Cap Blanc-Nez trail - Loop starting from Wissant

Walk from Wissant, through fields and hamlets, to discover the coast and hinterland between Wissant and Cap Blanc-Nez. There are lovely views from the various hills along the way.

Technical sheet

201523
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 18.73 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 287 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 290 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 150 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Wissant town hall.

(S/E) Opposite the town hall, take Rue du Lieutenant André Baude (to the left of the tobacconist), then at the bottom of the street, turn right into Rue Ferdinand Buisson. Cross the D940 (traffic lights) (1) then turn left at the next intersection into Rue du Fort César. Continue along this street and straight on into Chemin d'Herlen until you reach the farm of the same name.

(2) At the farm, turn left and continue to the next junction.

(3) Turn left, cross the D244 to reach the hamlet of Sombre.

(4) At the entrance to the village, turn right at the transformer, then follow the path to the right along the field to the top, where the view takes in Cap Gris-Nez, Mont de Couple, Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer.

(5) Continue for approx. 400 m and come to a fork in the road.

(6) Turn right, then go straight on until you reach a fork in the road.

(7) Take the hairpin turn left and continue for approx. 1.7km, ignoring the paths on either side.

(8) Turn left (tarmac road) and continue straight on to the hamlet of Haute Escalles.

(9) At the "La Grand'Maison" gîtes and guest rooms, turn left, then cross the chicane and go through the undergrowth.

(10) At Le Tape-Cul, turn right twice to reach the bus shelter.

(11) Turn left at an acute angle and follow the GR® path between the bus shelter and the house. Go straight ahead at the next two intersections.

(12) At this point, viewpoint: turn around and admire Cap Blanc-Nez! Continue to the next fork.

(13) Keep right until you reach the D940.

(14) Cross the D940 (with care), turn right and walk along the roadside to the car park on your left. Leave the D940 and turn left through Strouanne to the beach.

(15) Turn left along the beach to Wissant.

(16) At the first houses, turn left into Rue Arlette Davids and go as far as Hôtel de la Plage, then turn right and cross the small bridge to return to Place de la Mairie (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 18 m - Place de la Mairie
  2. 1 : km 0.3 - alt. 18 m - Crossing the D940
  3. 2 : km 1.82 - alt. 30 m - Herlen farm, left
  4. 3 : km 2.95 - alt. 81 m - On the left, at the crossroads
  5. 4 : km 4.5 - alt. 27 m - Dark, transformer, turn right
  6. 5 : km 5.69 - alt. 116 m - Viewpoint over Cap Gris-Nez, Mont de Couple
  7. 6 : km 6.06 - alt. 149 m - Fork, turn right
  8. 7 : km 7.15 - alt. 109 m - Reverse fork, left hairpin turn
  9. 8 : km 8.8 - alt. 130 m - Left at the crossroads (tarmac road)
  10. 9 : km 11.08 - alt. 57 m - La Grand'Maison, on the left
  11. 10 : km 11.93 - alt. 111 m - Le tape-Cul, turn right
  12. 11 : km 12.19 - alt. 83 m - Bus shelter, turn left
  13. 12 : km 13.21 - alt. 92 m - Viewpoint on Cap Blanc-Nez
  14. 13 : km 13.57 - alt. 69 m - Fork, continue right
  15. 14 : km 14.83 - alt. 28 m - Warning: crossing the D940
  16. 15 : km 15.72 - alt. 5 m - Beach, left: beware of the tides!
  17. 16 : km 18.28 - alt. 4 m - From the beach, turn left into rue Arlette Davids
  18. S/E : km 18.72 - alt. 18 m - Place de la Mairie

Practical information

Take note of the tide times. The last three kilometers are on the beach. Stay off the beach for the 2 hours before and after high tide.

In the nearby area

(5) Viewpoints on :
- Cap Gris-Nez: nearest cliff to England (27km)
- Mont de Couple: highest point of La Terre des 2 Caps (164m)
- Calais
- Boulogne-sur-Mer: Napoleon's Grande Armée column and Basilica
(12) Views of :
- Cap Blanc-Nez: limestone cliff 12km northeast of Cap Gris-Nez
- the Dover Patrol: obelisk erected atop Cap Blanc-Nez in tribute to the British soldiers who fought in the Pas-de-Calais Strait during the First World War.

 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

4.8 / 5
Based on 40 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 7535874

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Beautiful circuit with some very fine viewpoints

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Audrey80
Audrey80

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

A beautiful route! Some of the paths are long, but there are some magnificent views! Highly recommended

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riquita
riquita
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : N/A
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

The first third of the route is very beautiful, with fine views of the sea and the English coast along some lovely paths. The return to Hautes Escalles (2nd third) along a road is a little monotonous. We had a picnic in the bus shelter. A pleasant return to the beach at Wissant (3rd third).

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Jldaubresse @yahoo.com
Jldaubresse @yahoo.com

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very beautiful route, both inland and along the coast (to get back, we left the route at Escalles to follow the coast as far as Wissant).

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Caron Daniel
Caron Daniel

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes


It's a shame we couldn't enjoy it more, as it was stormy that day, so we did it the other way round to take advantage of the low tide. Otherwise, it's a walk with lots of roads.

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Fabienne20
Fabienne20

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very nice views. But we could only do it along the beach. The path was partly unprepared according to information from the region.

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les tourterelles
les tourterelles

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Magnificent walk
Superb views

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LuJo1709
LuJo1709

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

The yellow lines indicate the route very clearly. Just some places where a refreshment would be welcome.
For the route. Great combination of countryside and sea air.
Shame that the end of the route is in town.

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Pierre59110
Pierre59110

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very nice tour!

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laguiche76
laguiche76

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

A tour we like to do every 2 to 3 years

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Didier L5.
Didier L5.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

very nice tour in the sunshine. beautiful inland scenery.
Then along the sea on the beach (low tide) back to Wissan.

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gerendo
gerendo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

superb walk in glorious sunshine, we'll be doing it again in August

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texto1
texto1

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : Yes

Hello everyone,
The main advantage of this route is that it's long (20 km) and allows you to stretch your legs over a longer period of time.... Otherwise, there's really too much tarmac.....the views and scenery aren't that great....... To conclude, the route took 5 hours 00 minutes, with a 30-minute lunch break.
The difference in altitude is reasonable, unless you decide to trot between 4 and 5 metres.
This outing will not be remembered for a long time ...........

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Catherine CX
Catherine CX

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

This is a very fine walk with a good gradient, taking in a variety of magnificent landscapes: the countryside, the coast and the cliffs of Dover. There is also a fine architectural heritage.
Spring is the ideal time to do it.
I highly recommend it.

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Sylvain49
Sylvain49

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 16, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

I did this walk when I arrived on the Opal Coast. I really enjoyed the countryside and beach sections. A bit of a climb, so nice to get the cardio going. A bit of walking on the road as mentioned above. So avoid hot days with heavy traffic.

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