Walk through the Sensée Valley

The Sensée valley holds many secrets… Archaeological excavations have revealed a human presence dating back 100,000 years! Today, you can admire impressive stones, called megaliths, incredible reminders of this mysterious past, often nestled in very hidden places…

Hamel marsh - Landscapes - hiking - Sensée - Douaisis - Northern France (c)Douaisis Tourisme

Mystical walk in the Sensée valley

In the heart of the Douai region, the Sensée valley is made up of small villages, each one more delightful than the next. The canals, ponds and marshes punctuating the landscape make it a real nature reserve. During this walk, horse ride or cycle ride, discover the megaliths, erected by our prehistoric ancestors!

Hamel marsh - Landscapes - hiking - Sensée - Douaisis - Northern France (c)ADLanglet

Megaliths, sublime and mysterious...

The ancient monuments, with evocative names, in the Sensée valley plunge us straight into a storybook…

megalith - Hamel - Landscapes - hiking - Sensée - Douaisis - Northern France (c)Douaisis Tourisme

megalith - Aubigny-au-Bac - Landscapes - hiking - Sensée - Douaisis - Northern France (c)Douaisis Tourisme

Pierre du diable - megalith - Lécluse - Landscapes - hiking - Sensée - Douaisis - Northern France (c)Douaisis Tourisme

Le Polissoir - megalith - Féchain- Landscapes - hiking - Sensée - Douaisis - Northern France (c)Douaisis Tourisme

« La cuisine des fées », Hamel :
This stone would have been the place where the Caramaras, evil beings, practised witchcraft… For others, this stone would have hosted the chair on which the Virgin used to sit…

« La pierre qui pousse », Aubigny-au-Bac :

This menhir would be alive! In the shape of a horse’s head, it would change shape every day, trying as best it can to extricate itself from the marshy ground in which it was once sunk.

« La pierre du diable », Lécluse :

A man is said to have made a pact with the devil so that he would rebuild his barn, which had been consumed by fire, before dawn. His wife is said to have made the cock crow before daybreak in order to save her husband’s soul. Realising the deception, the Devil is said to have thrown this enormous stone in anger!

« Le polissoir », Féchain :

Discovered in Aubencheul-au-Bac and then moved to Féchain, this stone weighing more than seven tonnes is the largest sharpening stone in the region! 4,000 years ago, men used it to sharpen their weapons and polish their flint tools.