Caironnaise walk

Parking is available on Rue des Lilas in Cairon-le-Vieux.

(S/E) From the car park, take Chemin Notre-Dame-du-Marais, cross the road and turn right. Cross the meadow to reach the wash house, go around it on the left, take the bridge on the left and cross the Vey. Turn right, follow the stream on your right until you reach the oratory, go past it and then take the bridge to cross the Vey (not to be confused with the Vey stream, which is a tributary of the Drome) and reach Chemin Notre-Dame-du-Marais. Turn left and walk about 200 m to a fork.

(1) Ignore the right-hand fork, turn left and continue along Chemin Notre-Dame-du-Marais until you reach the next intersection at a place called Le Vey. Turn left and follow Rue de Villons for about 250 metres until you reach Rue du Mont Gilles on the right. Turn right, walk about 200 m to the end of the street and turn left onto the entire des Moulins. Walk along the wall on your left and the Rivière la Mue on your right, continue along the sentier des Moulins and reach Rue de la Cascade.

(2) Cross this street, turn left and then, about 50 metres further on, turn right onto Sente du Moulin à Huile. Follow the path and walk along the Rivière la Mue until you reach a bridge on the right. Turn right, cross the bridge and the Rivière la Mue, follow Impasse du Charron until you reach Rue de la Ferme, which you cross.

(3) Take Sente des Moulineaux opposite and follow it up to the wall surrounding Saint-Hilaire Church. There is a small entrance gate in the left-hand corner. Go in, walk around the cemetery, then take Sente des Moulineaux in the opposite direction to go back down to Rue de la Ferme.

(3) Turn right and follow Rue de la Ferme until you reach the crossroads with Route de Creully (D 22). Make a detour to the left to take the protected crossing. Cross the D 22 with extreme caution, continue straight ahead on Chemin de Lasson and walk for about 1 km until you reach the village.

(4) At the end of Chemin de Lasson, turn left onto Rue Crois Mare. From this point until Chemin du Clos Joli, it is best to use the pavement and keep to the left-hand side of the road. Walk past the church, negotiate the bends and pass in front of the castle. Continue along Avenue du Château, taking the tree-lined side road on the left until you reach the next crossroads.

(5) Turn left without crossing the street, cross the first bridge and cross a branch of the Rivière la Mue. Keep left, take Rue Boulay (D 126) towards Rosel, pass a wine merchant's and cross a second bridge over the Mue. Continue to the street on the left, turn left onto Chemin du Clos Joli and follow the road for about 400 m until you reach a road on the right opposite the Château du Parc.

(6) Turn right onto the magnificent tree-lined avenue (heading south-east) and follow it until you reach Route des Canadiens (D170). At the junction, cross Route des Canadiens very carefully, turn left and continue for about 300 m until you reach a path on the right immediately after the Cairon town sign.

(7) Turn right before the first houses and continue straight ahead for about 700 metres along Chemin des Coutures (a wide, landscaped road) until you reach Rue des Terriers, then Rue de la Mairie. Turn right into this street and continue for about 100 metres until you reach the intersection near the pond.

(8) Cross Rue de la Cachette, turn left to go around the pond, then turn right onto Rue de la Grand Mare. Follow this street to the fork and turn left to reach Route de Creully (D 22). Make a detour to the left to take the protected passage. Cross the D 22 with extreme caution and continue opposite on Rue du Haut Meslier until you reach a crossroads of roads and paths.

(9) Turn left onto the path towards Pierre Tourneresse and walk about 400 m to reach it. Walk another 400 m to reach Chemin Notre-Dame-du-Marais at the fork in the road.

(1) Turn left onto Chemin Notre-Dame-du-Marais and walk about 600 m until you reach Rue des Lilas on your left. Cross Chemin Notre-Dame-du-Marais to reach Rue des Lilas and the car park (S/E).

Virgin Mary of the Marsh
This Virgin and Child statue was erected at the request of a butter maker in gratitude to the Virgin Mary, who is said to have appeared to him and saved him and his herd during a terrible storm. (19th century)

The Château de Lasson
It seems to have been designed in two stages: around 1530, the Thesard family asked Hector Sohier, who was building the Church of Saint-Pierre in Caen at the time, to rebuild the castle, which was then Gothic, in the Renaissance style.
In 1628, through marriage, the castle passed to the Croismare family. Louis de Croismare, Councillor at the Parliament of Rouen, died at Lasson in 1654. His son Nicolas de Croismare (1629-1680), Marquis de Lasson, was known as a mathematician, man of letters and painter. The descendants of the Croismare family occupied the château under this name until 1768.
Through marriage, the property passed to the Montalembert family and then to Étienne Alexandre Lhoste, Marquis of Livry. Upon his death in 1874, the château was sold several times. It was no longer regularly inhabited or maintained after 1895.
Since 1980, with the help of the State and the General Council, the current owners have undertaken improvement works.
This château is private, but it can be visited on special occasions such as Heritage Days. Further information is available from the Association des Amis du Château de Lasson, 64 avenue du Château des Rentiers, 75013 Paris.

La Pierre Tourneresse
La Pierre Tourneresse is a megalith dating from 4500 to 3500 BC. It is a funerary monument comprising two burial chambers. The current form of the megalith is the result of a reconstruction carried out in 1999.