La Capelle-Lès-Boulogne offers two distinct points of interest for planning your stay: the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste can be placed in context through two construction dates, while the Sentier des Aulnes is a short hike with a stated distance and approximate duration. The commune is also part of a Natura 2000 area. For sports-focused travel plans, the programme for the 2026 Trail du Mont Renard is also relevant.
The construction history of the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste
The 2024 regional heritage inventory dates the founding and construction of the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste to 1851. Four years later, in 1855, the bell tower was added to plans by Alphonse Bouloch, an architect from Boulogne. The two dates therefore mark a sequence: the tower was a later addition and does not date from the church’s original construction. If you are interested in architecture, you can consider the two phases separately—first the founding and construction of the church, then the addition of the bell tower. This chronology gives the church a cultural and historical focus that differs from the information about trail distances and durations.
Sentier des Aulnes: distance, duration and access
The Sentier des Aulnes starts in La Capelle-Lès-Boulogne. It is 3 km long, with an estimated duration of about one hour. For planning your day, this is a rough time estimate, not a minute-by-minute guarantee. Access is via the car park behind the town hall; the car park is on Place des anciens combattants. Check parking options and trail signage on site before setting off. North of the town centre, the Sentier des Aulnes connects via the GRP trail to the Sentier de la Fontaine aux Charmes. The distance and time information describes the Aulnes trail; the GRP reference addresses a different planning question, namely its connection to the other named trail. If conditions change, follow the current trail markers.
Natura 2000 and the Trail du Mont Renard
The commune is one of the five communes in the Natura 2000 area “Forêt de Desvres et Boulogne et bocage prairial du bas-Boulonnais”. The 2026 Trail du Mont Renard course runs mostly through the Forêt domaniale de Boulogne, which includes several Natura 2000 areas. These refer to two distinct geographical connections: the commune’s membership in a named area and the Trail course’s route through the forest.
For the 2026 edition, a 23 km and a 10 km trail were offered, as well as a 9 km walk without timing. The 9 km walk is explicitly untimed, unlike the two routes described as trails. These different formats address a different planning question from the Sentier des Aulnes: the Trail du Mont Renard is about the distances and the specific edition, not the roughly one-hour route of the Aulnes. If you are planning for a later year, check the dates and programme for that edition again.
Discover more destinations: Lespinoy, Les Attaques, Contes, Leulinghen-Bernes, Verchocq, Wimille, Ligny-En-Cambrésis, Cambligneul.
For the broader travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.
