The villages of Chavignon and Vaudesson

Park in the large car park on Place de Haïphong, located between the town hall and the church in Chavignon.

Yellow and purple markings (see practical information)

(S/E) Turn your back on the church and head towards the town hall. At the foot of the building, turn right onto Rue Lucien Lemoine. Continue straight ahead, cross Rue de l'Angle Vert on the left-hand side and continue along a track. Cross a stream and you will immediately come to a crossroads.

(1) Then turn left. Pass under a power line and turn left onto the main path. Walk along a stream on your left, then head towards the village of Bruyères. Return to the tarmac road and, at the T-junction (with the EDF power station opposite), turn right onto Rue des Grès.

(2) Then turn left onto Rue du Clerc. The tarmac quickly gives way to a path between fenced meadows. Walk gently down this grassy path. At the crossroads (elevation 67), go straight ahead.

(3) At the T-junction, follow the path lined with poplar trees to the right. Continue straight ahead, then turn right onto the path to cross the Bois Lombard. Ignore a path on the right, then one on the left, exit the woods and follow the winding path. Ignore a path on the left, pass under a power line and you will immediately reach an intersection.

(4) Continue straight ahead and cross Cité Gilbert, ignoring all the turnings on either side. Leave Rue de la Bondelette on your right. At the "Give Way" sign, cross the D23 and follow Rue de la Croix. At the crossroads, turn right and then cross Rue de Pargny on your left.

(5) At the next intersection, turn left onto Rue du^4e Zouaves et Tirailleurs. Cross Impasse du Chemin des Dames on the left-hand side and continue straight ahead on the tarmac road, which soon gives way to a dirt track. Stay on the main track, keeping to the right-hand side of a field bordered on the right by a poplar grove.

(6) At the intersection at the end of the poplar grove, turn left and walk along the Bois de la Garenne on your left. Walk up the Vallée de la Malmaison. When you reach a small masonry structure on your right, listen carefully to hear the regular hammering of the hydraulic ram (information sign).

(7) Continue up the path. Return to the tarmac road and climb steeply. At the crossroads, take a stony track on the right. At the "Give Way" sign, cross the D23 (be careful, there is no protected crossing) and follow the track opposite.

(8) At the fork about 50 metres further on, follow the less obvious path on the left (gravel, marker post). Enter the woods and descend gently. Further on, leave the woods and ignore a path on the left.

(9) Ignore a path on the right (view of the town of Laon and its cathedral), turn left and descend into the woods. Ignore a path on the right (the purple line supposed to represent the^PR®® is inaccurate here), cross a stream and leave a metal barrier on the left. Pass a wash house on your left, continue on the tarmac road and walk alongside the houses on your right.

(10) Come out onto the D192 (remains of the old church of Vaudesson on the left) and follow it to the left. Go up and stay either on the left-hand side of the road or behind the safety barrier on the right-hand side (a few sections on a slope).

(11) At the top, shortly after the end of the safety barrier and at the corner of a fence, turn right onto a path towards a small shed. Pass it and, shortly after, at a fork not shown on the map, turn right onto a grassy path leading downhill. Alternate between shaded sections and sections along the edge of the field. You will come out onto the D192 (cemetery opposite) and follow it to the right at an acute angle.

(12) Take the^first left at an acute angle (large crucifix). The tarmac quickly gives way to a farm track. At the four-way junction (elevation 103), bear slightly right (east; do not take the^first path on the right heading south). Ignore a path on the right, go around a small poplar grove on the right and follow the grassy path that winds between the fields.

(13) At the T-junction, go left where there are two parallel paths (the map shows only one): take the one on the right. Follow this shaded path, pass an isolated house on the left and join the D19. Cross the road and follow it to the right for about 300 m.

(14) Take the^first path on the left towards a fenced-in meadow and a young poplar grove. At the entrance to the meadow, turn right. Walk along the young poplar grove and then a fenced-in pond on your left. Continue along the path lined with very young poplar shoots.

(15) At the end, turn right and then left at the stop sign. Continue straight ahead, walk past a school and return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Hiking boots recommended.

No water sources identified along the route.

Markings and orientation:
Markings are sparse, mainly found on posts at intersections. Depending on the location, the purple colour tends towards red or blue. A detailed map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Variations:
The route is almost shaped like a figure eight, with a small circular loop north of Chavignon and a large circular loop to the south. It is therefore possible to do only one of these two circular loops.
Small circular (5 km): Start the walk as indicated in the description. At (4), turn right. Quickly find the intersection you took on the way there (1) and continue straight on to the town hall.
Circular loop (10 km): From the car park, head towards the church. Leave the church on your left and follow Rue Saint-Pierre. At the crossroads (5), turn right into Rue du 4e Zouaves et Tirrailleurs and follow the route to its end.

Hike completed by the author on 16 April 2022.

Historical note:
During the First World War, the two villages of Chavignon and Vaudesson were occupied by the German army from September 1914. Located in the Chemin des Dames offensive sector, in April 1917, they were subjected to intense bombing. In October 1917, the two villages, then in ruins, were recaptured by the French army (Chavignon named a street after the 4th Regiment of Zouaves and Skirmishers, which distinguished itself on this occasion). The two villages were recaptured by the German army in May 1918 before being liberated again in October 1918. The reconstruction of Chavignon benefited from financial donations from the city of Haiphong (a large port city in Vietnam), hence the name given to the main square.

Things to see along the way:
- Chavignon Church (S/E).
- Pleasant walk in the Malmaison Valley, between (5) and (8).
- Water ram (7). A device invented in 1796 by Joseph de Montgolfier, which pumps water from a spring in the valley and transports it to the Malmaison farm, about 75 metres higher, using only the kinetic energy of the water. Here, the pipe is underground and all you can hear is the sound of the "water hammer" caused by the repeated closing and opening of a valve.
- Extensive views between (8) and (9), particularly of the town of Laon (to the north-east) and its cathedral.
- Remains of the old church of Vaudesson (10).
- Beautiful view of the village of Vaudesson between (10) and (11).