Discover Bourthes

Bourthes connects the landscape of the Aa with a hiking route and a varied architectural heritage. When planning your visit, you can focus on different themes: nature and outdoor activities, or the history of the churches, chapels and rural architecture.

Source of the Aa and La Source de l’Aa hiking route

The Aa rises in Bourthes; its source lies a few hundred metres from the village. There, it begins as a small stream before continuing its course as a narrow, wild river through the fields of Pas-de-Calais. On a broader scale, the Aa’s drainage basin extends from its sources in Bourthes to the outlet of the Audomarois marshes near Watten and covers 665 km². This makes it possible to view the village’s immediate connection to the Aa in the wider context of its drainage basin.

La Source de l’Aa is a 13 km hiking route. It connects the hamlets of Mieurles and Trois Marquets with the centre of Bourthes. The route offers a concrete point of reference for planning your day: you can include the 13 kilometres as an activity in its own right alongside the village’s cultural highlights. The route thus connects the landscape with the village, while the churches and chapels offer another way to explore Bourthes.

Churches and chapels: different phases of construction

The Church of Saint-Pierre is built in the Gothic style and is part of the village’s remarkably well-preserved heritage. Its history spans several phases of construction: after a fire, it was partially rebuilt in 1725. The bell tower was built in the late 1870s. Its style, reconstruction and later tower mark different periods in the history of the same building.

The Chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel is located in the hamlet of Trois Marquets. It is a brick chapel with a bell. Its history is also linked to a tragic event: in June 1944, it witnessed a bombing raid in which several civilians lost their lives. Its brick construction and bell offer a different architectural accent from the Gothic style of Saint-Pierre.

Another form of local heritage is the Chapel of Sainte-Marthe, a neo-Gothic ruin in the hamlet of Catelet. The Duflos-Destrées family built it between 1863 and 1865. Together with the Church of Saint-Pierre and the Chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, it shows how Bourthes’ religious buildings differ in style, history of construction and present condition. The village also has six wayside crosses, which add to the local heritage beyond its larger churches and chapels.

Local traditions and products

Bourthes is also home to Quilliers à 9 daches, a local sport that has been played for many centuries. The village has two quilliers: square areas where nine skittles are set up. The arrangement explains the “à 9” in the name and also distinguishes this tradition from the village’s architectural heritage. Farm buildings from the 19th century add to Bourthes’ rural architectural history.

Ferme du Patis offers agricultural products to take away in Bourthes, as well as local cheeses such as Pavé de l’Aa and Tomme Bourthoise. Dairy products are sold directly at the farm by prior order. The local offering thus ranges from river landscapes and hiking routes to architectural history, sporting traditions and regional products.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Martin-Boulogne, Dennebroeucq, Fléchin, Bailleul-Sir-Berthoult, Busnes, Roussent, Senlecques, Carly.

For the broader travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.