Take an unusual route up between Mont Noir and Mont Rouge

This hike crosses Flanders on both sides of the French-Belgian border via tiny paths. And, to gain a little more height, you can try out an unusual means of transport that has been connecting Mont Noir and Mont Rouge since 1958!
This hike is accessible to everyone, young and old alike, with a slight incline to warm up your calves!

Details

9651132
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.95 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 758 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 761 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 453 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 102 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

The departure point is the car park of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church in Saint-Jans-Cappel.

(S/E) Head to Rue de la Blanchisserie and walk up it.

(1) Ignore the street on the right, which will be the return route, and continue to Rue de l'Ermitage on your left.

(2) Turn left onto Rue de l'Ermitage and continue straight ahead along the path. Pass a few isolated houses, then turn left to follow a tiny stream: the Becque du Mont Noir. At the end of the path, pass an old hop field. Join the road, turn right and then right again to reach the Étangs des Trois Fontaines.

(3) Just before the entrance to the ponds, turn onto the small forest path on your left that runs alongside the fence. At the top of the hill, admire the view of Flanders. In late April/mid-May, depending on the weather, wild hyacinths and wild garlic bloom and fill the paths with their fragrance. Admire these carpets of flowers without picking them, so that they can be preserved for years to come. Pass in front of an old farmhouse, owned by the region, and continue to the intersection of two paths.

(4) Turn left to reach the villa of Marguerite Yourcenar,the first female writer to be elected to the Académie Française in 1980. She worked to protect flora and fauna by creating a foundation within the villa, the former castle of her childhood. Leave the park, turn right and follow the D318 to Chemin des Anglais.

(5) Turn right onto Chemin des Anglais. At thefirst intersection after a small chicane, keep left. At thesecond intersection, go downhill and turn right towards the military cemetery.

(6) Cross the RD223 carefully and follow the dirt track directly opposite (not signposted), then turn left onto Chemin de la Potence. Continue straight ahead on the small path and turn right at the next intersection.

(7) Cross a small stream, "la Douve", which marks the French-Belgian border!

(8) Continue straight ahead and then take the path on the left. Notice a strange-looking ride in the distance: the Cordoba chairlift! Created in 1958, the chairlift connects Mont Noir (152 m) and Mont Rouge. See practical information. At the road, turn left and head towards the chairlift station.

(9) Take the chairlift to the summit of Mont Rouge.

(10) Then return to the chairlift departure point.

(9) Take the same route back through the vineyards to the fork a few metres before the stream and the border.

(8) This time, turn left into the small wood. You will need to open a small wooden gate. Follow the forest path to a small tarmac road.

(11) Turn right onto Schomminkelstraat. Continue straight ahead and follow the path to the edge of the small wood.

(12) At the edge of the woods, cross "La Douve" again and you will be back in France! Walk up Nandt Houck Straete. Continue straight ahead at the intersection with Guesne Straete.

(13) Turn left onto Poperinghe Cruysse Straete and continue straight ahead. Cross the Route du Mont Noir very carefully and continue straight ahead on Chemin de la Glaise towards Saint-Jans-Capelle.

(1) Turn left onto Rue de la Blanchisserie and return to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 105 ft - Car park at Saint-Jans-Cappel church
  2. 1 : mi 0.18 - alt. 118 ft - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : mi 0.58 - alt. 213 ft - Chemin de l'Ermitage
  4. 3 : mi 1.41 - alt. 184 ft - Étang des Trois Fontaines
  5. 4 : mi 1.92 - alt. 404 ft - Return trip to Villa Marguerite Yourcenar
  6. 5 : mi 2.13 - alt. 453 ft - Chemin des Anglais
  7. 6 : mi 2.51 - alt. 351 ft - Cross the RD223 after the - Cimetière Britannique (Saint-Jans-Cappel)
  8. 7 : mi 2.96 - alt. 318 ft - "La Douve" French-Belgian border
  9. 8 : mi 3.11 - alt. 315 ft - Return trip to the Cordoba chairlift
  10. 9 : mi 3.62 - alt. 417 ft - Departure from the Cordoba chairlift
  11. 10 : mi 4.04 - alt. 453 ft - Cordoba chairlift
  12. 11 : mi 5.56 - alt. 322 ft - Schomminkelstraat
  13. 12 : mi 6.01 - alt. 194 ft - French-Belgian border, marked by the - Douve (rivière) - Belgique - Affluent de la Lys
  14. 13 : mi 6.64 - alt. 285 ft - Poperinghe Cruysse Straete
  15. S/E : mi 7.95 - alt. 105 ft - Car park at Saint-Jans-Cappel church

