“I believe that there is no greater wealth than that found when interacting with other people. I love being a host, and guiding those who come our way; they are usually very curious, and I’m delighted to introduce them to the countryside, to point out paths for walks, places not to be missed, and to tell them where they can find mushrooms. They are always very surprised by our land, its heritage and scenery," says Nathalie Colinet of the "Bienvenue à la ferme" ("Welcome to the farm") network in the Oise.
Over a weekend, between Lille and Paris, the Picardy that you thought you knew as it is so nearby, still has discoveries to offer.
Even the town you live in may hold surprises, “an urban explorer walk changes the way that people look at the streets they may sometimes go down every day" the Picardy regional hiking committee explains. Amiens, Abbeville, Soissons, Beauvais, Laon, Saint-Quentin, Compiègne, Noyon, Péronne, Vervins, Château-Thierry etc. all have a character, museums, old districts, rare collections, pleasant terraces and enthusiastic guides. At weekends from April to November, Picardy towns and villages are also the stage for traditional bric-a-brac markets – more than 300 every year. Whether you’re looking for anything or not, just rooting around is a pleasure for soaking up a Picardy tradition that is alive and well.
On the Champagne Tourist Route in Aisne, “in autumn, it’s like a big gourmets' outing - champagne cellars, apples, chestnuts and grapes overlooked by harvesters when the path runs beside the vines" said a smiling Paulette Beauvais, a guide near Château-Thierry.
Leaving the towns, there are 343,000 hectares of forests! Through the forests of Chantilly, Compiègne, Retz, Saint-Gobain, Halatte, Crécy or Ermenonville, with a walkers' map, the official hiking trails are obvious, leading to royal boundary markers, a mysterious cross, menhir or a spinning stone… just some of the legends that so please children.
During these walks, here you see a wash house or there, as at Pierrefonds, a majestic chateau straight out of Perrault’s tales. We also learn that there is more to Thiérache than just Maroilles cheese over a botany trail accompanied by specialists who will introduce the flora of the hedgerow and edible plants of the fields and ditches.
The Pink cliffs of Ault, the hill topped by Laon, forest trails, Mont Sainte Hélène, chalk banks, towpaths or coastal paths alternate with the open country that changes with the season's crops.
In Picardy, the infinite variety of scenery vies with that of the pathways that local route markers so carefully maintain, “so that walkers can enjoy discovering our region,” explains Michel Urly in the Oise.
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