Circular route around Urville starting from Gouvix

Parking is available on Place Édouard Podyma (named after a veteran of the^1st Polish Armoured Division) opposite the church in Gouvix.

(S/E) Opposite the church, leave the square via the steps, turn left and follow the Rue de l'Église (D132) very carefully (busy road) on the left-hand pavement until you reach the calvary. Negotiate the right-hand bend and then, about 30 metres further on, turn left into the street. Walk about 300 metres until you reach the entrance porch of the Château d'Outrelaise (the building and porch are remarkable and well worth seeing).

(1) Turn back towards the D132 road, turn right towards the Calvary and, very carefully (busy road), negotiate the left-hand bend. About 20 metres further on, turn right into Rue du Bourg and follow it to the end. After the last houses, continue along the road opposite and walk about 150 metres until you reach an intersection. Turn right at a right angle, then negotiate the left-hand bend and continue to the water treatment plant.

(2) Continue straight ahead on Chemin du Pissot and join Rue de Barbery (D131). Cross the street, turn left and continue for about 50 metres. Just before the hedge that occupies and blocks the right-hand pavement, turn right and follow Chemin de la Bruyère, which climbs up to a crossroads.

(3) Ignore Chemin du Moulin à Huile on the left and Chemin de la Roque opposite and continue right along Chemin de la Bruyère. Follow this path, which runs alongside Laize on the right, for about 1.1 km until you reach a crossroads. Climb over the barrier, cross the stream and ignore the path on the right leading to Laize. Continue straight ahead towards Livet, Saint-Germain, Mesnil-Touffray and continue along the Laize for about 400 m until you reach Chemin du Roinet. Turn right, cross the Laize and walk about 100 metres until you reach the Roinet mill.

(4) Turn back, cross Laize again and, at the bend, continue along the wooded path that climbs up opposite. Walk for about 600 metres until you reach Angoville, turn right at the first intersection and then again before the farm buildings (on your left), then follow the path for about 700 metres until you reach a crossroads and a wash house with a tin roof. Turn left, walk up towards the houses in La Broquette and continue to the next intersection.

(5) Turn left and follow the path for about 800 m until you reach an intersection. Turn right and walk about 500 m along the Angoville path until you reach the D167 road.

(6) Cross this road carefully, continue straight ahead and continue to the intersection, passing under the high-voltage power line. At the end of the road, turn left (note that in the distance in front of you, you can see the buildings of the Aucrais quarry), continue for about 500 m until you reach a fork. Turn right onto the grassy path lined with a hedge and follow it for about 400 metres until you reach Rue de Langannerie (D131) at a small copse.

(7) Cross Rue de Langannerie (D131) carefully, continue straight ahead along the grassy path lined with hedges and walk for about 300 m until you reach an old railway line overhead. Follow the old track for about 200 metres until you reach a tarmac path lined with hedges near an old railway bridge. Turn left onto Chemin des Aucrais and follow it for about 800 metres until you reach Rue de Gouvix (D132) in the village of Urville.

(8) Cross Rue de Gouvix (D132) carefully, keep to the left and continue towards Barbery (D131) and the town hall. Cross Place de la Mare, continue along Rue de Barbery for about 150 m, then, at Urville Town Hall, turn right onto Rue du Pont Caudet. Follow Rue du Pont Caudet until you reach the junction with Chemin du Moulin à Blé.

(9) Cross Chemin du Moulin à Blé and continue straight ahead on Chemin du Pont Caudet until you reach a fork in the road after about 400 m (you will see a football pitch and the red walls of a school on your right). Turn right at an acute angle, head up towards the village of Gouvix and walk along the left-hand side of the sports field and then the school, following Rue du Stade.

(10) Turn left onto Rue d'Urville (D132) and follow it on the left-hand pavement, then on the left-hand side (there is no pavement on the final section) until you reach Rue de l'Église (D132). Turn left and walk up Rue de l'Église (D132) on the left-hand side (there is no pavement on the first section) then on the left-hand pavement until you reach Place Édouard Podyma and the car park (S/E).

