Saint-Marceau and the banks of the Vence

A short hike that starts in the woods of La Francheville, continues to Saint-Marceau and ends along the banks of the Vence river, passing some industrial wasteland and the remains of water mills.

Details

4835
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.78 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 174 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 200 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 758 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 502 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

At La Francheville, head towards Villers-Semeuse and stop near the last houses in the Beauséjour neighbourhood, where it is easy to park your car.

(S/E) At the end of the housing estate, take the path immediately after the last houses on the right. Enter the woods and follow the path straight ahead. When you reach the Defoy farm, continue past the cemetery. Continue past the church and around the castle, passing a cross that marks a crossroads in Saint-Marceau.

(1) Turn right and descend, going around the village and its castle. Then turn 90° to the left. Continue until you reach the D951.

(2) Cross it carefully. Continue to the factory car park.

(3) Turn left, cross the Vence River and follow its left bank. You will reach a footbridge over the river. Do not take it, but turn left instead, and you will immediately find a footbridge over a canal.

(4) Cross over, walk along the right bank of this canal, then turn left onto a dirt track to reach a bridge under the motorway. Cross this bridge and continue along a track lined with foundry slag and embankment that runs alongside the railway line. You will reach the junction with Avenue de la Marne.

(5) Turn right. Pass under the motorway bridge again and cross the roundabout. Continue along Rue du Fort to find the Quartier Beauséjour car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 620 ft - Beauséjour neighbourhood car park
  2. 1 : mi 1.81 - alt. 735 ft - Saint-Marceau
  3. 2 : mi 2.65 - alt. 531 ft - D951
  4. 3 : mi 2.83 - alt. 515 ft - Factory car park
  5. 4 : mi 3.59 - alt. 502 ft - Canal footbridge
  6. 5 : mi 4.17 - alt. 509 ft - Avenue de la Marne
  7. S/E : mi 4.78 - alt. 620 ft - Beauséjour neighbourhood car park

Notes

IGN map.
Compass.
Drinking water.
Good shoes.
Some of the old markings are still visible, but the hike described is a variation (markings checked after comments).

Worth a visit

Fort des Ayvelles.
Saint-Marceau Castle.
Charleville-Mézières.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
herve3321
herve3321
• Edited:

Done on 27 December 2023. A bit muddy, best to do it again in summer. Fairly easy route.

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Linglet
Linglet

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk combining houses, a village with a beautiful castle and a road. It ends at the edge of the village with the discovery of ruins and a huge sequoia tree in La Francheville.

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Andy1985
Andy1985

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello
Just a quick note about the route: after the Foissy factory, turn left, cross the small bridge, and immediately turn right along the Vence. The path wasn't very clear during the hike, so we missed it, but we caught up with it a little further on.
Otherwise, it's a lovely walk!

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nono08
nono08

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 23, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely family walk along the Vence.

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henpalo
henpalo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The route is clearly marked. The map is very clear. The walk is pleasant and very easy.
No particular concerns, except that I recommend covering your legs and arms, as the path along the Vence is overgrown with nettles.

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sylvain.noir
sylvain.noir

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

16 July 2017
Nice walk. 1 hour 45 minutes at a leisurely pace.
At St Marceau, the first turn (on the map) to the left is, in my opinion, of little interest. It's better to go straight up, past the church and on to the cross.
At point 5, leave Vence by turning left along the water intake (do not cross the footbridge), then join the path at the bottom of the motorway and follow it to the tunnel that crosses it.

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olivierht
olivierht

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk through the woods between La Francheville and Saint Marceau, where you can really appreciate the peace and quiet along the Vence.
The only downside is that I find there is a lack of signposting, especially in the woods
But I highly recommend this beautiful walk, especially on a clear day.

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AlainB08
AlainB08

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

A difficult passage to find at the start in the forest, then a very good trail. It's a shame that there's a bit too much road walking, even if there's little traffic. Very nice passage along the banks of the Vence.

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Liane Canelle
Liane Canelle
• Edited:

I checked the route described, taking into account the markings I looked for, having not seen them the first time. In the wooded section, the markings quickly lead out of the forest.

However, on my previous outing, the path through the forest was very pleasant, with only one slightly difficult section over a ditch, which was made easier by a rough arrangement of logs. Today, it is nothing but mud and ruts, everything is devastated and the path is cluttered with tree trunks, branches and bundles of wood blocking the way... whereas the section corresponding to the markings is easy to follow.

The second part on the banks of the Vence, on the other hand, is very well maintained, clearly marked by a mowed grass path, and very bucolic.

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visorando
visorando ★

Okay, very well. Feel free to mention Visorando to your club. As you've seen, there are some great tools for planning your routes and sharing them.

Arnaud

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kranenvitter
kranenvitter

YES, for over 10 years, our hiking club has been affiliated with the FFRANDONN2E for about 15 years, and then with the FFSP for 5 years.

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visorando
visorando ★

Is this a trail marked by this club?

Arnaud

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kranenvitter
kranenvitter

This hike covers a large part of the route taken by the Semelles de Vent hiking club (08000 La Franchville), trails around the Val de Vence.

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