The Buttes de Mousson and Xon

Pass by the summit of Butte de Mousson, with its castle ruins, and Butte de Xon, with its trenches dating from the First World War.

Details

477646
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.32 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 373 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 371 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 382 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 180 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car parks on Boulevard Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny and start the walk at Saint-Martin Church.

(S/E) Turn your back on the Moselle and follow Rue Gambetta. At the roundabout, continue straight ahead and go up Chemin de Mousson.

(1) At the entrance to the village, turn right, pass by the calvary and continue for about ten metres to admire the views. Take the small path on the left into the woods, climb the wooden and concrete stairs, and walk around the hill to visit the chapel, viewpoints, ruins and cemetery.

(2) Leave the hill by passing under the porch of the castle ruins and go back down the stairs. At the bottom, turn right then left into Rue Basse. Then turn right into Rue du Menhir.

(3) At the next crossroads, cross the road, pass in front of the cemetery and follow the D34 north-east. Pass in front of the Ferme de la Chapelle.

(4) After the farm, leave the D34 and turn right onto a downhill path. At the next crossroads, turn left and join a forest road

(5) Turn left and, after about 20 metres, turn right (north) and follow the Tranchée de Lesménils. Shortly before the D910, turn left and join the D34.

(6) Then turn right and cross the bridge over the D910.

(7) In front of the Ferme de Xon, cross the road and take a first turn left then right to take the track that climbs up to the Butte de Xon. After a series of two right-left turns, you will reach a crossroads at the foot of the Butte de Xon.

(8) Follow the path on the left and climb the hill (monument, information board, trench from World War I, viewpoints). Retrace your steps.

(8) Turn left, then right and descend towards the villages.

(9) At the crossroads, go straight ahead (leaving theGR®5Ftrail on your left). At the next crossroads, turn right and you will arrive at the hamlet of Xon. Turn right and follow the main street of the hamlet. Join the D910A and follow it to the right to reach the ::7:.

(7) Take the D34 on the left and cross the bridge over the D910.

(6) Continue straight on the D34 until you reach a fork.

(10) Leave the road, turn right and drive alongside the landfill site. Pass under a power line and, at a crossroads, continue straight ahead. Cross the D910 road (take care) and follow a small bypass. At the end, cross the road again (take care) and follow it to the right.

(11) Take the first street on the left and enter a housing estate. At the crossroads, turn right into Rue Ernest Sarloutte. Turn right along this street and, at the end, turn left into Rue Saint-Norbert. At the crossroads after the cemetery, turn right into Rue Robert Blum.

(12) Cross Avenue de Metz, follow it to the left for a few metres, then turn right onto Rue Robert Chatel.

(13) When you reach Place de Trey, turn left. Then take the second right onto Rue Damay. Pass in front of the Abbaye des Prémontrés, turn left onto Rue Saint-Martin and continue to the Saint-Martin church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 182 m - Saint-Martin Church
  2. 1 : km 1.47 - alt. 337 m - Entrance to the village of Mousson
  3. 2 : km 2.01 - alt. 370 m - Porch of the castle ruins - Château de Mousson
  4. 3 : km 2.37 - alt. 326 m - Mousson Cemetery
  5. 4 : km 3.38 - alt. 268 m - Leave the road to enter the forest.
  6. 5 : km 4.09 - alt. 262 m - Junction with the forest road.
  7. 6 : km 5.07 - alt. 274 m - Route D34 - Bridge over the D910
  8. 7 : km 5.27 - alt. 274 m - Xon Farm
  9. 8 : km 6.11 - alt. 337 m - Access to the Xon hill - Signal de Xon
  10. 9 : km 7.69 - alt. 256 m - At the crossroads, leave the marked paths.
  11. 10 : km 10.53 - alt. 266 m - Fourche - Landfill site
  12. 11 : km 12.21 - alt. 197 m - Entrance to the housing estate
  13. 12 : km 13.3 - alt. 184 m - Rue de Metz
  14. 13 : km 13.7 - alt. 181 m - Place de Trey
  15. S/E : km 14.32 - alt. 182 m - Saint-Martin Church

Notes

From the starting point (S/E) to point (9), follow theGR®5F(red and white markings).

Worth a visit

Butte de Mousson:
Visit the castle, a listed historical monument.
Pass by the oratory and the old cemetery.
180° view of Pont-à-Mousson, the Moselle, the Blenod factory and the TGV viaduct.

Butte de Xon:
War memorial.
Old trenches from 1914-1918 with information panel.
180° view of the valley forming the Nancy-Metz axis and, in the distance to the north, the city of Metz.

