The remarkable trees route starting from Rilly-la-Montagne.

This is a long hike through woods and vineyards, accessible by train from the TER stations in Rilly-la-Montagne or Germaine. It is 23 km long, but can be shortened to 18 km by taking the train from Rilly-la-Montagne to Germaine.
Its main attractions are the route of remarkable trees and a beautiful view of Reims in good weather.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 23.14 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 334 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 328 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 273 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 137 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Rilly-la-Montagne (51500)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 49.166025° / E 4.040803°
  • Accessible from the train station Gare de Rilly-la-Montagne.
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2712E, 2713E, 2812O, 2813O
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking available at Place de la Gare.

(S/E) When leaving the station, at the southern end of the car park, take the small path (signposted "no dogs") which runs along the top of the railway line towards the woods and continue straight ahead.
When you reach the road, follow it to the right and pass in front of the wine press.

(1) At the wine press, cross the road and after less than 100 metres, take the Chemin de la Forêt on the left.

Compostela markers in the shape of a shell or blue and yellow lines

Stay on this path, which winds its way up the hillside. After the last bend, you will come to a crossroads.

(2) Continue straight ahead and stay on the same path until you reach the village of Les Haies.

End of signposting

(3) At the first houses, turn right onto the Haute Borne forest path. After a few bends, cross the Roman road and continue straight ahead in the same direction until you reach the Cadran car park.

(4) Cross the car park, then carefully cross the road to the right and take the Route de la Mer Rouge, alongside the forest house. Continue straight ahead to the village of Courtagnon.

(5) Pass in front of the hollow oak tree (a remarkable tree).

(6) At the first houses in Courtagnon, turn right.

(7) Cross the bridge over the Ardre, turn left, then take the first path on the right towards the vineyards. Continue in the same direction, northwards, through the vineyards and then the woods until you reach a crossroads.

(8) At the crossroads, turn right and continue for a few hundred metres.

(9) At the Trois Frères oak tree (a remarkable tree), turn left until you reach the Noëlle car park.

(10) Cross the car park and then the road, walk a few metres to the left, and turn right onto the path that descends through the woods towards the vineyards. When you leave the forest, continue north-northeast until you reach the crossroads.

(11) Turn right onto Chemin des Courbes (GRP® de l'Ardre markings). In the village of Montaneuf, turn right onto Rue du Pré des Bourgs and follow the bend to the left until you reach the crossroads near the champagne cellar.

(12) Turn left, then right again, following the markers. TheGRP® crosses the vineyards and the D22, then takes a tarmac road with no traffic. Keep heading east.

(13) At the crossroads, turn left into the vineyards, following the signs, and walk to the village of Sermiers.

(14) At the entrance to the village, turn right and cross the village via Rue du Franc Mousset, turn right before the church, then take Rue du Clos des Moines which heads north. Pass in front of the cemetery. You will arrive at the crossroads near the sports ground.

(15) Turn right. Continue in the same direction eastwards until you reach the D951.

(16) Cross the road (take care). Continue straight ahead along the path that enters the vineyards. Walk to Villers-Allerand. At the first houses, turn left onto Rue du Voisin and walk to the church.

(17) At the church, leave theGRP®. Take Rue du Chalagris, then Rue de Montbré on the left until you reach the crossroads with a bench and a calvary.

(18) Turn right. After 150 metres, turn left, and at the next crossroads, turn right. Walk to the first houses in Rilly-la-Montagne.

(19) At the crossroads with Rue Marcel Chansou, turn left. Walk past the picnic area. Continue straight ahead after the right-hand bend to reach Rilly-la-Montagne station. Cross to the other side of the tracks and cross with caution(S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 157 m - Gare de Rilly-la-Montagne
  2. 1 : km 0.45 - alt. 188 m - Flower-covered wine press
  3. 2 : km 1.81 - alt. 271 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 5.16 - alt. 180 m - Village des Haies - Gare de Germaine
  5. 4 : km 7.78 - alt. 273 m - Parking du Cadran
  6. 5 : km 9.66 - alt. 214 m - Arbre remarquable le chêne à cavités
  7. 6 : km 11.75 - alt. 177 m - Parking de Courtagnon
  8. 7 : km 11.83 - alt. 179 m - Ardre (rivière)
  9. 8 : km 12.9 - alt. 261 m - Crossroads
  10. 9 : km 13.66 - alt. 263 m - Arbre remarquable "Les trois frères"
  11. 10 : km 14.23 - alt. 255 m - La Noëlle car park
  12. 11 : km 15.04 - alt. 192 m - Chemin des Courbes crossroads
  13. 12 : km 15.88 - alt. 194 m - Crossroads, on the left
  14. 13 : km 16.81 - alt. 202 m - Crossroads
  15. 14 : km 17.31 - alt. 167 m - Sermiers
  16. 15 : km 18.19 - alt. 144 m - Sports ground
  17. 16 : km 20.22 - alt. 182 m - D951
  18. 17 : km 21.28 - alt. 182 m - Church of Villers Allerand
  19. 18 : km 21.54 - alt. 173 m - Calvary
  20. 19 : km 22.65 - alt. 181 m - Crossroads, on the left
  21. S/E : km 23.14 - alt. 157 m - Gare de Rilly-la-Montagne

Notes

Shops in Villers Allerand and Rilly-la-Montagne.

