La Capelle-Lès-Boulogne: Church and Walking Trails

Specific points of interest can help you choose La Capelle-Lès-Boulogne as a destination: the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste has a clearly dated construction history, while the length, approximate duration, and access to the Sentier des Aulnes can help you plan. There is also a connection to another walking trail and links to Natura 2000 sites. This lets you consider cultural history, a specific walk, and the surrounding landscape as distinct areas of interest.

The construction history of the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste

The Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste was founded and built in 1851. Its bell tower was added in 1855, based on plans by Alphonse Bouloch, an architect from Boulogne. This means there were four years between the construction of the church and the addition of the tower. The dates mark two successive steps: the church was built first, followed by the bell tower. Boulogne is also part of this history, as the architect responsible for the tower came from there. If you are interested in historic buildings, this sequence offers a specific chronological link to the history of the area.

Sentier des Aulnes: distance, duration, and starting point

The Sentier des Aulnes is a 3 km walking trail, with about an hour allocated for the route. It starts in La Capelle-Lès-Boulogne. Access is via the car park behind the town hall on Place des anciens combattants. This gives you a specific starting point and an approximate time frame for planning the walk. Treat the hour as a guideline and check the signs before setting off. You should also check the parking situation on site.

Connection to the trail network

The Sentier des Aulnes connects to the Sentier de la Fontaine aux Charmes via the GRP trail north of the town centre. This connection adds a specific link within the trail network to the information about distance and duration: it follows the GRP and is located north of the town centre. If you include this trail connection in your route planning, follow the current signage in case conditions change.

Natura 2000 and forest links

La Capelle-Lès-Boulogne is one of the five municipalities in the Natura 2000 site “Forêt de Desvres et Boulogne et bocage prairial du bas-Boulonnais”. For the Trail du Mont Renard, the landscape information refers to its course: it runs mostly through the Forêt domaniale de Boulogne, which includes several Natura 2000 sites. These are two different perspectives: one places the municipality within a named protected area, while the other describes most of a course as passing through a forest. This makes it possible to consider the municipality’s protected-area designation and the course of the trail separately.

Trail du Mont Renard: the 2026 programme

The 2026 edition offered a 23 km trail, a 10 km trail, and a 9 km walk without timing. The three formats can be distinguished by distance; for the walk, the lack of timing is also part of its description. Together with the fact that most of the course passes through the Forêt domaniale de Boulogne, this gives a specific impression of the range of routes and their landscape setting for this edition. The information refers to the 2026 programme, not to later years. If you are planning for a different date, please check the programme for that year.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Matringhem, Vincly, Leubringhen, Montcavrel, Dennebroeucq, Ouve-Wirquin, Tilques, Troisvaux.

Go to the broader travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.