De la cité fortifiée à la cité des marais (rallye vélo été 2015)

Classified among the 100 most beautiful detours in France, Gravelines is a fortified city by the sea. Founded at the mouth of the Aa, the city occupied a strategic position, being one of the "Entry Gates of Flanders". Its star-shaped rampart and external fortifications, works of Charles V and Vauban, are today places conducive to strolls and discoveries. This circuit also crosses Bourbourg, the "City of Marshes", which will surprise you with its numerous sometimes quirky historic buildings such as the former lordly prison. Make a stop at the church of Saint John the Baptist to discover the "Choir of light", a work by the English artist Anthony Caro. After traversing the countryside, on your return to Gravelines, take to the open waters by hugging the channel through which the Aa flows into the North Sea.