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Walking in the Beautiful Historic French Ardennes

Only 300 kilometres (186 miles) from Calais the French Ardennes is one of the great undiscovered destinations for walking and hiking. Easily accessible via the A26 autoroute this historic and picturesque region has a wealth of choices to explore on foot.

1000 kilometres of waymarked walking trails, 330 kilometres of bridleways and a host of medium and long-distance walkers' paths: here in the Ardennes, the walker is king!

The routes criss-cross the whole of the Ardennes department and take you everywhere: through the oak forests of the mountains, across the flower-filled plains of the Porcien and along the streams in the leafy bocage countryside of the Thiérache.

Explore the newly designated and restored Green Track. For 83 kilometres along the Meuse River between Charleville-Mézières and Givet the new Green track Trans-Ardennes is an ancient towpath converted into a track for pedestrians, horses, cyclists and skaters.

The Conseil Général and the Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre have published a walkers' guide, Les Ardennes . . . à pied, which offers 45 walks and hikes covering the department.

Accommodation options include everything from luxurious hotels to campsites as well as a wide variety of self-catering and bed and breakfast choices.

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