
  2. 1 : km 0.23 - alt. 74 m - Rue de l'Egalité
  3. 2 : km 0.6 - alt. 71 m - Allée du Château
  4. 3 : km 1.3 - alt. 58 m - Rue de la Libération
  5. 4 : km 1.92 - alt. 55 m - Left, Rue de la LIbération, towards Belgium
  6. 5 : km 4.13 - alt. 53 m - VIrage, take the concrete path on the left
  7. 6 : km 4.78 - alt. 50 m - Turn right
  8. 7 : km 5.34 - alt. 50 m - Take the concrete path to the right
  9. 8 : km 6.97 - alt. 44 m - Turn left
  10. 9 : km 9.04 - alt. 59 m - Take the dirt track on the left
  11. 10 : km 9.63 - alt. 54 m - Right towards the Bachy bell tower
  12. S/E : km 10.79 - alt. 74 m - Parking Place de la Liberté, Bachy

Practical information

Please note that the Rue de l'Égalité is continuous, contrary to the map (mapping anomaly).
No shelter in wet weather.
Route on concrete paths in Belgium.
Between (7) and (8) you can go straight on without turning right.

In the nearby area

Bachy church, its rose window and the crypt of Seigneurs de Tenremonde.
Customs officers' hut.
View of Mont Saint-Aubert and the Tournai plain.
Farm with rooster breeding in (8).

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.2 / 5
Route interest
3.9 / 5
Jpgn
Jpgn

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A nice, quiet route, with just one sign missing or not very visible, so we took an unintentional shortcut, but not much of a drawback in fact.

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Philippe Tr
Philippe Tr

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

Tour entirely on road or concrete track (Belgium side)

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pierduq
pierduq

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Nice little hike with no difficulty

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danicau
danicau

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

All you need to know is :

https://danicaurandonneur.blogspot.com/2...

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FRANCIS5911
FRANCIS5911

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice hike between a land consolidation road and a few dirt tracks, it partly follows a walk called "Sur les pas de Monique" (In Monique's footsteps) Very little tarmac Pleasant

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Pyrénéen
Pyrénéen

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 08, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Except at the end, it was all tarmac or concrete roads.
You pass through a lot (too many) villages.

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yvon.meunier
yvon.meunier

Regarding the map, as we're in a border area, I have to use opensstreetmap hiking.
In the description, there is no mention of Esplechin at points 8 and 9, or of going past a cemetery.
The GPS track does not take you under the railway bridge at points 8 and 9, and therefore not over it either.
Point the description does not mention an electrical substation but it exists in the form of a concrete cube.

I updated the description in 2017 following a comment.
I really don't understand this comment.

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cristine2
cristine2

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

we did this walk today
fortunately we were able to load the app onto our phone and follow the GPS route
because the map is not detailed enough and the description is confusing from point 6 onwards
and right up to the end of the text at point 11, where you end up in rue du Boez.

At point 7 we did not notice the electricity substation.

At points 8 & 9 we are at the entrance to Eplechin (not Rumes) and we haven't passed a cemetery!

At point 10 we pass under the railway line, turning left and then right to go over it.

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dancamphin
dancamphin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

nice walk on clean paths with little traffic
we even saw 3 roe deer

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CineyHanCiney
CineyHanCiney

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice route with a slightly long section on a tarmac road to reach Rumes

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jp59152
jp59152

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant route except for the part that runs alongside the main road on leaving Rumes.
The countryside, although flat, is very pretty.
There are several cafés open on Sunday afternoons in Rumes.

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debch
debch

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 01, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

It was a great walk. With no other interest than the pretty countryside and the "border" route, which our children really enjoyed.
Thank you

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croiseedeschemins
croiseedeschemins

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 26, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A varied route that's great in winter, as 95% of the route is on tarmac, concrete or stabilised roads. Only the final 700 m are on an old terracotta cobbled road.

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yvon.meunier
yvon.meunier

It's a comment that can be applied to many of the hikes offered on Visorando.

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lorette lucantis
lorette lucantis

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 13, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Not to be done when it's hot: there's not much shade! Lorette

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