The Monks' Oak

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An ideal family walk for beginners to hiking in the deep Villers Bettnach State Forest, following in the footsteps of the Cistercian monks.

Details

n°3046929
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.76 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 104 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 98 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 314 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 226 m
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Photos

The oak tree in winter
The Monks' Oak

Description of the walk

Access to the starting point by car: Villers Bettnach Abbey.
From Vigy, follow the D52 towards Saint-Hubert
In Saint-Hubert, turn left and continue on the D52 to Villers Bettnach Abbey

Park in the small car park on the right near the sign describing the routes.
Yellow markings and directional signs, route no. 3.

(S/E) Cross the road and head north-northwest, passing in front of the abbey entrance. Cross the old railway line (footbridge) and climb up to the forest road.

(1) Turn left and follow the forest road.

(2) Leave the forest road (sign on the left) to see the Chêne des Moines (Monks' Oak) located about 100 m away, then return to the forest road and continue left on this road. At the three-way junction, keep right and do the same at the next barrier.

(3) Directional signpost "Saint Bernard". Continue towards Villers-Bettnach.
You can reach the Pays Bouzonvillois routes by turning left towards Hestroff. A 6 km link road connects to the "La Ligne Maginot" circular route (distance 13.4 km) and "La Vallée de la Nied" circular route (distance 14 km). The start of these two circular routes is located at the exit of Hestroff "ouvrage le Fort aux Fresques".

(4) At the junction with the tarmac road (des Anglais), turn right onto this road, pass close to the Maison Forestière Rollin and arrive at the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 231 m - Car park on the D52 - Abbaye de Villers-Bettnach
  2. 1 : km 0.3 - alt. 242 m - Forest road
  3. 2 : km 1.87 - alt. 269 m - Fork in the road towards the Chêne des Moines
  4. 3 : km 3.24 - alt. 290 m - Crossroads of 2 routes
  5. 4 : km 4.61 - alt. 297 m - Crossroads on the Route des Anglais
  6. S/E : km 6.76 - alt. 231 m - Car park on the D52

Notes

An easy route with a surface in good condition (not very muddy) that can be walked in all weathers.

Point 3: Option to extend the hike by accessing other hiking trails in the Bouzonvillois region

Worth a visit

  • Visit to the ruins and remains of Villers Bettnach Abbey:
  • Visit to the Chêne des Moines (ancient oak tree)
  • Access to other routes

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
User 11960775

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Point 4 of the route is poorly explained. In fact, when we turned onto the tarmac road, we ended up moving away from the finish point and there were no further markings or signposts. After about 1 km on the tarmac road, we turned right onto a forest track which turned out to be muddy, full of brambles and unmarked. The roughly 700-metre trek to a marked path was a real struggle.

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ORION57
ORION57

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely, well-marked route that is fairly easy, perfect for a nice family walk. Very peaceful and relaxing setting. Much of the route is on well-maintained forest paths. I recommend it.

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nolive73
nolive73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short hike, mainly on forest roads suitable for vehicles.
The main attraction is, of course, the enormous Chêne des Moines oak tree, which is 40 metres tall, 5 metres in circumference and 250 years old.
Please note: it has recently been surrounded by a fence (which is very easy to climb over, but be careful not to get caught by a forest ranger, who I don't think will be very happy...).

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Elisator
Elisator

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route mainly through the forest, so quite shaded. Beautiful abbey at the start, easy to find. The end is on a small, quiet road. Very easy hike, little elevation gain, allow 2 hours at a leisurely pace. The directions provided by this site are accurate.

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Mide
Mide

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Thank you for all your hard work in making hikers feel welcome!

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5corinne
5corinne

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

I have a comment to make: between points 2 and 3, there is a marker that is not in the right place.
We turned right following the marker, but after a few metres, we realised that it wasn't really a path.
So we turned back and went back onto the forest path.
And sure enough, a little further on, the marker was there in the right place.
Kind regards

Corinne de Héricourt

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10rando57360
10rando57360

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We did the route in reverse, with the road under the (hot) sun from the start to the intersection (4); the rest of the hike is mostly in the woods. A pleasant surprise awaited us in front of the monks' oak tree, which is enormous and majestic.

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Caroline57
Caroline57
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very detailed description of the hike. Pleasant walk in a beautiful forest.

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