Saint-Etienne-Au-Mont: Dunes, Trails and Chapelle d'Écault

Saint-Étienne-au-Mont combines a landscape of dunes, walking trails and historic architecture. The Dunes d'Écault, which stretch across Equihen-Plage and Saint-Étienne-au-Mont, are a defining feature of the natural landscape. There are also various ways to explore the area on foot, as well as the Chapelle d'Écault, which has particular architectural significance. You can plan your stay around different interests: taking in the landscape, following a specific hiking route or focusing on history.

Dune landscape and nature

The Dunes d'Écault are 5 km long and cover 158 ha. They include embryonic dunes, white dunes with marram grass, grey dunes with mosses and lichens, shrub dunes—especially with sea buckthorn—and wooded dunes. The vegetation therefore varies according to the type of dune: marram grass characterizes the white dunes, while mosses and lichens are found on the grey dunes. Sea buckthorn is particularly noticeable in the shrub dunes; wooded areas are also part of the landscape.

The formation of the Dunes d'Écault is linked to an ancient sandstone and marl cliff, which the dunes have covered. This means the area can be explored not only through its plant life, but also through its geological history. Its natural interest encompasses plants, birds, mammals, insects, amphibians and reptiles. If you are particularly interested in the diversity of nature, these groups offer an overview of the different features that make the area distinctive.

Walking trails for different interests

The Sentier des dunes is 4.7 km long, giving you a specific distance to use when planning. The site naturel d'Écault offers nine walking trails. When choosing, it is useful to distinguish between a single named route with a known distance and a wider selection of trails. You can first decide whether a specific route or a broader choice of walking trails better suits your plans.

The Sentier Communal d'Écault includes a botanical trail where you can learn about the local flora. Some trails at the site naturel d'Écault also have information panels about local history, fauna, flora and the formation of the landscape. The botanical trail focuses particularly on plants; the panels bring together several topics and offer ideas along the way for appreciating the landscape and its history together.

Another option is the Sentier de la Chapelle. From there, panoramic views open up over Equihen-Plage, the English Channel, Boulogne-sur-Mer and its basilica. You can also spot warblers, wagtails, butterflies and dragonflies along the trail. If you plan to take this route, check trail conditions before setting out. Access to the Sentier de la Chapelle is via the car park at Stade de la Cachaine on Rue du Stade in Saint-Étienne-au-Mont.

Chapelle d'Écault and local history

The Chapelle d'Écault dates back to the 12th century and preserves the only surviving examples of Cistercian architecture in the whole of northern France. This gives the route a historical dimension that goes beyond its viewpoints. A visit can therefore offer a different focus from a hike centered mainly on dune formations, plants or wildlife spotting.

The Chemin des Juifs is another historical point of interest: you can walk this route, a relic of the Second World War, along the Sentier des Ifs. Together with the Chapelle d'Écault, it offers a choice of different historical themes—from a medieval religious building and its surviving architectural features to a relic from the 20th century. When planning, you can therefore decide whether to focus more on nature, wide-ranging views or particular historic sites along your route.

Discover more destinations: Pont De Briques, Blessy, Audrehem, Beauvois, Arques, Campagne, Izel-lès-Équerchin, Hernicourt.

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