Vue sur les ruines d'un château médiéval, paquerettes au premier plan

Ancestral ruins

Château d'Arques

Here’s a lovely walk around the Château d’Arques.

It’s high up in the mountains, with a magnificent view over the valley.

The scenery is varied: the village, rivers, meadows and woods.

This medieval castle is now in ruins. It is only possible to walk around it. You can see the remains* characteristic of a fortified castle: keep, drawbridge, moat.

Getting there

A breathtaking

to take your breath away

From the village parking lot, a path leads gently up to the castle ruins.
You feel very small at the foot of the great stone walls and thehuge moat that protects them.

It‘s impossible to visit the interior for security reasons , apart from occasional guided tours, but the contrescarpe* path around the castle is an easy and much-appreciated stroll.

Jeune homme de dos se baladant autour des ruines du château d'Arques-la-Bataille

Practicalities

Park at the Arques-la-Bataille town hall parking lot (place Desceliers).
The path leading to and around the Château is not easily accessible to baby carriages and people with reduced mobility.
The tour of the château takes around 20 minutes.
A longer walk is possible (see suggestion).
Guided tours of the interior of the ruins are sometimes organized: check our online diary for upcoming dates.

Point de vue avec des étangs, des maisons et de la verdure

Panorama

over the valley

Opposite the castle’s main gate, follow the path to the right. As you go along, the views over the countryside are impressive!

First, you overlook the Calmont and Gruchet meadows.
Then the path turns south. In the stone wall, you can make out the remains of a drawbridge.

Another bend and the view opens out onto a magnificent panorama: the Béthune and Varenne rivers join to form the Arques valley.
You can see the village below, the ballastières*, the ponds, and the Arques forest in the distance.

A fortified castle

witness to French history

Built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror’s uncle, the Château d’Arques-la-Bataille has preserved the characteristic features of a fortified castle, such as its square keep, drawbridge and moat.

Thanks to its elevated position and defensive architecture, it has stood the test of time.
In 1589, Henri IV took refuge here and won a battle in the Wars of Religion. That’s why the village is called Arques-la-Bataille.

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Page glossary

* Vestiges: traces of an ancient construction, ruins.
* Contrescarpe: the fortified castle is surrounded by a moat. The counterscarp is the embankment outside the moat.
* Ballastière: quarry where ballast is extracted from rock.