Audrehem: Hiking and Heritage

Audrehem offers two distinct starting points for planning a trip: hiking in the Hem Valley and the Église Saint-Médard. La Ligne d’Anvin is a specific circular hiking route starting in Audrehem; the church offers its own cultural and historical theme. A trail, a connection to the landscape and individual details of the church’s furnishings each reveal a different side of the town. If you are looking for a hotel in Audrehem, these themes can help you decide whether the place suits your travel interests, without assuming a set itinerary.

Hiking around Audrehem

La Ligne d’Anvin is an easy circular hiking trail starting in Audrehem. The route is 8.7 kilometres long and takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes. The distance gives the length of the loop, while the approximate time provides an indication of how long it takes. From Mont d’Audrehem, the route offers panoramic views over the upper Hem Valley. Audrehem is also one of the villages in the Hem Valley with lovely hiking trails. This brings together a specific, measured circular route and the valley’s broader appeal for hiking. Both are useful for planning: the circular route has a defined distance and approximate duration, while the Hem Valley connection is more general.

Landscape and nature

Les Monts d’Audrehem is designated as a continental ZNIEFF Type 1 site. The area is characterised by chalk-rich grassland and scrub vegetation on chalk slopes, some of which are grazed. Three notable butterfly species have been recorded there, including the Hespérie du chiendent, as well as a notable reptile species, the Vipère péliade. These details add specific examples of wildlife to the description of the landscape. A nature-focused look at Audrehem can therefore take in both the slopes and their vegetation, and the species named here.

The Église Saint-Médard

The Église Saint-Médard is a three-aisled church; its present building dates from 1650. A separate group of furnishings dates from the first quarter of the 19th century. It comprises the altarpiece of the Marian altar, the tabernacle and two altar bases. The building date and the date of this group of furnishings therefore refer to different periods in history.

The altarpiece is made of white-painted wood and has four columns with Composite capitals finished in imitation marble and gold. The choir contains two polychrome wooden statues of bishop saints; one is known as Saint Maxime. These details describe different forms and materials: the altarpiece with its columns and capitals, and the brightly painted wooden figures in the choir. Together with the tabernacle and altar bases, they give the church a clearly defined cultural and historical character.

A former railway line

La Ligne d’Anvin crosses the former local Anvin–Calais railway line. For decades, the railway ran through Audrehem and Bonningues-les-Ardres. A station in the centre of Bonningues enabled residents to travel on this line. The route and the station describe two aspects of the same former railway connection: the railway passed through both places, while the station in Bonningues provided access to the line. This historic transport link adds a distinct local connection to today’s hiking route.

Discover more destinations: Oye-Plage, Clerques, Stella-Plage, Capelle-Lès-Hesdin, Inxent, Pas-En-Artois, Wimereux, Licques

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