The Courville ponds

de fr

Between land and water.
Nestled in a valley, the Courville ponds are a unique wetland area in the Tardenois natural region, which is dominated by woods, vineyards and large-scale farming.

Details

n°1548377
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.65 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 80 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 80 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 159 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 76 m
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Photos

Swan on Courville Pond
Irises and duckweed on the ponds.
An old wall
Church of Mont sur Courville

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the town hall car park, take Rue William Muir Russel (towards Fismes). At the war memorial, turn left onto Rue de Bihu. Continue right onto Rue de l'Église, pass under the porch and go around the church. Turn right onto Rue de Croix to leave the village.

(1) At the village exit sign, turn right onto the path. After 100 m (leaving theGR® 142), turn left and continue straight ahead for 1.15 km. When you reach the road from St Gilles to Mont-sur Courville, turn left to enter Mont-sur-Courville.

(2) Turn left onto Rue de la Forgette, then right onto Rue de la Jacquette. At the church, turn left onto Rue de Courville, then right onto Rue Sans Draps. After 50 metres, continue straight ahead onto Rue du Chauffour, which continues as a grassy path.

(3) After passing the hollow, turn left and follow the edge of the forest. The path descends and after 800 m, turn right to reach the ponds.

(4) Turn left and walk along the ponds. After the ponds, continue along the path that passes between two buildings and joins the D 25.

(5) Take the path on the left for about 360 metres. At the crossroads, turn right onto Rue du Cul du Sac. Turn right onto Rue de la Croix (D 25E) and head towards the wash house. Continue straight ahead to reach the town hall car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 79 m - Courville Town Hall car park.
  2. 1 : km 0.74 - alt. 97 m - D25E
  3. 2 : km 2.18 - alt. 154 m - Entrance to Mont-sur-Courville
  4. 3 : km 2.81 - alt. 141 m - Descent to the ponds
  5. 4 : km 3.96 - alt. 89 m - The ponds
  6. 5 : km 4.84 - alt. 80 m - D25
  7. S/E : km 5.65 - alt. 79 m - Courville Town Hall car park.

Notes

Detailed map required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Worth a visit

Saint-Julien Church in Courville.
The ponds of Courville.
Washing place in memory of William Muir Russel in Courville.
Mont-sur-Courville wash house and church.
The shellfish cellar in Fleury-la-Rivière.

 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.

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Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 22654034

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route with lots to see. Pass the pond to find a picnic table where you can eat.

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TIQUET
TIQUET

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The footbridge before point 2 is operational again.

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Pascal Denis 51
Pascal Denis 51

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and relaxing hike that I did in addition to the Crugny Courville St Gilles hike. The bridge before point 2 has indeed disappeared and requires either a big jump or going around the pond on the right and joining the path closed by a chain. Several picnic tables by the ponds.

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DEUTZ
DEUTZ

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk.
However, just before point no. 2, when passing between the two ponds, the bridge has disappeared and needs to be crossed, which is not easy for some people.

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alain.demessine
alain.demessine

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
(if you do not have a satnav, please refrain from visiting
The cul-de-sac street is not signposted
the signposting is confusing with other hikes or walks
Would it be possible to indicate the markings to follow in the hike descriptions? In this specific case, there are two or three routes that overlap, which does not make it easy to find your way
Thank you

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DEUTZ
DEUTZ

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very zen stroll
The ponds are very pleasant
Don't hesitate to go through the door (on the left) of the Mont Sur Courville wash house

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Francis BUREAU
Francis BUREAU
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A pleasant hike taken before lockdown.
At point 2 (exit from the ponds), the path was blocked by a barrier. So I didn't dare cross it at first.

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frog51
frog51
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

A very nice walk to do with the family, but I preferred to do it in reverse so that we could finish at the peaceful haven of the ponds.

On 1 June, just after lockdown ended and despite the beautiful weather, we didn't meet a soul.

Thank you very much.

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