Along the ponds of La Saussaye

Park in the car park at the edge of the lane leading to Manoir Saint-Nicolas.

(S/E) First, take a look at Manoir Saint-Nicolas. The writer and academician André Maurois lived in this house for around ten years with his first wife and children. She is buried in the Collegiate Church cemetery. Then head back towards the car park to reach Rue de Bostenney, which you take on the right. Continue straight on along this street, which is extended by Rue Abbé Bellemin, which you follow to the end. Here you can admire some beautiful brick houses, reminders of the former existence of a brickworks in the village. The old Prévost (or Provost) pond, filled in in 1931 due to its leaky and dangerous condition, was originally situated just at the start on the left of this street; leave Rue de la Briqueterie on your right, then Rue de la Moudrerie on your left, and finally Rue du Val Marie on your right, and continue on your way to the roundabout.

(1) Note on your right the former Bourdon pond, restored in 2011. At the roundabout, turn left onto the Route de Saint-Cyr. Look out for a listed yew tree on your left; among the Celts, this tree was a funerary tree, found in cemeteries where it watches over the dead. After 120 m, take the Chemin des Princes, still on the left. This path becomes the Chemin du Château, which is tarmac at first and then grassy. Continue out of the village until you find a grassy path on your right, which you should take.

(2) Note the Mare Choule in the meadow on your left, fed with drinking water by a spring. Once reserved for domestic use (cooking, hygiene, washing clothes), it is now privately owned, having been sold in 1963 for a symbolic franc. Continue along the edge of a wooded plot until you reach the Route de Saint-Cyr, which you take to the left. After leaving the hedgerow path on your left, you will soon reach the path to Mare au Vivier, which you take to the left. Tarmac-surfaced in its first section, this path then becomes a track lined with hedges. Follow it to the pond of the same name.

(3) Go round the village’s largest pond on your left and continue along the edge of the forest. At the crossroads, carry straight on to stay at the edge of the forest, then enter the forest via the Chemin du Saut du Loup, which curves in a semicircle. This path marks the boundary between the municipalities of La Saussaye and Elbeuf, and also separates the departments of Eure and Seine-Maritime. It is in fact a defensive structure which has the advantage of not obstructing the view of the valley.

(4) Then leave the forest via Rue François Cevert, which you follow until you reach Rue Joachim du Bellay; turn right onto this street and immediately left onto the magnificent Allée des Chênes, which once provided access to Beaulieu Castle. After crossing Rue du Grand Fourquet, cross Rue des Chanoines and join the forest lane, which you follow to the left until you reach Rue François Cevert.

(5) Turn right and continue to the end to reach the Route Départementale 26, also known as the Route d’Elbeuf. The old Mare de l’Aumône (or ‘mare d’en bas’), used between the 1920s and 1960s by the itinerant distiller for distilling calvados, was located opposite this junction. Follow it up on your left until you reach the next roundabout. Then climb the few steps on your left to head up Rue Guillaume d’Harcourt and reach the Tree of Liberty, a purple beech planted in 1989 to commemorate the bicentenary of the French Revolution. Look up to admire a magnificent property with its mansion and gardens: La Pommeraie.

(6) Turn right as you pass under the Porte Haute and enjoy this lovely view of a square steeped in history, the true heart of the village: the Place du Cloître. Note the entrance to the Collegiate Church between two avenues of lime trees; in the Christian faith, this protective tree is considered sacred, warding off the ‘evil eye’. At weekends, when no ceremonies are taking place, the collegiate church is open to the public, so please feel free to go inside. Walk past the town hall and continue on to the Route d’Elbeuf, which you cross to reach Rue de la Pommeraie opposite. After passing the roundabout, find Rue de Bostenney, which you take to the right, then turn left to return to the starting point of this circular route (S/E).

Do not enter private property.
Please take care near water sources, particularly with children. Do not get too close to the banks of the ponds.

Walk organised by the Association de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Saulcéen (ASPS); further information is available on the website https://asps-lasaussaye.fr/index.php.

Further information on the history of the Saussaye ponds can be found in the booklet published by the ASPS, "La Saussaye au fil de l'eau", available for purchase at the town hall.