Village of Xon:
Numerous panels commemorating village life during the First World War.

Pont-à-Mousson:
Passing in front of the Prémontrés Abbey, a historic monument.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
François VERNIER
François VERNIER

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
In my opinion, the route of this walk should be changed at the landfill site, which is expanding and blocking the path along its perimeter. Apart from this minor issue, the route is very interesting thanks to the well-designed information boards.

Machine-translated

DominiqueC54
DominiqueC54

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The last passage is impassable, and for good reason: a waste disposal centre has been built, blocking access!

Machine-translated

windgilles
windgilles

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Please note: access to the path at point 10 is closed by municipal order. The solution is to go back up to the village of Mousson by road, turn right at the Calvary and take the Longebeau dirt track (signposted) to rejoin the trail at point 11.

Machine-translated

charles tordjman
charles tordjman

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It is a very beautiful walk that leads to a very open space and a beautiful view of the Pont à Mousson valley.

Machine-translated

1357
1357

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first part, GR5F, is interesting, but unfortunately the logging has made the forest section unpleasant to walk through, and tree trunks were blocking the start of the path.
The view from the two hills is very beautiful, and the historical references are welcome.
The picnic spots on the hills are very nice.
However, the suggested return route is unrewarding, so we preferred to return the same way.

A lovely walk, highly recommended.

Machine-translated

J Luneau
J Luneau

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, especially on the Mousson hill.
Please note: the return path that runs alongside the landfill site is no longer accessible. Expansion work on the landfill site is blocking the way. We had to return via the Mousson hill.

Machine-translated

laurentjvie
laurentjvie

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Parish specific to Brittany signage regarding the wooded section and the condition of the path, especially the uphill section, which is not easily accessible.
Not recommended in rainy weather or for people with limited mobility.

The location of the Mousson hill is superb, but it's a shame that the access path is so poorly maintained and poorly marked.

Machine-translated

noelle martin
noelle martin
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We set off from the harbour master's office towards Atton, then took the first road on the left, followed by a small path on the left that starts with some steps, turns left and leads straight into the forest to join the GR5F trail that leads to Mousson.
The route is very well laid out.
The Mousson hill and its castle are very interesting. Allow enough time to stroll around, especially if the weather is nice.
The climb to Xon is a must (historical interest and views). It's an ideal spot for a picnic. Again, allow plenty of time.
Due to lack of time, we skipped point 9 and made a round trip to the hill of Xon to rejoin the D34.
The return journey by road as we approached Pont-à-Mousson (fortunately there was little traffic) and the detour around the waste site were less pleasant.
Overall, a very nice walk.
We had lunch in the Breuil area and in the afternoon we went to the Fontaine Rouge with a great view of the abbey and arboretum on the trail. In fact, we combined two hikes, adapting them slightly.
Then we strolled towards Les Prémontrés, St Martin's Church and Place du Roc.
Thank you for this beautiful hike (highly recommended).

Machine-translated

pierrejames
pierrejames

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk offering beautiful views and great historical interest. The description of the route through the village of Mousson could be improved. The return journey along the road approaching Pont-à-Mousson is not very pleasant. Overall, I would recommend this walk.

Machine-translated

morlockbob
morlockbob

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The route of the walk is very precise.
The first part, the castle and forest, is enjoyable.
The climb to Xon is unnecessary (unless you're interested in history), so if you're tired, this is a good place to take a break.
From there, the walk is less pleasant: a stretch of national road, a waste site and housing estates (another side of Pont Am, why not).

I'm not unhappy that I did it on this beautiful winter afternoon, but I won't be doing it again.

Perhaps there is a way to change the route?

Thanks anyway.

Machine-translated

patck54
patck54

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very beautiful hike with views that reward the effort of the climb, and the discovery of the Xon site.
it's a shame that most of it is on tarmac roads
Thank you for the hike.

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Indeed, thank you Laurent.
As a former resident of Lesménils, which is right next door, I took the liberty of responding.
All the best with Visorando.

Machine-translated

LAURENT FRANCOIS
LAURENT FRANCOIS

Thank you for the moderator's response, which I agree with. Unfortunately, there are no other options, creator LAURENT.

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, LEPETITDIDIER
Regarding the rubbish you encountered, I think you must have visited after a very windy day. In general, the landfill managers are quite scrupulous about cleaning the surrounding area.

Machine-translated

LEPETITDIDIER
LEPETITDIDIER

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very interesting route, 90% of which is enjoyable, with the downside being the detour around the landfill site and the large amount of rubbish littering the path.

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.