Mécringes - Washhouse Route

A short walk for the whole family, during which you’ll be able to follow the Petit Morin, see the Marne countryside and, above all, enjoy an extraordinary view of Montmirail and its castle, as well as the Champagne vineyards.

Details

106056
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.85 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 73 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 71 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 194 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 114 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Mécringes (51210)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.865318° / E 3.510155°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2614E
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the church at Mécringes, head down towards the farm, cross the D241, pass the porch and follow the path down, passing an old mill.

(1) At the end of the path, turn left and follow the Petit Morin. 500m further on, leave the stream and take a path on the left before reaching the hamlet of Aucourt (or Haucourt).

(2) Before the entrance to the hamlet, down on the right is the Aucourt wash house. Walk between the houses and turn left to head back up to the D241.

(3) Turn right, then, 50 metres further on, head up to the left along the small path. Follow this path for about 600 metres.

(4) Turn left to join the small road leading to Montrobert and follow it to the right for about 100 metres.

(5) At the left-hand bend, continue straight ahead onto the path heading east. Follow this path for 1 km, ignoring two other paths on the left. Turn right and cross the D41 to take the Route de Hochecourt opposite. Enter the hamlet and continue to the first junction, where you should turn left.

(6) The Hochecourt wash house stands on the right-hand side of the road. The road turns into a path as it bends to the left. Follow this path, cross the D41 and take the path straight ahead to join the D241.

(7) Turn left and continue to the church at Mécringes, the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 134 m - Mécringes church
  2. 1 : km 0.34 - alt. 116 m - Boyard Mill - Petit Morin (le)
  3. 2 : km 1.84 - alt. 115 m - Return to the road and turn left
  4. 3 : km 2 - alt. 121 m - D241, turn right then left
  5. 4 : km 2.72 - alt. 172 m - End of the 600m climb, on the left
  6. 5 : km 3.05 - alt. 177 m - Follow the dirt track opposite
  7. 6 : km 5.26 - alt. 185 m - After the wash house, take the dirt track on the left
  8. 7 : km 6.44 - alt. 127 m - D241, turn left
  9. S/E : km 6.85 - alt. 134 m - Mécringes church

Notes

Some sections are exposed; please protect yourself from the sun.

Worth a visit

The two wash houses at Mécringes and Hochecourt.
Visit the church in Mécringes.
Take a detour to visit Montmirail and its castle.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
alainmartin77
alainmartin77

Thank you for all this information.
I will check with the city and if nothing is put back in order, I will remove the hike from the list. Thank you for letting me know.
@lain

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Voyageur du rhum
Voyageur du rhum
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello

Between points 1 and 2: point 2 is almost impossible to reach.
Between points 5 and 6: terribly bumpy path, dangerous for ankles, same between points 6 and 7.

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s2a
s2a

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant two-hour walk, offering plenty of variety with flat sections and a climb up the hillside.
You walk from the riverbank into the countryside and visit two hamlets.
We did this walk in mid-season in sunny weather. Perhaps best avoided in the middle of the afternoon in summer as there is no shelter, but ideal for these lovely autumn days.
The two wash houses are very different. The first makes you want to sit quietly and listen to the river, and I’d never seen anything like the second one before.
Enjoy exploring!

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manua
manua

Alain
It says I haven’t posted any photos. Never mind, I’ll do better next time
Did you create this route?
Have a good evening
Manua

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alainmartin77
alainmartin77

Manua, have a look under 'My Account/My Hikes' – you should find your photos there.
I like getting feedback on the hikes I’ve done; it’s always interesting.
I haven’t been hiking much lately – getting on a bit, I suppose
Have a lovely evening and happy hiking
@lain

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manua
manua

PS: I'm new to this site
I posted a few photos from my Sunday hike... but I can’t see them... It’s probably more complicated than it looks
Never mind, it’s a shame.

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manua
manua

Hi Alain: as long as you were well wrapped up, it was manageable and it looked lovely in the snow... My friend didn't cope so well with having his feet in the water But his feet were already hurting, which might explain why he found the dampness harder to bear. Enjoy your hikes and thanks for your comment.

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alainmartin77
alainmartin77

Hello Manua
Yes, it’s true that the wash house trail is best done in good weather. Where there are wash houses, there’s water, and in winter the paths are difficult to walk on.
Thank you very much
@lain

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manua
manua
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We walked this route in the snow and got our feet soaked up to our ankles at one point as we followed the Morin... But we could have avoided that by taking a slight detour... It was lovely and I can’t wait to do it again in a different season and in the sunshine...

I did it a few months later in the sunshine, and it was just as lovely... This time our feet stayed dry and we had a picnic on a hillside with a panoramic view of the opposite slope: that of Montmirail....

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madness
madness

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A nice little route. A lovely unobstructed view with the town of Montmirail in the distance. No difficulty. We enjoyed this route.

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Mary51
Mary51

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Some lovely walks – this is the first one we've done. Thank you very much.

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