A short tour of the Marne Valley via Boursault

This is a short walk full of discoveries: the beautiful avenue of plane trees at La Chaussée de Damery, the villages of Vauciennes and Boursault with their pretty wash houses, and the famous Château de Boursault. Vineyards, woods and the banks of the Marne.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.26 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 551 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 568 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 774 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 217 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Damery (51480)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 49.070175° / E 3.877596°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2713E
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) The route starts at the Port de Damery (Rue du Coche), on the banks of the Marne, where there is space to park a few cars. Cross the bridge over the Marne.

(1) Immediately after the bridge, turn left onto Rue du Port aux Bois, which runs alongside the Marne. Continue along this path, following the Marne. It then passes through a line of trees, moves away from the river and crosses the fields. After 2 km, the path approaches the river once more. Walk to the junction, 100 m before reaching the Marne again.

(2) At the junction, turn right towards two clumps of trees. Cross the railway line and walk to the Ferme de la Borde. When you reach the road, turn right and walk 150 m along the verge (take care).

(3) At the fork, cross the road and take the tarmac farm track. When you reach the vineyards, turn right, then after 400 m veer slightly to the left. Walk to the Ferme de la Chapotte.

(4) At the farm, turn right. You’ll now be on theGRP® “Entre Marne et Champagne” trail. Walk to the village of Vauciennes. In the village, turn left, cross Rue du Général Leclerc and take the narrow path opposite that climbs into the woods, behind the houses.

(5) Carry on straight ahead along this path through the woods. Pass under the high-voltage power line and continue in the same direction until you reach a junction with a wider track.

(6) At the crossroads, take the wide path on the right. Continue along this path, ignoring any side trails. Keep going in the same direction until you emerge from the woods, with the Aire de la Lune in sight.

(7) At the viewpoint (picnic table), turn right and walk to the village of Boursault. Take Rue Dom Pérignon, then turn left onto Rue Jeanne d’Arc and right onto Rue de la Duchesse d’Uzès. Walk past the church, the restaurant and the wash house. You will then pass the park entrance, where you can see the château.

(8) From the park entrance, continue along the small road that runs alongside the estate wall and head towards Villemongeois on the left.

(9) Walk through Villemongeois, turn right and walk past the wash house. Join the D222, turn left and walk for 50 metres until you reach a junction with a vineyard track.

(10) Turn right onto the vineyard track and continue straight on. Pass under the power line. Walk to a T-junction.

(11) Turn left at the junction and walk to the D3 road.

(12) When you reach the road, turn right and follow it until you reach the traffic lights.

(13) At the traffic lights, cross the road and turn left towards Damery. Cross the railway line and walk along the plane trees. Continue to the bridge over the Marne, then on to the Port de Damery (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 233 ft - Port de Damery
  2. 1 : mi 0.08 - alt. 233 ft - Towpath - Marne (la)
  3. 2 : mi 1.54 - alt. 223 ft - Crossroads
  4. 3 : mi 2.26 - alt. 292 ft - Farm track
  5. 4 : mi 2.98 - alt. 630 ft - Ferme de la Chapotte
  6. 5 : mi 3.41 - alt. 650 ft - Start of the trail
  7. 6 : mi 4.7 - alt. 771 ft - Crossroads
  8. 7 : mi 5.75 - alt. 643 ft - Aire de pique-nique de la Lune à Boursault
  9. 8 : mi 6.39 - alt. 505 ft - Château de Boursault
  10. 9 : mi 6.46 - alt. 479 ft - Towards Villemongeois
  11. 10 : mi 6.81 - alt. 371 ft - Wine trail
  12. 11 : mi 7.28 - alt. 351 ft - T-junction
  13. 12 : mi 7.46 - alt. 240 ft - D3 road
  14. 13 : mi 7.64 - alt. 230 ft - Traffic lights
  15. S/E : mi 8.26 - alt. 233 ft - Port de Damery

Notes

Restaurants in Boursault and Damery with outdoor seating. Shops in Damery.

Lovely picnic areas in Damery, at the start, and in Boursault, halfway along the route.

Avoid the woods on hunting days and take the small road from Vauciennes to Boursault.

Worth a visit

Boursault Castle: a wine-growing estate. The castle is not open to visitors.

A pretty wash house in Vauciennes, behind the church, a short detour away.

Winegrowers in the three villages along the route; champagne available for purchase. In the cafés, you can enjoy a glass of champagne.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
virgule
virgule
• Edited:

Hello,

Where did you lose track of them?

I’m surprised it was so busy, as there’s usually no one there. I suppose there must have been a special event that day.

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User 7323948

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
We were quite happy with the first two-thirds of the walk, but then we lost our way... was it because the signposts had disappeared, or because we didn’t see them?
We cut the circular loop short by 2 km

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domi51240
domi51240

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very enjoyable walk with a varied landscape: plains, vineyards, woodland and villages.:great(great)great:

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virgule
virgule

Hello, and thank you for this review

The wash houses are mentioned in the introduction, and there’s a photo of the one in Vauciennes. They really are very pretty, and provide shelter in case of rain.

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Jeromeclaire
Jeromeclaire

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It’s a very pleasant walk through the vineyards and woods
The start of the route takes us too far along the Marne, which isn’t particularly interesting
You can turn right, cross the level crossing and head towards the vineyards
After that, it’s fine
The route doesn’t highlight the lovely sights to see, such as the beautiful wash house at Vauciennes
Thank you to those who put these routes together.

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berthomas
berthomas

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An autumn walk, accompanied by lovely morning sunshine, offering several beautiful views over the Marne Valley; long stretches through the forest, with its stunning colours and pleasant scents. The only downside is having to walk alongside roads towards the end of the route, but there’s no way round it; all in all, a walk I’d highly recommend.

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virgule
virgule

The hunting season has begun. If you see any signs or hear gunshots, as mentioned in the description, DO NOT GO THROUGH THE WOODS.

Avoid the woods on hunting days and take the small road from Vauciennes to Boursault.

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virgule
virgule
• Edited:

Thank you for the quick approval

I’ll be adding more routes that are a mix of walking and sightseeing, and mostly half-day trips. I’ve noticed that routes longer than 20km are very rarely taken.

This route will appeal to those who want to spend an afternoon out and about, discovering the local heritage, without getting lost deep in the woods.

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