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The hike starts at a small car park at the western end of the Hez-Froidmont National Forest. To get there, first go to the Maison Forestière de l'Abbaye de Froidmont (1).
To do this, follow the signs for "Abbaye de Froidmont", either from the village of Froidmont on the D125 between Bresles and Hermes, or from the hamlet of Marguerie after the northern exit of Hermes on the D12. Once at the crossroads with the forest house (high stone cross), take the forest track, which is closed to traffic between 9pm and 6.30am, on the left if you are coming from Froidmont, opposite if you are coming from Marguerie. Follow the track to the car park located between a small hut with a fountain and a forest barrier.
Yellow, red and white markings
(S/E) Return to the junction at the forest house, taking the track you came along by car.
Yellow markings
(1) Turn right onto a small road (leave theGR®124on your left). Opposite the gate of the former Froidmont Abbey, turn left onto this road and follow the property wall on your right. Pass between two pillars of what must have been a stone gate, cross the Trye and continue on the road with Mont César in sight.
(2) Cross the D125 and enter Froidmont via Rue de l'Abbaye. At the end, turn left onto Rue du Général Leclerc. Cross the village on this main road. After passing Rue du Calvaire on your left, follow a property wall on your right.
(3) At the corner of the wall, turn right and go uphill into the narrow Rue du Château. Pass a small car park on the left and go through a forest gate (information sign). Follow a path interspersed with wooden steps that climbs steeply up Mont César (beautiful view when you turn around). Reach the summit, topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary on the left.
(4) Turn left, pass behind the statue and follow a grassy path to the west that runs along the edge of the hill with a large lawn on your right. Pass a signpost and continue west, ignoring a vague path on the right. At a fork at the edge of a wood (signpost), take the path on the right and enter a beech forest. At the next fork, turn left and you will see a small lawn on your right.
(5) At the "Conservatoire d'espaces naturels Picardie" sign, ignore the path that branches off to the right into the lawn, turn left and re-enter the woods. Descend along a good path. At the next fork, turn left and continue downhill. Make a hairpin turn to the right, ignore a path that branches off to the right immediately and continue downhill. At the bottom, go through a forest gate and you will find yourself back on the tarmac road opposite the Bailleul school.
(6) Then turn right into the street with a no-entry sign (Rue du Mont César). Next, take the second right, Rue du Bois Ballette. The tarmac soon gives way to a gravel track. At the edge of the woods, pass under a high-voltage power line. Continue along the track with a fence on your left and the edge of a field on your right.
(7) At the crossroads (EDF substation on the left), follow the wide path to the left. Enter the woods again and stay on the main path as it winds its way through. At a T-junction, turn left onto a track and follow a poplar grove on your left. Turn right along the track and ignore a track branching off to the right. At the next junction (EDF power station on the left), continue straight ahead and cross a stream.
(8) At the next junction (fenced gardens on the left), turn right. Walk along a watercress bed on your left, cross a stream and walk along another watercress bed on your right. Continue east-southeast between fenced meadows. At the edge of some small houses, cross a small paved road on the left and continue straight ahead on the path in a more shaded area. Follow a water treatment plant on the left and continue to the D125 road.
(9) Make a left-right zigzag to cross the road (be careful) and enter Rue François Lenzi. Leave the hangars on your right and follow a wide gravel track for about 300 metres.
(10) At the first intersection (signpost), turn right onto a grassy path lined with poplar trees. Go through a forest gate and continue straight ahead at the next intersection. Just after a right-hand bend, at a fork, take the right-hand path. Then make a left turn, ignoring two successive paths on the right. Ignore a path on the left (which is the same one that came from the previous fork) and continue straight ahead.
(11) Cross a channel on a footbridge. Ignore another footbridge immediately on your left and continue straight ahead. Pass a forest barrier and, at the T-junction that follows, turn right onto a wide track lined with poplar trees. Continue straight ahead (south-west), ignoring all the turnings on either side. At the end (a small roundabout), turn right and after a few dozen metres you will reach another crossroads.
No signposts
(12) At this crossroads, turn right (leaving the marked path on your left) then immediately turn left towards Chêne Chandelier (sign; leave a mountain bike sign on your right). Follow a narrow path through the forest heading south-southeast. Follow a stream on your left, then leave it and cross a few short wet sections. After a slight incline, climb a short, steeper section and you will come out onto a forest track (Chêne Chandelier is located on the right just before it).
Yellow + red and white signposting
(13) Follow the wide track to the right as it winds through the forest. At the junction with an information sign, continue straight ahead. Pass through a forest gate and return to the car park by the fountain (S/E).
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