Celles: Garden Culture, Pilgrimage and Cycling Route

Celles brings together garden culture, a long religious tradition and a practical way to explore the surrounding countryside by bike. At La Feuillerie park, a distinctive botanical collection and an award take centre stage. The pilgrimage to Saint Christopher has a long history and includes a procession featuring various vehicles. If you would rather plan a route, “A vélo, au pied du mont” offers a 37-kilometre circular route starting at the church in Celles. These different highlights help you shape your stay around your interests.

La Feuillerie and its Rhododendrons

In 2021, La Feuillerie park was recognised as a “Jardin remarquable” by “Parcs et Jardins de Wallonie”. Its botanical collection includes 70 varieties of Rhododendron yakushimanum. The exact number and botanical name give the garden a clear identity: this is not just about green spaces in general, but about a varied collection of a particular group of plants. For travellers interested in gardens and plants, this is a distinctive starting point for discovering Celles from a peaceful, nature-focused perspective. The award and the collection offer two separate points of reference: one indicates the park’s recognition, the other its specific botanical focus.

The pilgrimage to Saint Christopher

Saint Christopher has been venerated in Celles for many centuries. Since 1924, the pilgrimage to Saint Christopher has included a procession featuring bicycles, motorbikes, cars and lorries. This wide range of vehicles makes the procession an unusual blend of religious tradition and different forms of transport. The pilgrimage now lasts eight days. Its long history and its present-day duration are two distinct aspects: the veneration goes back a long way, while the procession featuring vehicles has been part of the pilgrimage since 1924. If you would like to plan your stay around this event, check the current dates in advance.

A circular route starting at the church in Celles

“A vélo, au pied du mont” is a 37-kilometre circular route that starts at the church in Celles. It passes through plains, fields and meadows around Celles and runs along the RAVeL de l’Escaut. This answers two practical planning questions: the circular route gives you the distance, and the starting point tells you where the ride begins. The 37 kilometres give you a concrete guide for planning your day. You can treat the bike ride as a focus in its own right, alongside the garden and pilgrimage, rather than combining these experiences into a fixed itinerary.

Architectural history in Pottes

The Château du Quesnoy in Pottes offers a distinct architectural perspective. The complex is partially enclosed and was once surrounded by moats. The château and outbuildings face one another in a U shape. The château was built around 1631 from a late-medieval keep. Its building history spans two periods: the medieval predecessor and the later construction around 1631. The layout can also be described precisely without focusing on the château alone, since the facing outbuildings are part of the arrangement that has been handed down. For a stay centred on architecture and history, the château is therefore a clearly defined point of interest alongside Celles’ gardens and pilgrimage traditions.

Plan your stay around what interests you

When choosing a holiday rental in Celles, you can start by considering what you want your trip to focus on. If you are travelling for the pilgrimage, the dates are an important part of planning; for the bike ride, the 37-kilometre distance and start at the church provide clear guidance. Garden culture, tradition, cycling and architectural history appeal to different interests and call for different daily rhythms. This leaves you free to choose your own focus and select the experiences that suit your trip.

Discover more destinations: Gerpinnes, Jurbise, Binche, Macon, Froidchapelle, Merbes-Le-Château, Beaumont, Pecq

See the regional travel overview: Hainaut.