Iges Peninsula

The Iges peninsula, formed by a circular bend in the Meuse downstream from Sedan, has always been a crossing point. A secondary Roman road, linking the two major routes from Reims to Cologne and from Reims to Trier, passed through Iges and crossed the Meuse via a paved ford. Following the surrender of 1870, 80,000 French soldiers were crammed onto the peninsula in appalling conditions before being transferred to Germany, hence the name ‘Camp de la Misère’ (Camp of Misery) given to the peninsula.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.87 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 77 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 78 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 204 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 150 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Glaire (08200)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 49.71106° / E 4.912083°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3009SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Park at the side of Rue de Villette. Start in front of the Pays Sedanais information board, near the wash house.

Yellow PR® markings.

(S/E) Join the D29 (Rue du Maréchal Foch), turn left towards Iges and cross the bridge over the Canal de l'Est.

(1) Immediately afterwards, turn right onto the path running alongside the canal for 30 metres, then take the path diagonally to the left.

(2) Cross the D29 and go round the IME buildings on the left via Chemin de la Justice. After the cemetery (on the left, former ice house), the gently ascending path leads through fields beneath a high-voltage power line. At the next junction, turn right towards the copse and the Meuse, go down the paved path known as the Roman road and rejoin the D29.

(3) Cross the road and take Chemin du Clos-Bailly, which heads left along the Meuse. Pass the junction by turning right, then continue along the grassy path called Chemin des Vallées to the foot of Iges.

(4) Turn left onto Rue du Bac, which leads up to the church, then cross the village via the street on the left (Rue du Treffort).

(5) At the wayside shrine, turn right onto Chemin de Villette for 500 m. At the top of the hill, take the path on the left
path leading to Mont d’Iges (208 m), marked by a stone marker. ''Panoramic view of the villages on
the other bank of the Meuse and the Piot cross.”

(6) Head south down the path which turns right at a right angle. Then continue left along the Route de Villette to the entrance to the hamlet. Go straight on, ignoring the lane leading to the castle.

(7) Turn right onto Rue Pastorale and head towards the church surrounded by the cemetery. ''To the north, a view of the
towers of Villette Castle''. Continue along the street that circles the hamlet.

(8) At the junction, continue straight ahead along the Voie Verte beside the canal and rejoin the route taken at the start.

(1) Turn right onto Rue du Maréchal Foch, then right again onto Rue de Bellevue, to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 153 m - Rue de Villette
  2. 1 : km 0.21 - alt. 155 m - Junction of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 0.48 - alt. 152 m - D29 - Meuse (fleuve)
  4. 3 : km 1.63 - alt. 158 m - Clos Bailly Path
  5. 4 : km 3.07 - alt. 151 m - Rue du Bac
  6. 5 : km 3.62 - alt. 167 m - Calvary
  7. 6 : km 4.45 - alt. 204 m - Marker 208, Mont d'Iges
  8. 7 : km 6.23 - alt. 157 m - Rue Pastorale
  9. 8 : km 6.8 - alt. 156 m - Greenway
  10. S/E : km 7.87 - alt. 153 m - Rue de Bellevue

Notes

Mixed terrain: road and forest tracks. Hike requiring no special equipment. The route can also be completed by mountain bike.

Worth a visit

(2) You can also take the D29, 200 m to the left, to reach the Grotte d’Iges, a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes situated next to some old quarries. It was built by the parishioners to thank the Virgin Mary for sparing them during the Great War.

(3) On the right, follow the ferry road to see the ferryman’s house, 200 m away.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Denis26
Denis26 ★

Lywa, your alert may be turned off. To make it work, open the app, go to the "Settings" menu, then select "Distance Alert". Tap on it and a window will open with the options "Off", "Once" and "Every minute".
Choose the one that suits you; personally, I use the ‘every minute’ alert...

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Lywa
Lywa

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A comment about the app: why isn’t there an audio alert when you go the wrong way?
Otherwise, I really appreciate being able to discover new walks, which are always easy to follow with the maps.

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le carolo
le carolo

Point 5: At the top of the hill, take the dirt road on the left that leads to...

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Guynemer
Guynemer

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

21 February 2025
A very pleasant walk, suitable for everyone. Perfectly signposted.

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ouvre pascale
ouvre pascale

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk with beautiful scenery and a bit of history

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aflagnier
aflagnier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant circular loop, ideal for walkers who don’t want to walk more than 10 km or tackle significant elevation gains. There are quite a few points of interest: the concentration camp for French prisoners in 1870 (information boards); the Grotte d’Iges, a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes; and the beautiful village of Vilette (church, castle).
I visited on 31 October 2022, and there is still roadworks at the finish, but it’s easy to get round.
Finally, bear in mind that half the route is on (narrow) tarmac roads, but they’re still very pleasant.
As an anecdote, I came across a heifer that had escaped from its pasture on the Chemin des Deux Vallées... We had a bit of a brush as the path isn’t very wide between the barbed wire fences.

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RayNet
RayNet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A little surprise on arrival: the road leading to the starting point was undergoing major roadworks. I hope the work will be finished by 1 November, but I have my doubts.
It was a pleasant route with very little elevation gain. It’s great for getting some fresh air.
The only slight downside: the long straight stretch at the end of the walk. But there’s no way round it because the road follows the railway line.
The distance of around 10km, if you visit the cave and the landing stage for the old ferry, is perfect for this walk with family or friends who aren’t used to hiking. (For them, you could plan to split it in two with a quick lunch in the countryside.)

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