Saint-Josse: Nature, Trails and Pilgrimage Traditions

Saint-Josse brings together nature, pilgrimage traditions and leisure activities, with different ways to tailor your trip. The right focus depends on whether you are looking for landscapes and plant diversity, a hike, religious traditions, or activities on land, in the water and in the air. Different considerations matter when planning: route length and difficulty, access to the Bois on the day of the pilgrimage, and different ways to experience nature.

Nature and landscape

The Landes du Moulinel in Saint-Josse cover more than nine hectares. This mosaic landscape encompasses natural habitats and more than 120 plant species. Both the area’s size and the variety of its habitats and plants are central to its appeal. The Les Marais de Balançon route offers a different perspective: from Mont d’Airon, it provides views of the dune belt and the Marais de Balançon, where water and land meet. These offer two distinct perspectives to suit your interests: plant and habitat diversity on the one hand, and the interplay of water and land on the other.

Hiking routes by landscape and difficulty

The Les Bas Champs circular trail is 11 km long, is rated difficult, and starts in Villiers. It provides easy access to the banks of the Canche and the coastal hinterland marshes. The information about access and difficulty describes different aspects: easy access refers to the banks and marshes, while the difficult rating applies to the route as a whole. This distinction matters when choosing a route: easy access to certain landscapes does not make the entire circuit an easy hike. Length, starting point, landscape destination and difficulty rating give you several concrete criteria to help you decide.

Pilgrimage day and traditions

On Trinity Sunday, a procession leads from Saint-Pierre Church to the Croix Coupée, 500 metres from the village. Mass is celebrated outdoors there, after which the procession returns through Saint-Josse. The event combines a route through the village with an open-air Mass, making it a specific occasion to consider when planning your trip. On the day of the pilgrimage, the Bois de Saint-Josse is open to everyone. There, you can draw water at the Fontaine aux chrétiens, see the hermit’s hut, or “Ermitage de Saint-Josse,” and picnic in the undergrowth. Access to the Bois is restricted to the day of the pilgrimage, so plan your visit for that day.

Activities and maritime traces

Laby'Parc du Touquet is located at 11 chemin des Ardronnieres in Saint-Josse and offers activities on land, in the water and in the air. This range puts the emphasis somewhere different from nature observation or pilgrimage traditions: the park centres on activities across three areas. If you would rather plan a leisure activity than focus on landscapes or history, this distinction can help you choose.

A maritime trace can be found on a wall in Saint-Josse. Since the 19th century, fishermen from Étaples and Berck have carved boat registrations into it as graffiti. These graffiti form a register containing details such as home port, boat name, construction and scrapping dates, and the skipper’s name. Alongside the religious pilgrimage traditions, they preserve records of individual boats.

Discover more destinations: Hersin-Coupigny, Bourthes, Labroye, Liévin, Étaples, Longvilliers, Lillers, Chériennes

For the overview of the wider region: Pas-De-Calais.