Terril de Pinchonvalles, Bois des Bruyères et voyettes de Givenchy

Park at Givenchy-en-Gohelle, Place Raoul Briquet, opposite the Town Hall and near the church.

(S/E) Head towards the church and immediately turn left onto Rue de l'Égalité. Shortly after the school, take the street on the left that enters the new housing estate. Turn immediately left, then right and right again to find the entrance to a path on your left.

(1) Take this path. At the fork, take the left-hand path to pass between the wall and the hedge and join Rue Jean Jaurès. Follow it to the right. After about twenty metres, you will find the entrance to a small lane on the left.

(2) Take this small lane, which turns left at a right angle and joins Rue Marcel Sembat.

(3) Take Rue Marcel Sembat on the right. After about a hundred metres, turn left onto Rue Montesquieu. Take the first street on the right, Rue Victor Hugo, and you will reach the entrance to Bois des Bruyères. Go through the gate, follow the main path, ignoring a path on the left, and you will reach a crossroads.

(4) Turn right. At the next fork, keep to the right and continue along this relatively well-maintained path through the wetlands (wooden walkway). At the T-junction, take the path on the right and continue to the exit of the woods (barrier). Cross the road and continue straight ahead to enter the housing estate. Go to the end of the street and turn left. Near the antenna, the path turns right to reach a fork.

(5) Take the GRP® on the left. Follow this path through the undergrowth, which is very wet in places, until you reach a barrier. Go through it and you will come to another barrier. Go through it to enter the Terril de Pinchonvalles site and you will immediately reach a fork.

(6) Turn right and follow the winding path to reach the terrace. Continue along the wide path. At the end, take a short detour to the right to reach the viewpoint (orientation table). Return to the path and you will immediately reach a fairly steep staircase.

(7) At the bottom, turn right. Shortly afterwards, take the path on the left and continue level. Continue along the edge of the slag heap or a little further to the left in the undergrowth; the two paths eventually meet. You will reach a sign.

(8) Turn left at the hairpin bend onto the descending staircase: before going down, you can make a round trip to the viewpoint. Follow the track, which turns right twice and reaches a T-junction.

(9) Take the right path on the right that passes at the foot of the slag heap. At the end, turn right onto a staircase that leads back to the crossroads you passed on the way there.

(7) Continue straight ahead to the T-junction. Follow the path on the left to reach the foot of the winding climb.

(6) Take the path on the right, go through the first gate and head towards the one on the right. Go through it and continue along the path through the woods to reach the D51. Cross it and take the path opposite (gate). Ignore a path on the left and reach a fork.

(10) (see practical information).Take the path on the right. At the fork, follow the left-hand path and you will reach a barrier. Go through it and you will reach Rue des Normands. Follow it on the left towards the stadium. After the stadium, take the footpath on the left and you will arrive opposite the motorway.

(11) Turn left onto the path going uphill alongside the A26 motorway and you will reach a fork.

(12) Follow it on the left: it is often very damaged! You will reach a memorial stone.

(13) Take the track that descends to the left and you will reach the first houses of Givenchy.

(14) Turn right onto the first path and join Rue Galliéni. Follow it to the left, pass Rue Casimir Beugnet coming from the right and, a few metres further on, look for a path leading off to the left (just after the dog grooming salon).

(15) Take this small lane which turns right and joins Rue Isaïe Pruvost. Follow it on the right. At the T-junction, turn left towards the church and, opposite it, turn left to reach the car park where you started (S/E).

It is quite short, but the paths can be difficult.
Good footwear and at least one walking stick are highly recommended.

At point (10), the old route through the southern tip of the woods is almost impossible. I went there on 9 February 2026, but it requires a touch of madness and is practically impossible to describe. However, there is a rough path that may herald better days ahead.

However, it is possible to reach the motorway by crossing the Bois de l'Abîme: at the point (10), go straight ahead. At the fork, take the right-hand path. At the end of the bend, find a path on the right (barrier). Take this path, which immediately slopes to the left. Follow this long, straight path, which is blocked by a few easily passable trees (14/02/2026). As you approach the motorway (which you can hear clearly!), the path narrows, but you can easily pass through to reach the main path that runs alongside the motorway. Follow it to the left and you will quickly reach the point (12). You will find the route on the "Le bois de l'abîme et de Givenchy depuis Angres" hike between point 4 and the motorway.

Terril de Pinchonvalles
https://eden62.fr/espaces-naturels-a-dec...

Bois des Bruyères
https://eden62.fr/espaces-naturels-a-dec...