Chemin de Rouen

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A LITTLE HISTORY

For pilgrims and travellers from Picardy and Flanders, Rouen, capital of the Duchy of Normandy, was also a major crossroads on the Seine.

There were several ways of getting to Mont-Saint-Michel.
Today's route follows the major routes of the Middle Ages.

After passing through the Roumare forest and crossing the Seine at the La Bouille ferry (where you should check the timetable), the route passes through the Montfort forest, where the mighty château-fortress of the Montfort fault and the Benedictine abbey of Le Bec-Hellouin stand out. The route follows the Risle valley, which has been used extensively since ancient times, and then the Charentonne valley. At Le Pont-de-Vie, near Vimoutiers, the route taken by pilgrims was so well known by the 11th century that it was referred to in texts as "the road to Mont-Saint-Michel".

After passing through the marches of the Pays d'Auge, pilgrims return to Trun on the Grand Chemin de Bretagne from Paris. This route, indicated by Charles Estienne in his Path Guide (1552), passing through Falaise, Pont-d'Ouilly, Pontécoulant and Vire before reaching Avranches, the gateway to Mont, via the bocage.

From one side of Normandy to the other, walkers will find historic milestones and famous monuments, as well as a varied range of landscapes set in unspoilt countryside, with long stretches of forest.

THE STAGES

Total: 360 km - 16 stages

This route is described in the guide published by the Association: The road from Rouen to Mont-Saint-Michel - Itinéraires de miquelots,1 12 € (+ postage)

For more details on this guide, see the section on Guides
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THE DIFFICULTIES :
Some road crossings are particularly dangerous and require the utmost vigilance.
Some stretches, particularly in the south of the Channel, are wet all year round!

Accommodation is relatively good on this route, but sometimes a little limited; to be sure of having a bed, it is absolutely necessary to book for each stage!

Special features:
It's a long route (360 km), which crosses a wide variety of landscapes and therefore requires a good level of fitness.

It is possible to take a variant route on the fourth stage, between Fontaine-la-Soret and Saint-Léger-de-Rôtes.

From Avranches, you have 2 options: you can follow the route described in the guidebook to Genêts to cross the Bay (with an experienced guide), or you can follow the coast to the south and take the seawall.

THE AREAS WE PASS THROUGH AND THEIR LANDSCAPES :
The route starts at the evocatively-named Saint-Michel du Mont-Gargan, which offers an exceptional panoramic view over the city of Rouen.

The route then crosses the Roumare forest and crosses the Seine at the La Bouille ferry (check the timetable). After passing through the Montfort forest in the Eure département, the route follows the Risle and Charentonne valleys. It then crosses the rolling countryside of the Pays d'Auge, as far as Vimoutiers, then the agricultural plain between Trun and Falaise. From Falaise to Pont-d'Ouilly, the route skirts the foothills of the Suisse Normande, before entering the Vallée du Noireau and the Bocage Virois. For the final stages, the route winds its way through the rolling countryside of southern Manche, as far as Genêts, the starting point for the crossing of the Bay.

NOT TO BE MISSED :

- Rouenthe "town of a hundred steeples", the starting point for the Mont-Saint-Michel Pilgrimage Route: one of the guide's fact sheets is devoted entirely to it.
- La Bouille and its old quarters overlooking the Seine
- The medieval castle of Montfort-sur-Risle
- The Benedictine abbey of Bec-Hellouinone of the most prestigious in Normandy
- Brionne its keep and the church of Saint-Martin
- Bernay, a rich medieval townand its abbey church (early 11th century)
- Brogliethe church of Saint-Martin
- Orbec and its half-timbered houses
- Crouttesthe church of Saint-Michel and the priory of Saint-Michel
- Vimoutiers and its Camembert Museum
- Cliffducal city, its castleits ramparts, its churches, its former Hôtel-Dieu (13th-century patients' ward)
- The village of Pont-d'Ouillythe Orne river crossing and the Saint-Roch chapel
- The church of Saint-Michel and the Pontécoulant castle
- Vireducal town with its keep, ramparts, churches and museum
- The panorama of Saint-Michel-de-Montjoie where the Mont was first seen on the horizon, hence the name Montjoie.
- Avranchesthe Saint-Gervais basilica, and its Scriptorial
- Vains, theEcomusée de la baie and the former priory Saint-Léonard (12th century chapel)
- GenetsThis is the point of convergence for the Chemins du Mont and the start of the final stage: crossing theèves.

GPX FILES, STEP BY STEP, TO DOWNLOAD FOR GPS
These routes are given for guidance only and are not as accurate as the topographical texts accompanied by the 1:50,000 maps in the guide published by the Association.

Download GPX

VARY THE PLEASURES!
This route is well suited to equestrians, with the exception of the section through Rouen.
The new edition of the guide indicates the rare mountain bike variants (altitude differences), which are published in each topographical sheet (mapped and described).

What's more, there are two greenways: one between Bernay and Broglie, and another linking Vire to Pontaubault via Mortain, which are particularly well-suited to cyclists!

OPINION OF MIQUELOTS

"It's been a week to the day since I completed the route from my home in Bernay. I wanted to congratulate your association on this magnificent route. It's the perfect time of year to do it (April-May). Despite a Norman drizzle between Trun and Falaise, and a shower between Vire and Saint Pois, the weather was kind to me....
I'll always remember the warm welcome I received from the Miquelot hosts.
This path is magical because of its magnificent panoramic views as far as the eye can see, and its arrival at the Mont on foot by the bay ".
Laurent (2021)