Champ Bernard and the Nantanru Valley

Good physical condition is required for this short route, which has a significant elevation gain in its first section. The descent along the Ruisseau du Nantanru is very pretty and presents no difficulty. The return via the Transsemoisienne, the old "little train" route, allows for a leisurely return along the Semoy.

Details

662084
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.34 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 196 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 196 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 354 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 155 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the car park of the church in Nohan sur Semoy

(S/E) With your back to the church, turn right onto Grande Rue, then take Chemin de la Fontaine on the right.
Cross a tarmac road and continue in the same direction towards the wash house, a pretty schist building that is worth a quick stop.
Continue uphill, following the yellow markings to the Route Forestière de Nohan.

(1) Turn left onto the forest road, pass La Roche Jojo (a man-made passage through the schist) and continue to a path climbing north-east along the edge of the national forest (not marked on the IGN map).

(2) Take the path (the climb is steep) to reach a wide forest track which you will follow to the Champ Bernard clearing (former forest house).

(3) Follow the yellow markings from Champ Bernard to Semoy: from Champ Bernard, take the Route Forestière de la Dauphiné (tarmac road) for about 150 metres.
Turn left onto a path marked with yellow markings andGR®® markings until you reach a path leading off to the right.

(4) Leave theGR®® and turn right, then immediately left to follow the path which, after a nice curve, joins and runs alongside the Ruisseau du Nantanru until it meets the Semoy.

(5) Turn left onto the Transsemoisienne for 2 km until you reach Rue de la Butterie.

(6) Turn right onto Grand Rue, continue to the right and head towards the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 158 m - Car park at the church in Nohan sur Semoy
  2. 1 : km 0.89 - alt. 239 m - Route Forestière de Nohan
  3. 2 : km 1.18 - alt. 266 m - Path climbing north-east
  4. 3 : km 1.89 - alt. 348 m - Champ Bernard Forest House
  5. 4 : km 2.57 - alt. 331 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 4.04 - alt. 166 m - Nantanru confluence - Semoy (rivière)
  7. 6 : km 6.09 - alt. 159 m - Rue de la Butterie
  8. S/E : km 6.34 - alt. 158 m - Car park at the church in Nohan sur Semoy

Notes

From (2), the climb to Champ Bernard can be made via the Route Forestière

Please note: theGR®® markings on the section between Champ Bernard and Semoy are now entirely on the ridge (left bank of the stream).

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.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
ReiviloP
ReiviloP

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the forest for the most part. A fairly tough climb at the start, but the rest is very pleasant. A few difficulties following the right path (between 2 and 3), but quickly resolved thanks to the GPS track.

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Rethel
Rethel

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice hike.
When we reached point 2, we didn't see the turn-off for Rocher Jojo, so we continued along the forest road.
Otherwise, there were no particular difficulties except for the climb from the wash house...
Once the walk was over, we went to eat at O pi de la Voye, a place I recommend.

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randokarine
randokarine

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, well-shaded walk. The start is quite steep. Despite the GPX track, we got a little lost between 2 and 3 (there are numerous mountain bike tracks in all directions that are easy to follow if you're not paying attention to the track), but we found our way back easily. You can picnic in the pleasant, well-equipped Champ Bernard clearing. It was very hot at the end of the route along the Transsemoisienne, which is quite exposed in the early afternoon sun.

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SeveMorg
SeveMorg

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice for warming up.

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Magoo998
Magoo998

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Family outing with two children aged 5 and 9.
We had afternoon tea at the Champ Bernard forest house, sitting at tables set up in the clearing.
Beautiful views of the Semoy river during the walk.
We took a leisurely return trip along the Transsemoisienne trail beside the river, where we picked blackberries ^^.
I highly recommend this hike.

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jean-pierre 59
jean-pierre 59

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely, varied little walk, the wild Semoy river, blackberries to taste, blueberry bushes but no more blueberries at this time of year...

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11vains
11vains

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful walk to start a week of gentle hiking in this corner of the Ardennes.

Everyone was delighted to discover such a beautiful region!

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