Walk to the Saint-Joseph Chapel in Saint-Bénin

From Thury-Harcourt to the Chapel of Saint Joseph.
On these paths, you will find uphill and downhill undergrowth, theGR®36and the Chapelle Saint-Joseph.

Details

1813910
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.88 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 246 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 243 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 200 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 26 m

Description of the walk

Park near La Roche Bouquet in the car park of the old Thury-Harcourt railway station.

GR36

(S/E) Head south on Avenue de la Gare, turn right onto Avenue du Général Lyne via theGR®36. Take care. Cross the Orne via the road bridge and continue towards the crossroads.

(1) Turn left onto Rue du Val d'Orne for 100 metres and take the steep path on the right between two houses (opposite no. 5). Follow theGR®36to the left to reach Colline d'Enfer. Viewpoint over Thury-Harcourt.
When you reach the intersection, keep right.

End of theGR®36

(2) Cross the hamlet of Saint-Bénin to the church. Continue along the road for about 200 metres and turn right towards Paugy.

(3) Leave the road leading to Paugy on your right and take the path on your left. Follow it to the pasture and continue to the left to reach the edge of the woods (altitude 145m).

(4) Take the Monts Aigus forest track opposite, which starts with a steep climb and continues with a pleasant walk through the woods to the Thury-Harcourt road at Saint-Martin-de-Sallen.

GR36

(5) Cross this road and head towards the Saint-Joseph Chapel (altitude 201m), the access path for which is 50m to the right.

(6) Saint-Joseph Chapel. You can take a break here. Turn back 50 metres and turn right. The path runs alongside a fence and then a hedge and leads to the tarmac road (altitude 119 metres).

(7) First turn left then right and head towards another tarmac road.

(2) Go downhill, turning right then left, and continue towards Thury-Harcourt along the same path you took on the way there.

(1) Cross the bridge and continue towards the car park of the old railway station (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 28 m - Car park at the former Thury-Harcourt railway station
  2. 1 : km 0.19 - alt. 27 m - Crossing the bridge over the > - Orne (fleuve)
  3. 2 : km 2.33 - alt. 118 m - Intersection near Saint-Bénin
  4. 3 : km 3.85 - alt. 126 m - Path on the left
  5. 4 : km 4.15 - alt. 143 m - Ascent through the undergrowth
  6. 5 : km 4.95 - alt. 177 m - Road crossing
  7. 6 : km 5.63 - alt. 200 m - Saint-Joseph Chapel
  8. 7 : km 6.84 - alt. 114 m - Left/right at the road
  9. S/E : km 9.88 - alt. 28 m - Car park at the former Thury-Harcourt railway station

Worth a visit

In the 19th century, the Saint-Bénin district was a hub of intense craft and industrial activity. In the Thury-Harcourt area, there were around eighteen tanneries, two two-wheeled flour mills, a tannery mill and, on the Trapsy, a two-wheeled wheat mill.
Tannin is crushed oak bark used to soften hides.
During the fierce fighting in the summer of 1944, more than 80% of the village was destroyed. The Saint-Bénin bridge witnessed the fighting between the French and German armies.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
User 27925704

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route, I recommend it

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papi marcheur 76
papi marcheur 76

Hike not completed. It will not be completed this
year. Thank you.
Kind regards. papimarcheur76.

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Pitchoo14
Pitchoo14

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk offering a beautiful variety of landscapes along the route. I like the fact that it's fairly short for those with limited time, and also the elevation gain, which is good for stretching your legs.
I'll be back!

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Laurent50240
Laurent50240

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

We were disappointed with the hike; there wasn't much of a trail, so we retraced our steps at a certain point to finish the route. There was just a chapel along the way, which wasn't very interesting. The hike took 3 hours to cover 12 kilometres.

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Nork
Nork

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pretty hike with a few steep sections.
Be careful on the descent after the chapel
i don't find it easy
Thanks to Belle Portes 111

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papi marcheur 76
papi marcheur 76

Hike not completed. It will not be completed this
year. Thank you.
Best regards, papimarcheur76.

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JOANNICK
JOANNICK

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Perfect in the sunshine

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MARTDomi
MARTDomi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk. Varied landscapes and beautiful views.

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bil6mo
bil6mo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I know this hike well and never tire of walking it.
As you cross the few fields, admire the succession of panoramas in the background.

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lidesquesnes
lidesquesnes

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

We took this beautiful hike in the opposite direction to the description.
The only major problem was the climb to Saint Joseph. It was very slippery because the Thury night trail had passed through there a few days before us. Here is a description of the climb, which is about 100 metres high: the ground is dug up in the middle by mountain bikes, and the grassy edges of the fences are very narrow. So avoid it in rainy weather!

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Jean-Paul W.
Jean-Paul W.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Rated as an easy hike, but I would say it's moderate with lots of large rocks.
The climb up to the chapel is breathless.

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jeangazon
jeangazon

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

There are some lovely spots in the forest or just beyond the chapel, but there are also many landscapes of cultivated plains.

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Margotte
Margotte

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike. You can do the circular from 2 to 7 and park at point 5 to make a shorter route. The highlight of the hike is the magnificent panorama as you do a circular on the hill of Saint Bénin. Very nice and easy, thank you!

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