Church of the Assumption of Our Lady
The church was built in the late 12th or early 13th century. The bell tower dates from the 18th century, and the church underwent extensive restoration in the 19th century (vaults, windows). At the time of its construction, the church was under the patronage of the nearby Abbey of Barbery.
The church is one of the few that Arcisse de Caumont (2-212) considers interesting, due to its visible mixture of styles: "The church of Gouvix is one of the most interesting in the canton; it belongs to the early Gothic style still mixed with Romanesque details, of which there are many examples in Calvados, all remarkable for the elegance of their forms and the taste and execution of their details."

Château d'Outrelaize
(also spelled Château d'Outrelaise)
A château was built on this site at the end of the 16th century, between 1584 and 1604, by Gaspard Le Marchant, Attorney General at the Court of Aides in Rouen, who had acquired the estate in 1569. Extensive work was carried out initially until 1620. A French garden was laid out on the site in the 18th century, replaced by an English-style park between 1822 and 1827. Interior work was still being carried out at the very end of the 19th century.
The estate has been listed as a historic monument since 18 October 1971: the north façade and corresponding roof of the Henri IV wing, the grand salon and its décor, and the staircase banister. A decree dated 29 March 2005 supplements the previous one by protecting the façades and roofs of the main building and the fireplace in the library on the ground floor, the beamed decor of the rooms on the first floor of the Henri IV wing, the decorative elements of the former chapel, the park and its various features, including the hydraulic installations. On 23 May 2005, a listing order protected the entire entrance pavilion, the façades and roofs of its two wings, and the dovecote.

Chapel of the Château d'Outrelaize estate
The castle chapel belongs to the owner of the estate and is closed to the public. It was originally a funeral chapel for members of the owner's family. (Private property).

Park and Gardens of Château d'Outrelaise
Nestled in a wooded valley crossed by the Laize river and surrounding the Château d'Outrelaise, discover a large landscaped park: the river, wooded paths, follies, perspectives and various views overlooking the château and its outbuildings. Finally, there is the magnificent dovecote and the gardens that surround it: the rose garden, the peony collection, the orangery and the vegetable garden.
Outdoor visits from mid-June to mid-September, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays from 2pm to 6pm and on request.

The Gouvix trail
(Between Rue du Bourg and the water treatment plant)
From 1920 to 1968, a section of the trail was heavily influenced by the iron mining activity in Gouvix-Urville: the mine shaft at the bottom of the Laize valley; the transport of iron ore from the shaft to the roasting furnaces by cable cars suspended from a steel cable; and the mine offices on the Urville-Barbery road.

The Moulin du Roinet (private property)
The large Moulin du Roinet mill, powered by a leat that has since been filled in, produced flour and was still in operation at the beginning of the 20th century. The road leading up to the hamlet of Mesnil Touffray connected the farms on the plateau to the mill. When you arrive at Mesnil Touffray (Touffray: name of the Scandinavian chief), you will see the beautiful 18th-century manor house cart shed on your left.

Saint-Vigor Chapel
The chapel is located on the outskirts of the Urville manor house.
1604: destruction of the Saint-Vigor church and construction of the chapel by Charles de Lalongny, lord of the manor.
This chapel was built at the very beginning of the 17th century to replace the destroyed Saint-Vigor Church, which was replaced by the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in the village of Urville. It is believed to have been renovated in the 20th century.

Church of the Nativity of Our Lady
The parish church of Urville was formerly located within the grounds of the seigneurial manor at the entrance to the village and was dedicated to Saint Vigor. In 1604, Charles de Lalongny, lord of Urville, had it demolished and built this one on the highest point of the village. The larger church was thus closer to the inhabitants, in accordance with the wishes of the Church following the Council of Trent. It is now under the protection of Our Lady.
"The church of Urville consists of a nave at the end of which stands a large tower, and a choir along which, on the north side, extends a vaulted chapel: this chapel appears to be older than the rest, yet it is reported that the entire church dates from 1604. This date corresponds very well with the other parts of the building. The south side door, the ogee modillions of the choir, and even the ogives of the choir are characteristic of the modern period, as is the square, massive tower topped with a roof and a timber spire, which from a distance resembles a shrine or reliquary. Here is the origin of these constructions. The church of Urville, which was once located beyond the Laize river and adjoining the courtyard of the seigneurial manor, was dedicated to Saint Vigor. In 1604, it was demolished and moved to its current location, where it was dedicated to Our Lady." (A de Caumont 2-248)