TOURS AROUND BOULOGNE-SUR-MER AND EQUIHEN-PLAGE

TRAIL OF THE FOUNTAIN OF CHARMS

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 6
Approximate duration: 1h30
Marking: yellow
Theme: Nature, discovery of the fauna and flora
Departure point: Parking la Paturelle, Conteville-les-Boulogne

The Boulogne forest covers 2017 hectares. Throughout this walk, you can observe remarkable trees, as well as a pleasant crossing along the river Wimeureux. There are also many birds, including wagtails and warblers.
Detailed information sheet available from the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office.

COLUMN TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 8
Approximate duration: 2 hours
Marking: yellow
Theme: Rural heritage
Departure point : Decathlon car park, Saint-Martin-Boulogne

In the Denacre valley, you will find pretty 19th century houses and manor houses, most of which were built in Baincthun stone. There are also farms, ponds and waterfalls. The tour also passes by the foot of the Grande Armée column, a 53 m high historical monument made of marble and erected to the glory of Napoleon by the soldiers of the Boulogne camp. It immortalizes the camp where 180 000 men were gathered by the Emperor to prepare the invasion of England.

Detailed information available at the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office.

ALDER TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 3
Approximate duration: 1 hour
Marking: yellow
Theme: Nature
Departure point: car park of the town hall of La Capelle-lès-Boulogne

The state forest of Boulogne-sur-Mer is the main forest in the department.
With its 2018 hectares, it abounds in numerous fauna and flora treasures: roe deer, wild boar, hares, squirrels, bats as well as oaks, alders, ash trees, streams and ponds... There are also numerous tributaries of the Wimereux and the Liane. This course is very pleasant for a sporting public thanks to the various infrastructures (obstacle course, explanations of exercises, etc.). There are also signs to help you discover the pond and the characteristic species of the site.

Detailed information sheet available from the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office

PRIEST'S MOUNTAIN TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 5
Approximate duration: 1h30
Marking: yellow
Theme: Nature
Departure point: car park of the church of Hesdigneul-les-Boulogne

This trail offers numerous viewpoints: the chapel of Saint-Etienne-au-Mont, the Mont d'Herquelingue, the Echinghen viaduct, the windmills or the dune massifs of Ecault, but also numerous open environments and essentially agricultural areas. Numerous birds can be seen along the route, such as the skylark, the blue tit and the kestrel. In the 19th century, this path allowed priests to go to the church of Condette and to the church of Hesdigneul-Les-Boulogne.

Detailed information sheet available from the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office.

THE CONVERSERIE TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 15
Approximate duration: 4 hours
Marking: yellow
Theme: Nature and landscapes of the Boulonnais
Departure point : Cachaine Stadium, Saint-Etienne-au-Mont

A varied landscape heritage is revealed along the route: marshes, dune massifs, Ecault forest, garennes, not to mention the panorama of the English coast.
The Marais de Condette is a 35-hectare regional nature reserve, with 345 listed plant species and numerous animal species. There are 2 discovery trails, one of which is open to the public. The Converserie trail takes its name from the building of the same name, "la Converserie", which was a former leper colony in this area. Overlooking the sea and the Liane valley, the site is remarkable.

Detailed information available at the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office.

SAINT JEAN BAY TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 12
Approximate duration: 3 hours
Marking: yellow
Theme: Nature, discovery of the fauna and flora
Departure point: Wimeureux tourist information office

On this trail, you will discover a varied landscape, consisting of beach, white dunes, forested dunes, grey dunes and you will meet brown gulls, black-headed gulls, woodpeckers and kestrels. Part of the route is located on the sensitive natural area of the Slack dunes, which Eden 62 manages. The dune environment is fragile, so stay on the paths. On a clear day, from the cliffs, it is possible to see the English coastline and the incessant maritime traffic of the Strait. Don't hesitate to bring your binoculars.
Detailed information available at the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office.

BAINCTHUN STONE TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 4
Approximate duration: 1h20
Marking: yellow
Theme: Natural landscape and heritage.
Departure point: car park of the church of Baincthun

The trail offers beautiful views of the famous Boulonnais mountains. Among others: Mont Lambert, Mont d'Herquelingue. You can also discover a recent construction: the Echinghen viaduct, built on a very particular soil composed of limestone, clay and sand.
Baincthun has long been renowned for its stone quarries, which were the basis for the construction of many buildings in the Boulonnais. Whether you are walking along the seaside or in the hinterland, you can easily see this hard stone, with its particular colour, in the construction of manor houses, mansions, religious buildings or even in farmhouses. The quarries are now closed, but the path allows you to appreciate the beauty of the material.

MOTTE CASTRALE TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 1.5
Approximate duration: 30min
Signposting: wooden directional signs
Theme: Nature
Departure point: car park of the Nesles glaisière, next to the Nesles town hall.

The observation point around and at the top of the motte castrale is very appreciable. You can see the Glaisière de Nesles, Mont Herquelingue, the Hardelot forest and the English Channel. The old clay quarry, which supplied the Dannes cement factory until the early 1980s, has been converted into a waterhole which has become an ecological niche for birds and batrachians, and a path to the restored mill. The Motte Castrale is an ancient medieval defence structure, consisting of a large circular earthwork. Built in the 10th century, the motte castrale of Nesles is one of the finest examples of its kind in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Detailed information sheet available from the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office

CHAPEL TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of km: 7
Approximate duration: 2 hours
Marking: yellow
Theme: Panorama of the Boulonnais countryside
Departure point : Car park of the Cachaine stadium. Saint-Etienne-au-Mont

Through the hedges, you can easily admire the Boulonnais countryside, the hedgerows, the cows and horses grazing peacefully. This path allows you to observe very nice panoramas on the area of Equihen-Plage, La Manche or to discover the view on Boulogne-sur-Mer and its basilica.
Site of interest: the observatory of the Chapel.
Fauna and flora: birds, warblers, wagtails...

Detailed information available at the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office.

CASTLE TRAIL

Circuit for: all hikers
Number of kilometres: 14
Approximate duration: 3h45
Marking: yellow
Theme: Nature and rural discovery
Departure point: car park of Hardelot castle, in Condette.

The trail is rich in landscape features: you will discover the forest environment of Hardelot, the wetlands (with the Marais de Condette, a Regional Nature Reserve) and the dunes of Ecault. It allows you to discover both the country villages and the seaside resorts. Today the Franco-British Entente Cordiale Centre, the castle was built in the 9th century and then transformed in the 13th century by Philippe Hurepel. The history of the château underwent a real change in 1858, when John Whitley acquired it and the 400 hectares surrounding it. With the latter, he created the tourist resort of Hardelot.

Detailed information available from the Boulonnais Côte d'Opale tourist office.