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Le 18 April 2025
The Greater Angoulême Metropolitan Trail, an innovative project of itineraries in urban and peri-urban areas. This project brings together hiking, contemporary art, urban planning, and ecology, with the aim of revealing the history, landscapes, and expertise of the region. It will be inaugurated on May 17 and 18, 2025.
Unique Concept and Objectives:
The Metropolitan Trail differs from traditional hiking trails in its location in urban and peri-urban areas. Its main purpose is to highlight the evolution of the territory, the development of urban planning, as well as the history and know-how of the inhabitants. It invites an exploration of daily life and the diversity of the territory.
Unlike traditional trails, the Metropolitan Trail is not conventionally marked. This lack of markings is an invitation to walk where one would not normally hike.
A central element of the project is the integration of artistic projects and co-productions promoting local artists and those from other backgrounds. These works are varied: photographic works, interactive creations, visual performances, sound works, frescoes, etc.
The trail and the artistic works are accessible via a dedicated website: sentier.grandangouleme.fr which also allows you to discover the “making of” the project.
The trail covers a total of nearly 150 km, divided into four loops starting from Angoulême. Each loop takes approximately two days of walking and includes historical and artistic points of interest.
The trail has a strong tourist vocation, highlighting the museums, castles, parks, gardens, farms, and wineries located on or near the route. It also links various elements of the territory: old mills, small hamlets, large housing estates, village squares, industrial or commercial zones, and residential streets. It thus traces the local industrial history.
The loop routes, centered on Angoulême, are petal-shaped, influenced by the area's hydrographic network. All trails cover two-thirds of the metropolitan area's 38 municipalities. Starting points are flexible, with suggestions and connection points to public transport. The trail is integrated into an existing network of hiking trails. Its connection to public transport encourages car-free hiking, and its stages of varying lengths make it accessible to a wide audience.
The two years of scouting served as a "laboratory" for many artists, resulting in around thirty varied works (podcasts, films, comics, photographs, performances, etc.) which paint a "crossed portrait of the city, between narrative, documentary and fiction." A specific guidebook is published, it is a catalog guide that is both a tourist and an artist catalog. It will be sold for €20 and available in bookstores and at the Angoulême Country tourist office.
In addition to the guide, hikers will have digital support, a map per loop with a description, and a free “Avenza Maps” application that works offline thanks to map downloads.
Saturday, May 17 “Inauguration”
Depending on your desires and abilities, everyone can choose between several walks punctuated with activities:
From Champniers – les Montagnes: urban walks with entertainment 8,5 km
- First departure at 10 a.m.
- Second departure at 10:30 a.m.
- Possibility to join the group at Foulpougne Island in Gond Pontouvre for the afternoon only
From Angoulême – My Countryside: guided walks – 7 km
- First departure at 10 a.m. with the CAUE of Charente and the Pays d'Art et d'Histoire Service of GrandAngoulême
- Second departure at 10:30 a.m. with the artist Nicolas Mémain and the urban planner Paul-Hervé Lavessière
On loop no. 2 of the Metropolitan Trail: group hike from Angoulême
- Departure at 8 a.m. for a 25 km course
- Departure at 10 a.m. for a 16 km course
All the marches will converge in the afternoon in Angoulême at Chaix Magelis for a shared festive moment: exhibition of artistic projects, music, presentation of the guide book of the Metropolitan Path of GrandAngoulême and a performance visit of the Moebius vessel with the artist Nicolas Mémain.
Sunday, May 18 “The path is yours”
Join us on Sunday for a welcome coffee before setting off on your chosen loop and testing the guidance app and paper brochures that will be handed out at the start with other hikers. Share the most amazing discoveries and adventures you'll experience near your home through an Instagram photo contest!