Set foot on the battlefields of Artois

fr

During this walk, you'll enter a beautiful region that was devastated by the 1st World War. More than 180,000 people lost their lives during the Battle of Artois, which began in May-June 1915. This walk starts at the edge of a cemetery where 44,000 soldiers of all origins are buried. Many more are, and will remain, buried forever beneath the beautiful landscapes you're about to cross.

Technical sheet

n°1865217
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.06 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 164 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 166 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 191 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 83 m
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Photos

Memory ring
Hiking trail
Hiking trail
Church of Ablain Saint Nazaire

Description of the walk

Start from the Notre-Dame de Lorette cemetery car park.

(S/E) Head west along the cemetery. At the corner of the cemetery, turn right.

(1) Immediately after, turn left into Chemin du Bois de Mont. Follow the GRP® (red and yellow markings) and the GR® 127 and 145 (red and white markings) from west to north-west, ignoring all side trails. Enter the forest and head west, going straight ahead at each junction.

(2) At the crossroads at cote 181, keep to the GR®145, North/West Azimuth 320°.

(3) At the crossroads, you leave the GR®°, keeping the same orientation (North/West azimuth 310°) until you reach the clearing.

(4) Follow the clearing for 60m, cross it and descend to Bouvigny-Boyeffles.

(5) Take the GR® on your left, which runs alongside the wood.

At the end, turn left into the woods. At the T-junction, turn right and follow the edge of the wood. Return to the asphalt surface at Chemin des Boisseaux.

(6) Turn left-right and follow Rue des Ferronniers. At the end, turn left-right again to take a path around the corner of the house with the grey picket fence. Follow this path, which supports the GR®, to a road. Turn left onto the D75 road.

(7) 100m into the bend, leave the D75 and join the uphill path.
At the crossroads at the end of the forest, continue straight on.
(You may choose to leave the route for a moment to reach the Bouvigny antenna at 800m and then return).

(8) Turn left into a grove. Go around it to the right and come out onto a road.

(9) Follow the road to the left. Pass the Fermes du Bois de Mont on the left and go straight ahead into the Bois de Mont.

(10) Note an oratory on the right. Continue straight ahead at the next junction. Turn right once, then left again along the path. Ignore an exit on the right and come to a T-junction.

(11) Then turn right (south) and descend a valley.

(12) At the bottom, turn left. Head east, ignoring a trailhead on the left. Leave the forest and return to the tarmac. At the crossroads, turn right into the main street of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire.

(13) Turn left into Rue de la Vallée de Chaufour. After the right-hand bend, go straight ahead and keep to the path alongside the river. At the junction (hill 93), go straight ahead. Keep away from the river, ignore an exit on the left and follow along the stadium. Turn right to bypass a second stadium on the right and rejoin the river, which you follow to the left.

(14) Continue along the same road in front of you, leaving the asphalt and taking the path alongside the river. Keep to this path along the river, cross Rue du 8 Mai and Rue du Flot without changing direction, and continue to the end.

(15) Turn left onto the main street. Take the second left at the derelict church, Rue de la Blanche Voie. At the 1st crossroads, turn right into Rue de Lens. After 70m, take the small road on the left. This becomes a footpath: continue to the end. Take the path to the right and climb 76 steps to reach the plateau de Lorette. Turn right to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 173 m - Parking du - Cimetière National de Notre-Dame de Lorette
  2. 1 : km 0.45 - alt. 175 m - Intersection
  3. 2 : km 1.74 - alt. 178 m - Carrefour cote181
  4. 3 : km 2.62 - alt. 182 m - Cross
  5. 4 : km 3.6 - alt. 185 m - Glade
  6. 5 : km 4.06 - alt. 147 m - GR
  7. 6 : km 4.52 - alt. 138 m - Rue des Ferronniers
  8. 7 : km 5.36 - alt. 150 m - Leaving the GR
  9. 8 : km 6.52 - alt. 162 m - Intersection, turn left towards a copse
  10. 9 : km 7.2 - alt. 150 m - Small road
  11. 10 : km 8.28 - alt. 154 m - Straight to the oratory
  12. 11 : km 9.03 - alt. 148 m - T-crossing
  13. 12 : km 9.76 - alt. 109 m - T-crossing
  14. 13 : km 10.94 - alt. 97 m - Left Rue de la Vallée de Chaufour
  15. 14 : km 12.12 - alt. 86 m - Small road on the left - Saint-Nazaire (ruisseau) - Affluent du Souchez
  16. 15 : km 12.58 - alt. 83 m - Rue Principale
  17. S/E : km 14.06 - alt. 173 m - Notre-Dame de Lorette cemetery car park

Practical information

Behind the memorial, you can eat at the "Abri des visiteurs", but if it's a weekend, you may need to book several weeks in advance.
You could also visit the Ring of Memory, where 580,000 names of the victims of this terrible war are engraved.
The memorial can be visited; you can ask the ever-present honorary guards for information.
And on your way out, you could visit the 14/18 museum on the way back down to Souchez, just opposite the first stop sign.

