Courtagnon Valley

In the heart of the Montagne de Reims Regional Nature Park, come and discover this walk that takes you across both sides of the Courtagnon valley, a small village in Champagne situated at the end of a dead-end road. A touch of mid-mountain atmosphere.

Details

3011659
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.72 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 174 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 177 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 263 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 177 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Courtagnon (51480)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 49.142294° / E 3.94817°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2712E, 2713E, 2812O
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Car park in front of Courtagnon Town Hall.

(S/E) Head south along Rue de Ruelle, then Rue des Chaillaux.
As you enter the forest, the street becomes a path. Continue straight ahead.

(1) After the climb, when the path becomes a track again, turn left and follow this track to the end.

(2) Turn left and head down to the forest road, which you then follow to the left. Turn right onto Chemin de la Messe for 500m.

(3) Turn left and follow the track to the edge of the woods. Follow this track, which then climbs steeply after leaving the edge of the forest.

(4) Turn left and follow the edge of the woods (staying within the woods) until you reach a path on the right that climbs steeply up the slope. Reach the highest point.

(5) Turn left and follow a flat path for a good while. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead.

(6) At the fork, turn left (you can go right but after a while the path is poorly marked), and after about 300 metres, start to go downhill (be careful, this section can be slippery in wet weather), and join the path that runs alongside the field.

(7) Turn left; be careful, as there is a steep climb over a short distance. Take the road on the right leading back to the village (if it is too wet, this section can be tricky, so you can continue straight ahead to rejoin the road), cross the Ardre and return to the car park where you started

(S/E) You’ve arrived.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 180 m - Courtagnon car park
  2. 1 : km 0.93 - alt. 250 m - Turn left after the climb
  3. 2 : km 2.06 - alt. 259 m - To the left
  4. 3 : km 3.53 - alt. 210 m - Turn left onto the path.
  5. 4 : km 4.15 - alt. 251 m - Edge of the wood
  6. 5 : km 5.11 - alt. 263 m - Turn left once you reach the top.
  7. 6 : km 6.56 - alt. 255 m - Turn right or go straight on (shortcut)
  8. 7 : km 7.54 - alt. 216 m - Turn left or go straight on towards the road. - Ardre (rivière)
  9. S/E : km 8.71 - alt. 178 m - Courtagnon car park

Notes

Caution: the ground may be slippery in wet weather (and some sections may be very muddy if it has rained). It may be advisable to bring walking poles and waterproof footwear.

Worth a visit

- A few remarkable trees.
- Beautiful views over the valley (not very deep)

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
virgule
virgule

And today, it was even muddier than last week. Best left to seasoned hikers

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virgule
virgule

Hello,

I was there today. It’s definitely best done in dry weather. Which means not at the moment

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tl6771
tl6771

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route runs mainly through woodland, but as it’s off the main roads, you don’t come across many people.
So there aren’t many open views...
No particular difficulties; it took us 2½ hours to complete the route.
All in all, a lovely Sunday walk.

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Alexandre P3.
Alexandre P3.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting hike with some lovely views.
Mostly through the forest.

However, I did it (in fine weather) in January. I’d say 75% of the path was slush.
Best done during the warmer months.

It’s worth noting that we were lucky enough to see a herd of wild boars dashing through the forest just 20 metres away from us.

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VDumoulin
VDumoulin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

With the GPS route on the IGN map, I had no trouble finding my way... A pleasant hike

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Francis BUREAU
Francis BUREAU

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I missed the path to the church (there are no signs) and had to turn back (there are yellow PR signposts pointing in the right direction). Between points 3 and 4, I’m not sure if I took the right route; I followed the yellow PR markings, which share the path with a mountain bike track. After point 4, I turned too early onto the path going uphill; I came out onto the forest road and, after a circular route, arrived near point 5. From 6 to 7, the path isn’t easy (heavy vegetation). After point 7, the section is indeed tricky, and once at the top of the hill, the path is very poorly marked despite a few yellow markers.
A very shaded route.

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BrunoFlyman
BrunoFlyman

Hello, and thank you for your comment, following which I have clarified the route description (and corrected an error that arose after the route was approved and amended).

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Bauthadam
Bauthadam

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A minor hiccup on the 6: we ended up on the road and struggled to find a path
marked in yellow and hidden beneath the vegetation. As there had been major roadworks, we
thought the roadworks had damaged the area. No matter; we retraced our steps
to the Courtagnon junction 1 km away and were able to admire some beautiful columbines along the way.
Thank you

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marcheursduvendredi
marcheursduvendredi

It hasn't been used yet; we're waiting for the good weather to return

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virgule
virgule

Hello,

Courtagnon really is a charming village. I’ll follow this route as soon as possible. I was in that area this winter; the paths are currently very wet.

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