Fartz trail

de fr

Located in a protected natural area, the Fartz trail, dotted with bird observatories, lets you discover all the flora and fauna of Wissant bay.

Details

n°114393
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 2.86 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 95 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 115 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 115 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 20 ft
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Photos

observatory
cormorants seen from the observatory
Cormorants seen from the observatory.
Cormorants seen from the observatory between the start and point 2

Description of the walk

Park near the Tourist Office of La Terre des deux Caps.

(S/E) Take Rue Carrier-Belleuse to the second stop sign. Cross the street and take Impasse Portus Itius to reach the path.

(1) Cross the chicanes and follow the yellow markings into the heart of the protected site. Reach the Motte du Bourg car park.

(2) Go straight ahead along the D940 to reach Motte du Bourg. Enjoy the panorama from the top of the bluff.

(3) Return to the previous junction by the same route.

(2) Turn left, going along the pond before reaching the car park on the downstream dune.

(4) Cross the car park and take the path across the dune to the dam. Continue along the dam to Square Blanc-Nez.

(5) Turn right onto Rue du Professeur Leloir to reach the Tourist Office (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 49 ft - Tourist Office
  2. 1 : mi 0.42 - alt. 82 ft - Junction with the signposted path
  3. 2 : mi 1.16 - alt. 52 ft - Motte du Bourg car park
  4. 3 : mi 1.37 - alt. 115 ft - Panorama of the Motte du Bourg
  5. 4 : mi 2.16 - alt. 43 ft - Parking de la dune
  6. 5 : mi 2.66 - alt. 20 ft - Square Blanc-Nez
  7. S/E : mi 2.86 - alt. 49 ft - Tourist Office

Notes

Binoculars recommended.

Worth a visit

Viewpoint at Motte du Bourg over the Tardinghen marshes.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 43 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 28870748

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, not too difficult, apart from the stretch through the sand, which I didn’t particularly enjoy. But it doesn’t last long. Beautiful views. And fairly quiet for a long weekend in May.

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DE CONINCK
DE CONINCK

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route, starting from the third car park near the headland,
Parking is easier than in Wissant.

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User 29407484

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lush, picturesque trail through the dune landscape of the Opal Coast and the beautiful sandy beach at Wissant, offering stunning views of Cap Gris Nez and Cap Blanc Nez on clear, sunny days.
A magnificent route to enjoy in good weather.

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jacdenis
jacdenis

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk.
A bit noisy in places as it’s close to the main road

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Angèle LEMMEL
Angèle LEMMEL

Hi, I haven't been hiking there yet, but I'll be going in May. Thanks for the info.

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jeangazon
jeangazon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb little walk through the forest, along paths, on the beach, etc.
It would be perfect if the last trail (from 4 to 5) wasn't off-limits to dogs...

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Malyse
Malyse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk to do with the family, with views of the lake and a return trip by the sea.

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Malyse
Malyse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

👍👍👍👍

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CathG57
CathG57

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk during which we spend some time walking in the dunes, which may not be easy for people with reduced mobility or for pushchairs
There are also some steps going up and down
Some forks in the path have been created by the tourist office, so the trail is no longer entirely accurate, but in exchange we gain some great spots for observing the flora and fauna

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User 26146316

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great hike

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User 7535874

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice little circuit

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waki89
waki89

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Interesting if birds are present!

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Michel Ta
Michel Ta

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk with no major difficulties.

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Fremel57
Fremel57

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Family walk, not very interesting at the time we did it. No birds to see, just a bit of flora to observe.

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Fred 6259
Fred 6259
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant family outing
The "viewpoint" stops make for great photo opportunities and give nature lovers a chance to observe the flora and fauna (if you have a pair of binoculars, you'll appreciate this even more).
We did this short walk between sunny spells and rainy spells, but it worked its charm and we all have very fond memories of it.
We'd definitely recommend it.

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