In the nearby area

(15) Built in the early 16th century, this Gothic-style church was magnificent.
Listed as a historic monument in 1907, it was demolished in 1915 by French shelling to dislodge the Germans who had settled there.
You can visit the site and see the many impact points, which give you an idea of the savagery of the battle.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during 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

4.4 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
fleur62250
fleur62250

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

We did the hike today and got totally lost, although I think we'd followed the instructions. Not everyone hikes with a GPS and a compass. We've always relied on the Vizorando maps and this is the first time we've got so lost.
We walked along this whole stretch of forest between the fences, and at the end of the clearing it was hard to know where Bouvigny Boyeffles was if you weren't from the area! There were no signs to indicate it. We therefore assumed that it was a village opposite us and as it says "descend" we followed the path "le bois de Mont" which descends slightly when in fact, I suppose, we should have gone right towards the antenna on the Chemin des Loups as we left the clearing. After the farm we turned left onto the chapel path and the GR 145, entered a forest after seeing the tomb of the healer, and finally came across a barrier blocking our way. For 2 hours we trudged through the forest, only to come across a path again and return to the car park.

There are far too many footpaths, mountain bikes and directional signs in the first part of the hike, which increases the chances of getting it wrong and makes everything uncertain. Points 2 and 3 need to be revised; I'm not even sure we found the right clearing.

Not to be done after rainy days if you don't like mud and slippery ground. In that case, bring good hiking boots.

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Bernard Stefaniak
Bernard Stefaniak

I'm glad you enjoyed it
Especially as I live in an old house 50m from the little river.
Sincerely

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Mister D
Mister D

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A great Nordic walking trail for a group of 10 people in glorious sunshine. We loved the variety of landscapes we crossed: undergrowth, fields, paths with a bit of mud , remains of the church of Ablain Saint Nazaire, the little river to walk along, before finishing with a beautiful staircase
thank you for the trail.

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françois 1
françois 1

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A great 2.5 hour Nordic walking circuit in the rain and wind.
The paths and landscapes are very bucolic. The weather conditions didn't allow us to appreciate all the beauty.
There was very little tarmac on the route, which was much appreciated.
To be repeated in summer.

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MagB
MagB

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

SUPERB walk we did with our 2 children aged 10 and 7. We loved the variety of landscapes we passed through: undergrowth, fields, small villages, paths, remains of the church at Ablain Saint Nazaire, a small river to walk along... Before finishing with a touching visit to the site of the Ring of Memory.

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LENGLART CHRISTIAN
LENGLART CHRISTIAN

thank you for taking my comments into account.
when you get to the foot of the old antenna, you can go and see the new one, which is about 500m away, and on the way back you can enjoy the panoramic view of the former Lens mining basin, which was a strategic issue during the First World War.
Thanks again for this great tour.

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Bernard Stefaniak
Bernard Stefaniak

Hello Christian
I've taken your comments into account, specifying the azimuth so as not to make a mistake at junction 2.
I've also changed the route at point 3 to make it more interesting by staying in the forest rather than joining the village.
I've also narrowed the D75, taking the road around the bend. This means I don't have to go under the aerial, but it makes the place less dangerous.
Thank you for your help
Bernard Stéfaniak

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LENGLART CHRISTIAN
LENGLART CHRISTIAN
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A VERY NICE walk... alternating between undergrowth and fields in a historic area with the site of Notre Dame de Lorette and the Ring of Memory.
There is a small problem with the description at point 2, where you have to turn 90° to the right...confusion can arise because at point 3 you are told to follow the GR and at point 2 everything says to turn left to follow the GR. note that at several junctions there are numerous signs for other hiking trails. the map of the route helped us to find the right path.
Regarding the route at point 7 , going up the hill on the D75 is dangerous and uncomfortable. You have to change this by taking a woodland path on the left as you round the bend in the D75 at signpost 153.
We found this route easy and completed it in 4? hours, including the sandwich break for lunch.

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Bernard Stefaniak
Bernard Stefaniak

I'm glad you enjoyed it Couze!
Have a nice day

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couze74
couze74

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very beautiful course and magnificent landscapes to do again, and the kilometres are good to within 500m but everything depends on gps thank you

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Indeed, 7 km more is quite astonishing. I wouldn't say that the routes are accurate to the nearest ten metres, but we never have very large gaps.
Yours faithfully

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Bernard Stefaniak
Bernard Stefaniak

Wow! 7 km more?
On this site, the routes are accurate to within 10m!
You must have left the route somewhere, but the important thing is that you enjoyed the scenery.
Yours sincerely

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LD62130
LD62130

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : May 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

A very pretty walk in the hills of the Artois region.
The richness of the coalfield is revealed to us with the remains of our battles.
Nature lovers will appreciate the variety of landscapes, the undergrowth and the little river at Ablain.

The difference in altitude and the length of the route need to be checked, however. We have calculated a much greater gain and loss in elevation.
The route is at least 7 km longer.
That's not a problem for the initiated, but it could be a problem for others.

There are still trees on the route, particularly in the Marqueffles woods, but they don't prevent anything.

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capauri
capauri

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

to date, the path has been completely blocked by a falling tree just after point 2

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Bernard Stefaniak
Bernard Stefaniak

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello visorandonneurs
I'd like to draw your attention to a previous comment about major difficulties between markers 12 and 14. Contrary to what is written, there are no particular obstacles at this point.
It's just a mistake by the hiker who commented on obstacles on a path that's off the route.
So you can go there with peace of mind, as it's one of the most beautiful routes in the region.
The only difficulty you'll have is putting one foot in front of the other and starting again!
Wishing you an excellent hike.

PS: I'd be delighted to see your comments

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