Notes

The journey between (9) and (10) is made by chairlift, saving you around 1.6 km of walking.

Cordoba chairlift

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 13586486

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk along a beautiful route – highly recommended

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User 23001107

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very popular with trail runners and mountain bikers, but very pleasant nonetheless.

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Thank you for your comments. I have just clarified that the itinerary includes a return trip on the chairlift.

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Murielle62
Murielle62
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike! At the end of April, hyacinths and wild garlic fill the undergrowth, creating a magnificent sight.
This hike is not marked and can be confused with the Mont-Noir trail and the Jacinthes trail.
Follow the description carefully, as it can be a little unclear at times (see comments above), but the route is still very pleasant.
There is a slight hesitation in front of the Capoen farm (point 3 - pass in front of an old farm), where you may be tempted to turn left towards the undergrowth. In fact, you need to go around it on the right. The information panel about the farm is poorly placed.
The difficulty is described as moderate, which is accurate, but the elevation changes are accessible to all good walkers.

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JMJournet
JMJournet

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route description is fairly good on average. However, you need to be very careful not to get lost on Mont Noir. Similarly, on Mont Rouge, the description is rather brief.
The map shows that the GPS has a minor bug, which adds about 1 km to the estimated length of the route.
Finally, some of the trails are very pleasant, but there are sections on roads or large tarmac paths that are less attractive.

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Julie B80
Julie B80

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this route with two children aged 9 and 6 and it was great!
The weather was nice, there was no one else there, the route was well marked and they really enjoyed the chairlift (allow £5 per adult and £4 per child).

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Chavaichi
Chavaichi

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice route, thanks to its designer, but I encountered two navigation difficulties yesterday.
To help other hikers, I am sharing them here:
- at (8): after crossing the Douve, the path ends in a T-junction > turn left (uphill) to return to the road at the top of Mont Noir, then turn right towards Mont Rouge. If you skip the chairlift stage, continue along the road, then turn right onto the path between the vineyards. Take this path, then turn right. Go through a wooden barrier, and then you will find a wooden gate on the left that you need to push open to continue the hike. Be careful, there is a sea of mud after the gate, and your shoes will not come out unscathed!
- at (11): after crossing the Douve again at the edge of the small wood, you will come to another T-junction > turn right (downhill) to rejoin the Nandt Houck Straete.
Enjoy your hike, everyone!

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Prisci1212
Prisci1212

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike in Flanders with beautiful views and a possible break at Mont Noir. Lots of trees in bloom at this time of year with wild garlic and wild hyacinths. Worth doing again.

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VinceAgain
VinceAgain

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A rather pleasant route, without difficulty, shorter than advertised, taking around 3½ hours if you don't take the chairlift.
An added bonus is to do this hike in late April or early May to enjoy the wild hyacinths and wild garlic that carpet the undergrowth of Mont Noir.

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Fred 59
Fred 59

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route through the landscapes and viewpoints of Flanders, with magnificent countryside bathed in early July sunshine. There were quite a few people around the Three Fountains Ponds (which is normal for a sunny Sunday), but the rest of the hike was very peaceful, with no particular difficulties.

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MICH606
MICH606

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No


A very pleasant hike in the sunshine. Beautiful views and variety (forests, plains, villages).
A wonderful discovery at the chairlift between Monts Noir and Monts Rouge: the Belgian vineyard, one of the northernmost in the world!

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