Echinghen Viaduct

The start of this walk is from the car park of the Decathlon shop in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
However, you can also start from the DARTY car park (the Decathlon car park is often closed off by a barrier).

(S/E) Head back towards Boulogne-sur-Mer (towards the Courtepaille restaurant) via Rue du Mont-Joie, turn left at a roundabout and continue right onto Route de Saint-Omer.

(1) Turn left onto Rue du Général Mangin. Turn left onto Rue Boillot. Carry on until you reach Route de Desvres; straight ahead, slightly to the right, is Chemin Villebois, which you should take.

(2) Go through the gate and enter the former Boulogne-sur-Mer arboretum (Arboretum de la Waroquerie).

(3) 1,630 metres further on, turn right at the junction. Be careful not to carry on straight ahead here, or you’ll end up going round in circles in the arboretum! If it has rained in the previous days, watch out for muddy descents.
Turn right again at the junction about a hundred metres further on.

(4) You will then see two ponds about a hundred metres apart. Carry on and go up the wooden steps.

(5) At the top of the steps, turn right. You’ll come out onto the old “Le Portel–Bonningues” railway line. Take the path up to the left towards the football pitch; walk alongside it until you reach Rue de Bertinghen. Turn left; then head down (to the right) along Rue de la Croix Abot (which you’ll come across again later in the walk). Cross the road and turn left onto Rue Fontaine du Bourreau.

(6) Just past the house and the bridge, turn right towards the Ravin de Pitendal for about 1 km. After the gate, turn left onto Rue Patin and take another footpath (wooden gate) which begins with a steep climb of 250 m, leading to Chemin Vert. At the junction, turn right to walk alongside the A16 motorway. After passing under the motorway, turn left at the junction and continue along a stony track.

(7) Turn right onto Chemin des Juifs and head down towards Échinghen, walking alongside the viaduct. On the D234, turn left to pass under the viaduct. The Ruisseau de la Belle Isle flows on the left. Further on, you’ll reach Échinghen (population approx. 400). In the square, turn left towards Échinghen church (beneath which lies a necropolis).

(8) Turn right before you reach the church. Follow the steep, shaded path for 1 km. At the top, after the hamlet known as ‘Les Vingt Mesures’, go under the bridge then turn right onto the Chemin Vert and follow it for over 1 km (keeping the motorway on your right).

The Chemin Vert leads out near Rue de la Croix Abot (an extension of the road you were previously on): turn right. You’ll come out onto the D341. Decathlon is straight ahead on the left, but before that, we’ll take one last detour to explore La Caucherie. So cross the D341 and turn right over the A16.

(9) After 100 m, turn left towards La Capelle. Walk alongside the motorway entrance on a green hillock. Cross the road and take the Chemin de la Caucherie opposite. Walk alongside the private property (a château whose gardens were designed by André Le Nôtre in the 17th century).

(10) Turn left onto the small path leading to the cycle path, go down the embankment and cross the road. Continue straight ahead on the cycle path, heading up towards Mont-Joie. Cross the Route de Saint-Omer at the pedestrian crossing opposite the Courtepaille restaurant, which you used at the start, and return to the starting car park (S/E).

This circular walk, starting from the Decathlon car park, is one of the nine walks in Saint-Martin-Boulogne (available here: https://www.saintmartinboulogne.fr/cadre...).

It is a walk that alternates between the arboretum, the greenway and the road (around the A16 near the Echinghen viaduct).

If it has rained recently, make sure you wear suitable walking shoes (for muddy conditions).

(5) At the top of the stairs, you’ll come out onto the old “Le Portel–Bonningues” railway line, operated by the Compagnie Générale de Voies Ferrées d’Intérêt Local from 1900 until 31 December 1935. This 46.920 km line passed through 13 stations and 10 halts; it ran in one direction only from Saint-Martin-Boulogne to Bonningues (with a possible passing loop at Colembert). After a period of heavy use up until 1914, the line was subsequently operated on average only twice a day – slightly more frequently at weekends and on public holidays; it was abandoned with the arrival of coaches, which were cheaper and faster. Only the Colembert–Bonningues section remained in service from 1935 to 1947 for transporting sugar beet (find out more here: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemin_de_... or www.randopass.fr/Word/Historique%20de%20la%20ligne%20LE%20PORTEL.doc)