The ‘Hêtre des Batailles’ walk in Châtel-Saint-Germain

(S/E) From the town hall, take the Route de Lorry and then turn left onto the Chemin des Fourrières.

(1) After the sports hall, take the street on the left, passing the wash house on the Ruisseaux de Montvaux. A measuring device monitors the minimum flow in the stream, as its springs are tapped to supply drinking water. Cross Rue de Verdun (M643) and take Rue du Mont St-Germain opposite, which continues as Chemin de la Taye.

(2) At the top of the hill, pass the Mont Saint-Germain archaeological site on your left, which is listed as a historic monument. An information board about the site is located near the Butte des Pins. After the barrier, head down the old Route de Guerre on the left to the car park. Continue along the Route de Vernéville until the junction with the Route de Guerre on the left. Take this path.

(3) At the entrance to the Bois du Reposoir, take the path on the right leading to the Moscou farm. This farm, like the one at Leipzig, was built around 1813 for veterans of Napoleon’s Grand Army. After the Moscou farm, stay on the stony track to the left until you reach the recently built house.

(4) Take the grassy path on the left to reach the Hêtre des Batailles, the highest point of the route.

(5) Continue along the path towards the Bois du Reposoir. At the junction, take the path on the left to cross the Route de Guerre.

(6) After about 250 metres, a remarkable tree can be seen to the left of the path: a service tree, *Orbus domestica*, a tree with very hard wood that was once used to make cart wheel hubs and wine press screws.

(7) Shortly after the service tree, take the Chemin du Reposoir on the right, which descends gently towards the village. Turn left onto Rue de Cléry.

(8) Walk to the right until you reach the square with the large washhouse. The fountain at this washhouse is one of the five historic fountains in Châtel still in use. Cross Rue de Verdun (M643), head left, then take the narrow lane on the right.

(9) Join the Ruisseau de Montvaux. Follow it to the left until you reach the small bridge on Rue de Jeanne d’Arc. Turn right onto this street to reach the town hall square (S/E).

There are several car parks near the start of the walk.

Born amidst the turmoil of war, the ‘Hêtre des Batailles’, with its gnarled form, displays some astonishing features: its size, its tendency to produce suckers, the intertwining of its branches… The ‘Beech of the Battles’, so named by the botanist Pierre Kieffer (1928–2006), certainly deserves to be studied in greater depth and given special protection, as does the entire natural area between Fort Jeanne d’Arc and the Bois du Reposoir, which is particularly rich in biodiversity and relatively well preserved. In 2015, Mr Liegois, a former officer of the National Forestry Office, carried out measurements of the tree.

Height: approximately 25 metres; trunk diameter: 165 cm; branch diameters: 123 cm and 92 cm; several layering points, including one more than 10 metres from the trunk.