The Chemin Vert in Aubigny-en-Artois

Park in Aubigny-en-Artois on the square in front of the church (see: Practical information).

(S/E) From the square, head to the roundabout. Turn left, heading south, onto Rue des Écoles. Ignore Rue des Granges on the left and continue straight ahead to the roundabout.
Continue straight ahead towards the cemetery.

(1) Turn left onto the path towards the cemetery gate. Go through the gate and immediately turn left towards the hedge. Walk along the right-hand side of the hedge, looking for a small opening. You will then come to a very narrow path (fine at the end of August 2025). Follow it to the right and turn left at the end of the cemetery (Sentier Laurent). You will come to a crossroads.

(2) Take Ruelle du Château opposite. At the T-junction, turn right, then immediately right into Rue du Général Barbot. At the next T-junction, continue left until the next crossroads.

(3) Turn right. At the crossroads, turn right again and walk slightly uphill along Rue d'Hermaville for a good hundred metres. Just before the first house on the left, take the small road on the left (Rue de Haute-Avesnes). At the T-junction, at an elevation of 106 metres, turn left to join the D49.

(4) Follow it on the left. A little further on, turn right to cross the Scarpe, then the railway line, and reach the first houses of Agnières. Just after the school (on the left), turn right into Rue Mélantoise. One kilometre further on (house on the right), turn left onto Rue de la Mairie, then immediately right to return to Rue d'Agnières.

(5) Cross the crossroads carefully and continue straight ahead. Cross the Scarpe again. Just after and before the railway line, turn left onto the path that runs alongside the river and reach the church of Capelle-Fermont. Turn left, then left again to reach a crossroads.

(6) Turn left. At the fork 200 metres further on, turn right. Stay on this small, barely paved road to reach the D49E5 near a farm on the left. Then take the path that climbs to the right and quickly joins the departmental road. Follow it carefully on the right and after about 200 metres, you will reach a fork.

(7) Leave the road and take the path on the left. After about 800 m, turn left onto a vague, barely visible path, marked by a hiking post. This path, which is sometimes difficult (but fine at the end of August 2025), joins the D75. Be very careful, as traffic travels fast! Follow it for a few metres to the right, then turn left onto a wide path. This stony (and therefore difficult) path passes under the high-voltage line before reaching a crossroads on the edge of the Bois de Villers-Châtel (see: Practical information).

(8) Go straight ahead to cross the woods. At the edge of the woods, there is a lovely view of the back of the castle on the right. Turn right into the first small lane and follow it to the end, where there is a beautiful gate that was open (as of August 2025). You will reach the D73E2. Turn right, walk past the church and continue to the castle gate.

(9) Turn back to the large crossroads at the edge of the woods, which you passed on the way there.

(8) Then turn right onto a beautiful path. As you leave the woods, the path widens. Follow it straight ahead and, after a right-angle turn to the right, join the D73E3.

(10) Follow it on the left (not very busy, but be careful nonetheless) for about 700 metres until you reach the edge of a small wood (green fence on the right).

(11) After the fence, turn right to walk along the western edge of the woods. A few twists and turns and then turn sharply left. (There used to be a path opposite that led to a rustic staircase, but both the path and the staircase have now disappeared).
At the end of the lane, follow the small road on the right and reach the D75.

(12) Follow it to the right. At the crossroads, take Rue de Mingoval on the right. After a hundred metres, turn left into Rue de la Gendarmerie and you will reach a T-junction. Turn right. Walk past a business and, just after it, look out for the small lane that branches off to the left.

(13) Take this small road, cross the railway line (be careful!) and you will reach a wide path.
Follow it to the right. Pass behind the tennis courts and sports hall, then walk alongside the stadium. At the end of the stadium, turn left to reach the Scarpe river. You will then find the footbridge on the right that allows you to cross it.

(14) Then turn left and follow the river (a beautifully restored path at the end of 2022), before turning right to reach the D75 and following it to the left to return to the church (S/E).

(S/E) If the church car park is full, park on Chemin à l'Eau, near the sports facilities.

Most of the paths are very good. However, make sure you are well equipped, as there are a few more difficult sections, especially between points (7) and (8).