Picnic areas at the Cadran car park, the Noëlle car park, and in Rilly-la-Montagne.

Several wash houses in Montaneuf and Sermiers where you can take shelter.

Worth a visit

Remarkable trees:

(5) Hollow oak: this oak tree has impressive branches and plays a vital ecological role in its environment.

(9) Oak of the Three Brothers: Generous in its shape, size and the forestry history it reveals, this three-trunk oak is a worthy representative of its forest.

Information taken from the ONF leaflet: The trail of remarkable trees in the Chêne à la Vierge State Forest.

http://www1.onf.fr/activites_nature/oi...

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 21802846

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The signposting of the site was very good. I recommend this hike through forests, vineyards and fields, which showcases all the best of Champagne.

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virgule
virgule

Thank you for this advice.

Whether it's a wet year or not, there's no escaping the slush in winter.

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favi80
favi80

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route, very pleasant to follow. It's lovely to come out onto the vineyards and enjoy a beautiful view of Reims after walking through the forest for more than two-thirds of the route. There were eight of us and we all enjoyed this route.
The only downside, at this time of year and particularly in this very rainy year, is the mud on the path, especially on the hills, which makes walking difficult and a little hazardous in places.

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Remoirando
Remoirando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Of the three routes that go from station to station, this is the one I liked best. It is varied, with woods, vineyards, villages and panoramic views.
Discovering the trees was a lovely surprise. And thank you to the person who designed these routes.
I'm not from Paris and don't have a car, so this is perfect! It took me 6½ hours with fairly short breaks.

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fanfan
fanfan
• Edited:

Hello,
Thank you for your reply.
Having completed our week-long stay in the region, it is not possible for us to repeat this hike to discover the remarkable trees at this time.
We looked for the ONF leaflet mentioned in your information sheet and if we return to the area, we will do our own hike to discover the six remarkable trees.

Thank you for your suggestion of a shorter hike to see four trees.
That was very kind of you.

Kind regards
Fanfan

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virgule
virgule

I recommend this one:

https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-de-l...

It's shorter, you're under the trees, and you also pass by some interesting trees.

My routes that start at train stations allow Parisians without cars (or who are environmentally conscious) to discover our beautiful region, just an hour from home. But that means there are more kilometres to cover. If you're travelling by car, feel free to copy the route and adapt it to what you want to do. These routes were created using a mouse, so it doesn't take hours to modify them.

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virgule
virgule

Hello,

Actually, I start at Rilly for hikers who come by train. To see the trees on a shorter route, you can start from the Cadran car park, on the road between Epernay and Reims.

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fanfan
fanfan

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Hello
We set off on this route on a very hot day.
As we were travelling by car, we parked in the car park and picnic area south of Rilly, and then joined the route between points 1 and 2.
Although the path is almost straight through the forest, it is very pleasant. It runs alongside the railway tunnel, which is still in use and can be seen by the round towers on the left-hand side of the path.
From point 3, the climb is a little surprising but still easy.
At the top of this hill and from the junction with the old Roman road, the straight white path in full sun became a little tedious. The picnic area was welcome and pleasant, although very close to the road.
From point 4, the heat and the forest road still to be covered to point 7 (4 km) made us think twice, and we decided to shorten the route by taking the marked mountain bike trail a little further than the forest house, then the very pleasant "yellow-red" trail in the forest, which took us directly to point 13.
From point 15 to point 16, almost 2 km of dirt track in full sun got the better of our courage and we shortened the route definitively by ignoring points 18 and 19 to return to our starting point via the D26.
It's a shame that the start of this hike ultimately got the better of our courage. The sun certainly played a part, but these straight forest roads are tedious.
In the end, we covered 18 km and therefore did not see the special points of interest on this hike, which are the remarkable trees. We will have to do it again, covering only the western part of the route.

Thank you for this route, which helps us to "find" the remarkable points in a region we knew very little about. Consider offering shorter variations so that everyone can discover them.
Best regards
Fanfan

.

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virgule
virgule
• Edited:

Hello,

I just noticed the little TER logo on the hike. Well done!

If you come from the Cadran car park, you can shorten the route a little and go directly from (17) to (2).

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virgule
virgule

Thank you for this review.

I don't use GPX tracks, but I make sure the track follows the paths on the map so as not to confuse hikers who are using the map.
Depending on the smartphone, the GPS track can vary by several dozen metres.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ONF, which highlights these wonderful trees.

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Bettina80
Bettina80

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route that showcases the national forests and their remarkable trees. After the forest, there are a few passages through villages and vineyards, which are particularly pleasant when you're not from the region!
Although quite long and with a significant elevation gain, there are no major difficulties. We set off at around 9:20 a.m. and arrived at around 3:45 p.m., with a lunch break at km 14 at the Noëlle car park, which is on the route (picnic tables).
I noticed just two very slight errors on the GPX track, but nothing too serious. We quickly found the path again, which was just a few metres off course.
We did this route as a group during a weekend in your beautiful region, and it will remain a very fond memory!
Thank you, Virgule, for this wonderful hike!

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virgule
virgule

Thank you

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Is it off-season?

Or perhaps you're being pampered.

Kind regards

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virgule
virgule

Now that's what I call lightning-fast moderation. Is it off-season?

Thank you very much for your diligence.

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