Neuville-Sous-Montreuil combines a distinctive connection to its landscape with nature themes and a clearly datable architectural history. The Canche and Course rivers meet here. A natural area classified as a ZNIEFF Type 1, the gardens of the Chartreuse de Neuville, and Saint-Vaast Church provide further, distinct points of reference. Your choice of location can therefore take in river landscapes, biodiversity, and local architecture. You can decide what to focus on depending on whether you are more interested in landscape or the history of a specific religious building.
River landscapes and natural areas
The area classified as a ZNIEFF Type 1 is called “BOIS TOURBEUX, MARAIS ET PRAIRIES ALLUVIALES DE LA CALOTTERIE ET D'ATTIN A NEUVILLE-SOUS-MONTREUIL” and covers 309 hectares. The French name refers to peatland forests, marshes, and floodplain meadows. These specific landscape features are explicitly reflected in the name; the confluence of the Canche and Course rivers is a separate geographical point of reference. The figure of 309 hectares refers to the natural area. When getting to know the location, you can therefore distinguish between two scales: its position at the meeting of the rivers and the stated extent of the natural area. This allows you to consider the river setting and the named natural area as separate aspects of the landscape.
The gardens of the Chartreuse de Neuville offer another explicitly identified perspective on nature. They raise awareness of respect for nature and the preservation of wild and cultivated biodiversity. Their purpose therefore encompasses both kinds of diversity—wild and cultivated. The difference from the natural area is useful when planning your trip: there, the focus is on the name, classification, and area; in the gardens, it is on respect for nature and biodiversity. This gives you two distinct ways to include nature in your choice of location.
Chartreuse: cycle route and parking
The Chartreuse de Neuville is also the starting point of the 19 km section of the V362 cycle route, “Au fil de l’eau” (“Along the Water”). The distance indicates the length of this section and can be used as a route-planning measure; it is not a journey time. The route and parking information answer different practical questions: one identifies the starting point and section length, while the other specifies where you can park at the Chartreuse. Parking is permitted only on the left-hand side of the main access road or in the pasture. Keep this restriction in mind if you include the Chartreuse in your travel plans.
Saint-Vaast: two building phases
Saint-Vaast Church provides a historical focus. The present-day church dates from the early 20th century and replaced a medieval church that stood on the site of the current cemetery. Saint-Vaast was built to plans by architect Clovis Normand to replace an earlier place of worship; the construction was funded in full by the monks of the Chartreuse Notre-Dame-des-Près. The building history therefore places the predecessor and the present-day church in chronological order: the medieval church stood on the site of the current cemetery, while the early-20th-century date situates the present building. Clovis Normand was responsible for the plans, and the monks of the Chartreuse Notre-Dame-des-Près provided the full funding. Saint-Vaast thus offers a specific historical point of reference alongside the nature themes and route planning when choosing your location.
Discover more destinations: Bourlon, Ytres, Mazingarbe, Annay, Peuplingues, Hucqueliers, Outreau, LĂ©pine
For the wider travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.
