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Villers-la-Ville

— A walk through woodlands and cropfields in the area around the ruins of the Cistercian Abbaye de Villers.”

Source: JP Grandmont, Wikimedia Commons

The appearance of the ruined Abbaye de Villers shares much in common with Cistercian sites in England including Rievaulx and Fountains.

Possessing a huge estate and erecting impressive buildings, Villers was a significant institution. The abbey was finally dissolved in 1796 by French revolutionaries and its masonry sold for building materials.

• Walking route: Abbaye de Villers – La Roche – Fosty – Villers-la-Ville – Abbaye de Villers (loop) detailed commentary
• Distance: 20km
• Adapted from an original route by Papylou

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Villers-la-Ville

Fields and forests and the smell of pine: a walk through the area around the famous ruined Abbaye de Villers.

Detailed commentary

Larger map of this route

From the car park, head towards the ruined abbey and turn right. Carefully pass through the old gate (this is narrow and open to traffic) and up the cobbled hill. Just before a crossroads with a chapel on it, turn left onto a track going uphill. At the next crossroads of tracks, continue straight on and descend through the woodland. The path bends to the left, running alongside a stream and as the gradient starts to flatten out, turn right and cross over the stream. Continue briefly up a steep incline and join a wider trail going right. Follow this trail until reaching a crossroads, at which turn left on a track. Descend gently as far as a gate to private land with ponds visible beyond. Turn right here onto a narrower track and go uphill. The track bends to the left and then continues straight as far as a cobbled road (Rue d’Heuval). Cross over the road and continue between fields.

On re-entering woodland, take the left fork downhill. Ignore a signed path to the left and continue straight, crossing a stream and going uphill to another junction of paths just after. Turn left here and the path will become narrow, emerging from the woods and running between houses before reaching a street. Turn right onto it and then left, not following the road but the signed “Sentier de Cour St Etienne” down a driveway then a very narrow path running sharply downhill. Go left on the road at the bottom and follow it straight until two small tunnels appear ahead, over which the railway line runs. The left and nearest tunnel allows the passage of a small river and is fenced off anyway. So take the right one, keeping to the pavement. This emerges at a crossroads with the busy N275. Go left along the edge of the N275 and moments later, carefully cross at the pedestrian crossing opposite the Ruelle Fouriaux. Once over the road, go uphill on the Ruelle Fouriaux. On emerging from the trees at a crossroads with a solitary tree at the top of the hill, just continue straight on the track as it runs between fields in the direction of a distant chapel.

Cross straight over at the chapel and continue on as far as the edge of a wood. Rather than enter the wood, turn left and walk straight along the edge with a broad field on the left side. Continue straight as the path enters the woodland and descend gently as far as a crossroads with a small bridge with white concrete guardrails that leads onto private land. On the left side of the bridge is a narrow path that descends sharply: follow this until it rises again and meets a road (Rue Falise) with a solitary house opposite. Turn left onto the road and follow it uphill, first crossing another road then heading gently downhill as it bends to the left at a sign for the hamlet of Fosty. Take care here as the road is narrow and, though quiet, the verges are steep and offer little opportunity to step off the road when needed.

At the end of the road, turn right. Just after the road bends to the left, take the left fork and cross the stream on a narrow footbridge. Go straight as far as a t-junction of paths, at which turn left. Follow the sandy path into the woodlands and when it eventually bends away uphill, go straight on instead. After some time, continue straight on when joining a broader, more solid track. Eventually, a meadow opens out on the left side and at the far end of it, turn right at the junction, following the red/white stripes of the GR. The track runs steeply uphill and runs between a clearing of newly-planted trees and a pine wood. Go straight at the top end of the pine wood, heading into the woodland opposite.

Follow the trail straight at the next crossroads and eventually it banks steeply down to the main road (N275) opposite the abbey, next to a bar/resto. Cross the road very carefully and, between the abbey road and the car park, take the right hand of two tracks that runs flat next to a stream. The track narrows into a path and eventually runs between fields and the woodland. On reaching the junction at the top corner of the woodland, continue straight. At the next junction, turn left onto a narrow gully path that runs uphill. Go straight at the next crossroads then later take the right fork when the path splits. On reaching the edge of a field, turn right through a turnstile and onto a narrow field path that runs downhill and into a wood. Cross the road at the bottom of the hill and pass a broad meadow on the left. At the crossroads, take the second path to the left that goes uphill as far as the next junction. Turn left here onto a path that runs between fields.

The path descends towards the village of Villers-la-Ville, through a pasture beside the old farm complex (now a chambres d’hôte) and turn left onto the road (Rue du Moulin d’Hollers). Just after a large, old barn on the right side of the road, cross the river then turn right onto a marked path that runs alongside it. Cross a small bridge at the end of the path and turn left onto the street and at the junction, go uphill to the right (Rue de Mellery). Cross the railway line and go downhill. When the road starts to flatten out, look out for a marked path on the left between buildings just before a parking area. Turn into it and head straight next to a pond.

At the end of the trail, turn right and go steeply uphill. At the top of the hill, a narrow path on the left runs steeply into the trees. Turn left at the top of the steepest section and continue straight on joining a small road. This road in turn joins a larger road on a bend. Go straight on it and head gently downhill as far as the next bend, on the apex of which turn right onto a path (not the Bois Pinchet road). Follow this path through woodlands until it descends sharply to the cobbled road with the old gate from the beginning on the left. Carefully go through the gate and back down to the car park at the next left.