Saint-Nazaire Path

A walk along the Saint-Nazaire, through the wooded hills of Artois and the Lorette War Memorial (1914-1918).

Technical sheet

28887
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.24 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 87 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 87 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 182 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 83 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Start at Place de la Mairie in Ablain Saint Nazaire.

(S/E) Walk along the square on the left, down Allée Jules Ferry to the small bridge.

(1) Cross it and turn left, going along the stadium and joining the path (GR®127). Turn left and follow the fields until you reach a tarmac road (Rue de la Vallée du Chauffour). Continue straight ahead, then turn left onto the main road (D57).

(2) Take this road to the right as far as the bend, then leave it to follow the dirt track. Go as far as the picnic area before turning right again on the path before you, heading up through the woods.

(3) At the first crossroads, turn right to reach the Notre-Dame de Lorette cemetery.

(4) Follow the cemetery to the right, then before the lookout point, take the right-hand path down through the shrubbery (beware of the steep slope).

(5) At mid-slope, about 50 m before the road, fork left. Follow the path to the junction with Rue de Lens.

(6) Take the street on the right for 100m, then turn left into the next street. Pass the ruined church and follow the main street to the right.

(7) At the end of the bend, before the bridge, turn right along the Saint-Nazaire. Cut through three streets and rejoin the bridge you crossed at the start.

(1) Turn left again to reach the square (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 95 m - Place de la Mairie
  2. 1 : km 0.21 - alt. 86 m - Small bridge - Saint-Nazaire (ruisseau) - Affluent du Souchez
  3. 2 : km 1.27 - alt. 97 m - D57, on the right
  4. 3 : km 2.47 - alt. 178 m - Carrefour, on the right
  5. 4 : km 3.75 - alt. 175 m - Cimetière National de Notre-Dame de Lorette
  6. 5 : km 4.44 - alt. 127 m - Fork halfway up the slope, left
  7. 6 : km 5.09 - alt. 90 m - Rue de Lens, on the right
  8. 7 : km 5.41 - alt. 83 m - Exit the bend, before the bridge, on the right - Saint-Nazaire (ruisseau) - Affluent du Souchez
  9. S/E : km 6.24 - alt. 95 m - Place de la Mairie

Practical information

Start: Start at Place de la Mairie in Ablain Saint Nazaire.

Alternative:
At waypoint (3) possibility of touring the Memorial in honor of the Great War 1914-1918.

In the nearby area

The memorial on the hill of Notre-Dame de Lorette bears witness to the violent fighting of the Great War. The battle that raged there cost the lives of 100,000 soldiers. Today, the cemetery is one of France's leading necropolises, containing almost 20,000 graves and seven ossuaries containing the bones of 23,000 unknown soldiers.
Against the grey skies of northern France, the Romanesque-Byzantine basilica and its lantern tower stand out against the whiteness of their limestone facades.
At the foot of the hill, the Vieille Église (Old Church) also bears witness to the Great War; paradoxically, it was bombed by the French army in October 1914 to prevent its use as an observation post by German troops then stationed in the village.
Nearby, along the path and from the lookout, you can see the mining basin and the twin slag heaps 11/19 of Loos-en-Gohelle (the highest in Europe), the ruins of Mont Saint-Éloi and the Vimy Memorial.

 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.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 35 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Pirlou
Pirlou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Lovely walk with the added bonus of LORETTE and all its history.

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marcheursderoeux
marcheursderoeux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

A beautiful route, well signposted by the Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre. Many thanks to their signposters!

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yvon.meunier
yvon.meunier

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : N/A
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

The climb to point 3 is a clear-cut through the forest, and it will be a few years before we see any good trees again.

Between 3 and 4, the first part of the path is broken up by forestry machinery, which is not very pleasant in very wet weather.

After point 4, before heading back down the Noulette path, make the detour to the Ring of Memory, which is an extra 600 metres of walking.
Sincerely

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bil62
bil62

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A simple, pleasant and easily accessible circuit.

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didkarpdc
didkarpdc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very nice, shady walk.
I recommend

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DelphineGD
DelphineGD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A marvellous walk, with a variety of landscapes (flat and steep sections), plus the necropolis and ring of memory along the way, which are very interesting and moving. Highly recommended!

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capauri
capauri

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Lovely walk! A fine summary of the landscapes of Notre Dame de Lorette. Perfect for exploring, I loved it!

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maumau
maumau

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

this walk is very well visualised

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Laurenceg62
Laurenceg62

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Lovely walk through the countryside! Thanks for the information!

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philippedu59246
philippedu59246

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful hike, but very muddy at this time of year. Better to wait until summer to do it without the risk of slipping, falling...

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alicetaf62
alicetaf62

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful scenery, difficult path with little maintenance, it's a shame.

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dominique.pourchayre
dominique.pourchayre

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

very impressive and moving memorial ring
very well signposted walk, no problems

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Djadja62
Djadja62

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A bit too much tarmac, but it wasn't bad all the same, especially the café at ND de LORETTE.
Why isn't the colour of the walk indicated on the itinerary?

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thom77810
thom77810

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

the route is signposted and signposted throughout
beautiful scenery, magnificent undergrowth
a visit to the Lorette necropolis is a must along the way
a beautiful walk

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Fab C
Fab C

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

1st time using Visorando and never hiked before... Conclusion: very, very good! The route was taken in dry weather, the signposting was clearly visible, the path was well shaded in the forest in places... and the application was top notch. In short, a really nice route to (re)start hiking.

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