Eps and Herbeval mountains

A short but very hilly route (carto-explorer even gives 230m elevation gain) around the village of Eps, unjustly excluded by the marked trails. Beautiful views.
Best done on a sunny day - it's magical!

Technical sheet

517995
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.24 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 167 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 166 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 146 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 70 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in Eps, on the small square beside the D70, near the school.

(S/E) Take the Rue du Bois, cross the Rivière d'Eps and reach the crossroads.

(1) Turn right (if you have time, make a short left to the pretty ford (5 minutes).
A few metres further on, turn right again onto a more or less grassy path (muddy in places). Continue along the Bois d'Eps. Keep heading in the same direction (north-east) to reach a T-junction.

(2) Turn left onto the wide uphill path for about 150m. You're almost at Mont d'Eps.

(3) Take the grassy path on the right. It twists a little before reaching the D71E1 near a pumping station. Follow the road to the right for 200m.

(4) Turn left. Ignore Rue du Marais on the right and join the D70. Cross the road (with care) and take the wide track that climbs up opposite.

(5) Take the first path on the left. It bends to the right (a nice climb) and reaches a T-junction. Go left, then right to reach Mont d'Herbeval.

(6) Ignore the left-hand path heading into the woods, then turn right. 500m further on, turn left on a wide, steeply-sloping path. At the T-junction, turn right onto the D70E4 at Herbeval.

Follow it to the left and, 200m further on, take the grassy path to the right. A steep climb, a right-hand bend, another left and you reach a small road.

(8) Follow it to the right for 250m (great view over the valley), then turn right onto the downhill grassy path which, after a left and a right turn, leads to a T-junction.

Turn left to reach a wide, well-surfaced track. Follow it to the right and reach Eps.

(10) At the crossroads, turn left into Rue de l'Eglise, cross the cemetery and join the D70. Cross it and go back down to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 76 m - Square on the edge of the D70
  2. 1 : km 1.08 - alt. 71 m - Crossing near the ford
  3. 2 : km 2.57 - alt. 122 m - To the left on a wide road
  4. 3 : km 2.71 - alt. 132 m - Path on the right
  5. 4 : km 3.6 - alt. 77 m - Street on the left
  6. 5 : km 4.67 - alt. 118 m - 1st path on the left
  7. 6 : km 5.71 - alt. 146 m - Mont d'Herbeval
  8. 7 : km 6.87 - alt. 93 m - D70 E4 at Herbeval
  9. 8 : km 7.72 - alt. 138 m - Tarmac road
  10. 9 : km 8.67 - alt. 107 m - T-junction
  11. 10 : km 9.96 - alt. 77 m - Left towards the church
  12. S/E : km 10.24 - alt. 76 m - Square on the edge of the D70

Practical information

Some paths can be greasy or sticky, so don't forget your clodhoppers or your walking stick.

In the nearby area

For those with a sweet tooth, there's a very nice little restaurant in Eps:
Au Soldat Laboureur, on Rue Principale (07 81 38 70 70)
https://www.ausoldatlaboureur.fr/

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Jean-Mi 62550
Jean-Mi 62550

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Nice outing in calm running mode 10kms in 1 hour

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bapfred
bapfred

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Once again Joorange, thank you so much for this superb sharing. As lovers of panoramic views, we were delighted. As usual, the description is perfect.

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Claude-Meignen
Claude-Meignen

We're retired, we're still on holiday, and we're always ready to go hiking or mountain biking.
Thanks for your reply!

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joorange
joorange

The Pas-de-Calais is a very agricultural department. So it's hard to escape the large areas of farmland.
Personally, I like the splashes of colour that this gives to nature.
It's true that the paths in the Ardèche that I'm visiting at the moment are wilder, but you can't spend your life on holiday!

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Claude-Meignen
Claude-Meignen
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

Walking for walking's sake!
Crossing large cultivated fields...
A bit boring.
Fortunately there was some farming going on: the farmers were starting to harvest!
Still, some lovely views.
Eps is average!

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capauri
capauri

and I love it!

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joorange
joorange

It's a shame you turned back.
You could have reached point 6 by taking the next (almost parallel) path on the left, which must be better.
Otherwise, there's a nice shortcut visible on the map to get from 5 to 7.
All the paths marked on the IGN really do exist.

It's true that on this route (and on many others) I preferred the wilder paths.
Conditions should be better at the end of the summer.

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capauri
capauri

we stopped because the grass was really high for the little one, even if he was protected by his pushchair. As we had the same problem on other sections, plus ruts, and we were only halfway through, I didn't want to take the risk of getting stuck, especially as I was alone with the little one.

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capauri
capauri

I intend to go back but without a baby!

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joorange
joorange

It's a shame you turned back.
You could have reached point 6 by taking the next (almost parallel) path on the left, which must be better.
Otherwise, there's a nice shortcut visible on the map to get from 5 to 7.
All the paths marked on the IGN really do exist.

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capauri
capauri

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Superb (early) hike, unfortunately joorange, for once we couldn't go all the way. The very, very high grass on the paths and the large ruts made it impassable for a pushchair (for the time being, I hope). We turned back on the 5th, and I intend to do it again without a baby. We saw deer and bunnies. The views are splendid and the route is quite shady.

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marieclairejeanpierre
marieclairejeanpierre

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very pretty landscape
Start a bit tricky for non-professionals

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give us your opinion.

The only problem is that it's not signposted, so you have to keep looking for your way and make mistakes.

In fact, with Visorando you often go off the beaten track, so there are no signs.

Visorando doesn't recommend waymarking because it can be changed or erased...whereas the indications on the terrain are stable information.

Visorando provides a detailed description, a 1:25,000 scale IGN map and, if you find it difficult to find your way around, Visorando offers a free virtual signposting system: a GPS Application.

A+

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BOUDART
BOUDART

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

This is a very pleasant walk in a hilly and very green environment, with no particular difficulties, but the biggest problem is that it is not signposted, so you have to keep looking for your way and make mistakes.

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Dk62c130kr
Dk62c130kr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Pleasantly surprised, lovely undulating route with beautiful views of the mountains

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