Circular via Ouilly-du-Houley from Firfol

Car park at the old school in Firfol.

(S/E) At the crossroads by the town hall, take the communal road alongside the church and cemetery. At the first crossroads, continue towards "La Guérandière" and, at the 90° bend on the right, take the dirt road opposite. Take care as there is no visibility and vehicles may be coming around this bend.

(1) Continue along this road and ignore the road on the left. You will arrive at a place called Cour la Pipe via Chemin de Versailles.

(2) Turn right and continue for about 200 metres until you reach Chemin de la Haie aux Prêtres.

(3) Turn left, pass in front of a manor house and continue to the next crossroads at the edge of the woods.

(4) Turn right, walk along the woods and continue, ignoring the next paths on the right and left. Continue along a tarmac road until you reach the bend in Chemin de la Traginière.

(5) Turn onto the dirt track on the left and leave the one that continues along the tarmac road. Continue straight ahead and, at the bottom of the track, turn right, walking alongside the meadows and the riding school until you reach the village of Ouilly-du-Houley.

(6) Cross the D137 carefully , continue on the Route de l'Hôtellerie-D262 and pass the church on your right. The road is busy, so be extra vigilant as there is a bend with poor visibility and little space on the verge. Pass the Chemin du Courbec going up on the right.

(7) Leave the road and take the first dirt track on the left, which is not very visible. This will take you to a steep track that can be slippery in wet weather, marked (mountain bike route no. 2) on the route. Cross the Paquine, go through the Houley Forest and you will come to a fork at the exit.

(8) Continue straight ahead (repérage route mountain bike route no. 5) and, after passing part of a farm, continue to the D137, Route de Moyaux.

(9) Follow it to the right and take care on the approximately 300 m stretch of the departmental road.

(10) Turn right onto Route du Pouplin towards Fumichon, mountain bike route no. 5, and continue to Chemin de la Gabellière, about 200 m away.

(11) Turn right and, at the next fork, continue to the right to join a dirt track. This track is quite long and can be slippery in wet weather, with some difficult sections including fallen trees and forestry work. Follow this track, looking out for the markings, and ignore all the small paths on the right and left. Cross the bridge, ignoring the path on the right, and continue to La Paquine.

(12) Cross the stream. There is a bridge, but during our outing on 6 November 2025, a sign from the town hall indicated that it was forbidden to use it, with no end date for the ban (see practical information). Continue to Route de l'Hôtellerie-D262 and follow it to the right until you reach a path on the left.

(13) Take this path and continue along the steep slope until you reach Le Val Benard.

(14) Turn right to continue on a dirt track. You can also turn left to take a tarmac road. As indicated on the map, this road leads to the communal road towards Firfol.

(15) Turn right and continue straight ahead to the car park of the old school (S/E).

A municipal by-law prohibits crossing the bridge at point (12) (see photo). Photo taken on 6 November 2025 and no information on when the restrictions will end. You can cross the stream, which is not very deep, but you may get your feet wet.

As the ground may be slippery at times, wear good walking shoes and waterproof footwear if you need to cross the Paquine River at point (12).

There are no particular points of interest on this route apart from enjoying the forest, the peace and quiet and the Paquine stream. However, you will pass the churches of Firfol and Ouilly du Houley, with a manor house opposite the church. Both churches are closed, but you can call the town halls if you wish to visit them. There is also a restaurant in Ouilly du Houley. For your information, the Paquine River originates at the Paquin springs , near Fumichon.