The Saint-Aignan Tunnel

Between the Mazarin Forest and the Bar Valley, near the village of Saint-Aignan, discover one of the secrets of the Ardennes Canal, which, to avoid detours, passes under the mountain. A lovely little walk to enjoy with the family, making ‘woo-hoo’ sounds to create an echo in the river tunnel.

Details

1986303
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.69 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 130 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 132 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 255 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 156 m

Photos

Description of the walk

This walk starts from the village of Omicourt.
Parking is available near the town hall or the church (water point at the cemetery)

(S/E) Take the main road (D24) towards Malmy, then turn up the first street on the right towards the wash house, for 150m.

(1) Turn right onto the street and continue uphill along the grassy path. The path continues along the edge of the woodland before entering the forest.

(2) Take the stony path that climbs to the left through the undergrowth. Shortly before reaching the edge of the forest, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Bar Valley and Omicourt

(3) At the top, cross the forest road, then follow the path that heads straight ahead, veering slightly to the right. Pass under a power line and descend through the high forest and then the coppice.

(4) At the foot of the hill, turn right and follow the path along the edge of the forest to the automatic lock at Saint-Aignan.

(5) Just past the lock keeper’s house, turn right and follow the canal. Go through the tunnel and continue along the towpath to the Omicourt bridge.

(6) Head up the street on the right, Rue de la Tannerie, and head towards the town hall or continue towards the church, depending on where your vehicle is parked (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 160 m - Village of Omicourt
  2. 1 : km 0.11 - alt. 167 m - Turn right
  3. 2 : km 1.01 - alt. 216 m - Gravel path on the left
  4. 3 : km 1.33 - alt. 254 m - Crossing the forest road
  5. 4 : km 2.29 - alt. 158 m - Path along the edge
  6. 5 : km 3.33 - alt. 158 m - Automatic lock at Saint-Aignan. Follow the - Canal des Ardennes
  7. 6 : km 5.47 - alt. 159 m - Rue de la Tannerie
  8. S/E : km 5.69 - alt. 160 m - Village of Omicourt

Notes

Water point available at the cemetery next to the church

Worth a visit

The village of Omicourt has a church listed as a historic monument. Its foundations date back to the 12th century.

The village also once housed a priory (unoccupied but still standing), attached to the abbey church of Mont-Dieu (20 km). Neither is now occupied by monks.

(5) Just outside Saint-Aignan, the tunnel has housed the course of the Ardennes Canal for over a century and a half, spanning some two hundred metres. The canal itself was completed in 1835. It connects the Seine to the Rhine via the Meuse and the Aisne. Its source is at Pont-à-Bar, downstream of the confluence of the Bar, which feeds into it. To compensate for the difference in level between it and the Meuse, no fewer than thirty-three locks line its course.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
iwataki
iwataki

I went for a lovely walk covering roughly the same distance, but taking a slightly different route to climb to the top of Bois de la Cave hill, which lies right at the heart of this walk.

Machine-translated

deudeuche59
deudeuche59

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful views, varied landscape

Machine-translated

Bonhomme08
Bonhomme08

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy walk through varied countryside. The path is very well signposted and very well maintained.

Machine-translated

jp08200
jp08200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk that takes you to the St Aignan river tunnel.

Machine-translated

Christine53
Christine53

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant walk, but not exactly easy.
The GPX file was very good.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.