Are you looking for the ideal hiking trail to get away from it all for a few hours? You’ve come to the right place! Aube en Champagne offers you a range of walks that are as beautiful as they are surprising, allowing you to escape into the heart of a preserved natural environment. Put on your trainers and go for a walk. It’s time to be surprised by the varied landscapes and to let yourself be guided along the rural paths.
So, are you ready to walk in the Aube?
In the land of remarkable trees
The Othe forest constitutes a remarkable natural border between the Armance Valley and the Pays d’Othe. The Arbres Remarquables trail (Remarkable Trees) offers a digest of greenery for a journey of the senses. This “green collection” is the result of a precious inventory carried out over several years.
Along the way, twenty or so Remarkable Trees are revealed for their bearing, their location or their morphology. A bald cypress, a rare 350-year-old conifer, can be seen near Ervy-le-Châtel, which has been designated a “Petite Cité de Caractère”(Little Town of Character label). The forest of Aumont is home to a quintamelle oak, identifiable by its 5 trunks coming from the same stump. The Cornier tree, one of the oldest oaks in France (nearly 800 years old), is located in Vosnon. The oak is the star of the local forests but more exotic species, imported by the local lords, have acclimatised well here. The splendid Japanese Sophora in the forest of Crogny is an example of this.
Life is a long quiet river
Starting from the town centre of Nogent-sur-Seine, walk along the banks of the Seine for a 12km trail to reach the village of Marnay-sur-Seine. Take the opportunity to appreciate the botanical garden of Marnay-sur-Seine, a formidable laboratory of biodiversity. Stroll through the different parts of the garden arranged according to a path of about twenty themes: the rose gardens, the medicinal plants, the condiment plants, the vegetable garden, the green wall… Over 3000 plant species await you in a 2 hectare area that is well worth a visit.
Renoir paths
Discover the world of the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoirthanks to different routes starting from Essoyes, a typical Champagne village that looks like a work of art nestled in the middle of the vineyards, which inspired the artist so much. Stroll through the valley, keeping an eye on the river Ource which seems to have had a great influence on the painter both to soothe his spirit and to illuminate his work. You will no longer be insensitive to his brushstrokes after this walk.
The winegrower’s path
Vines, vines and more vines! The winegrower’s path starting from the village of Celle-sur-Ource proposes to discover one of the most grandiose and typical landscapes of the Champagne vineyards of the Côte des Bar. Its three affluents: the Arce, the Ource and the Laignes, join the Seine. Forests and hills covered with vines are adorned with changing colours according to the seasons. The village of Celles-sur-Ource now has more than 40 winegrowers who make their own Champagne.
I thought I saw a salamander
In the state forest of Le Temple and near the lakes, the 2.5 km Salamander discovery trail is lined with information panels to discover the forest, its conservation and its wild hosts, in particular batrachians such as salamanders, newts, frogs and other toads.
The cadoles of the Aube
These small dry-stone huts, which protected the winegrowers from bad weather, are now an integral part of the winegrowing heritage of Aube en Champagne. Two routes are possible to discover nature and the cadoles proudly standing on your way around the villages of Les Riceys and Courteron. The world is your oyster!
