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Caen walks
Medieval walk in Caen
Visorando Member
5.88 mi
+194 ft
-180 ft
2h 50
Easy
Departure from Caen (Calvados)
Following in the footsteps of William the Conqueror and Queen Matilda, this urban route takes in the city's two superb Romanesque abbeys (for men and women) and the ducal castle. Several other churches, narrow streets and alleys, and a few public gardens complete the picture.
Nature Trail to the West of Caen
Local authority10.17 mi
+217 ft
-217 ft
4h 50
Moderate
Departure from Caen (Calvados)
The “Grand-Ouest” nature trail is thesecond nature trail created by the City of Caen. It takes you on a 16.5 km route through the city’s Grand-Ouest neighbourhoods, from La Prairie to the Abbaye d’Ardennes, returning via the Cours Napoléon. Information boards mark the route and provide details about Caen’s built and natural heritage. The route forms a circular loop and can be walked in either direction.
The dormant cemeteries of Caen
6.16 mi
+144 ft
-138 ft
3h 00
Moderate
Departure from Caen (Calvados)
This walk connects the six dormant cemeteries of Caen, islands of greenery in the city, and takes you through the neighbourhoods surrounding the city centre.
Le Petit Lourdes in Hérouville-Saint-Clair
5.19 mi
+98 ft
-98 ft
2h 30
Easy
Departure from Hérouville-Saint-Clair (Calvados)
An urban hike that allows you to discover neighbourhoods and architectural heritage that are too often overlooked.
From the Parc du Biez to the Plateau workers’ housing estate in Mondeville
3.73 mi
+112 ft
-112 ft
1h 50
Easy
Departure from Mondeville (Calvados)
Discover Mondeville’s architectural heritage, particularly the workers’ housing estate of Le Plateau, starting from the Parc Municipal du Biez.
The banks of the Orne in Louvigny at the start of the Île Enchantée
4.55 mi
+16 ft
-16 ft
2h 05
Easy
Departure from Fleury-sur-Orne (Calvados)
Discover the banks of the Orne River in Louvigny, the surrounding marshes and the charm of their rural landscapes.
From Bretteville-sur-Odon to Fontaine-Étoupefour in the footsteps of the Odons
6.67 mi
+161 ft
-164 ft
3h 10
Easy
Departure from Bretteville-sur-Odon (Calvados)
This beautiful walk near Caen takes us through the countryside to Verson and back along the Odons. The meadows, copses and small paths transport us back to the Middle Ages with the Barony estate, the mills and their ruins. We will also go to the source of the Petit Odon, which is not actually a source! Apart from the section that runs alongside the ring road, this is a peaceful walk in the countryside close to the Caen conurbation.
The Jardin des Canadiens and the former Abbaye d’Ardenne
3.74 mi
+75 ft
-75 ft
1h 45
Easy
Departure from Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe (Calvados)
In September 1944, the Resistance fighter Jacques Vico, having returned to his property, found a jawbone in the ornamental garden. Three bodies were then located, and seventeen more were found the following spring. These Canadian soldiers, who had been brutally interrogated inside the abbey church, were murdered on 7 and 8 June. Their names are inscribed on the monument erected in 1984 in their memory.
From Fleury to the Orne
4.82 mi
+177 ft
-167 ft
2h 20
Easy
Departure from Fleury-sur-Orne (Calvados)
Allemagne is the former name of Fleury-sur-Orne before 1917. Below, the Orne river flows lazily at the foot of the hillsides, where numerous limestone quarries have been dug over the centuries.
Verson, the baobab and the apple tree
6.11 mi
+174 ft
-167 ft
3h 00
Easy
Departure from Bretteville-sur-Odon (Calvados)
This romantic trail through the Odon Valley traces local history from Gonnor, grandmother of William the Conqueror, to Léopold Sédar Senghor, former President of Senegal and poet of the Negritude movement.
The Green Valley of Cormelles starting from Ifs-Bourg
5.91 mi
+75 ft
-75 ft
2h 45
Easy
Departure from Ifs (Calvados)
A walk from Ifs to Mondeville and the Vallée Verte or Vallée Sèche lake. This valley, which follows the course of an old river, has been developed as a greenway (for pedestrians and cyclists).
The Parc de la Fossette and Saint-Contest, starting from Cambes-en-Plaine
5.89 mi
+72 ft
-72 ft
2h 45
Easy
Departure from Cambes-en-Plaine (Calvados)
A route that will allow you to discover the lovely wooded park of La Fossette de la Folie Couvrechef, returning via Saint-Contest.
The great outdoors on the outskirts of Caen
4.51 mi
+105 ft
-98 ft
2h 10
Easy
Departure from Éterville (Calvados)
An amazing setting in the middle of nature and on the outskirts of Caen. Passing over and under the ring road reminds us of the proximity of the big city, which you forget as you cross the Odon six times via footbridges, old railway bridges and a ford.
The path is popular with joggers. The "Course entre deux O" race follows part of this route in November.
Caironnaise walk
5.08 mi
+66 ft
-66 ft
2h 25
Easy
Departure from Cairon (Calvados)
This hike passes through villages with attractive architecture, but also crosses rural areas along the Ruisseau le Vey and Rivière la Mue streams.
Circular around Cairon
4.52 mi
+43 ft
-43 ft
2h 05
Easy
Departure from Cairon (Calvados)
This walk passes through villages with remarkable architecture and also crosses rural areas along the Vey and Mue rivers.
The Greenway of Suisse Normande in Feuguerolles-Bully
4.56 mi
+171 ft
-171 ft
2h 15
Easy
Departure from Feuguerolles-Bully (Calvados)
This hike will take you along the Voie Verte de la Suisse Normande (Greenway of Norman Switzerland) and the banks of the Orne river in the municipalities of Feuguerolles-Bully and Bully.
From Feuguerolles-Bully to the Guigne Valley
4.98 mi
+148 ft
-144 ft
2h 25
Easy
Departure from Feuguerolles-Bully (Calvados)
During this route, enjoy not only the pleasure of a country walk in the bocage countryside, but also the bucolic charm of the Guigne valley. You can also appreciate an architectural heritage that is just waiting to be discovered.
Rots circular loop
5.22 mi
+66 ft
-66 ft
2h 30
Easy
Departure from Rots (Calvados)
Come and discover the often overlooked village of Rots, which stretches along the Mue valley. Its architectural heritage is very diverse, consisting of both noble residences and farmhouses typical of the Caen plain.
From Chiromme to La Mue
6.02 mi
+98 ft
-89 ft
2h 50
Easy
Departure from Lasson (Calvados)
This walk passes through villages with striking architecture and also crosses rural areas along the Chiromme and the Mue.
Along the water from Ranville
5.76 mi
+131 ft
-138 ft
2h 45
Easy
Departure from Ranville (Calvados)
Starting from Ranville, enjoy the surrounding countryside and walk to Amfreville. Then descend to the Marais de Cagny and follow the towpath along the Orne to return to the starting point.
Between Mouen and the Bois de Baron-sur-Odon
6.25 mi
+308 ft
-308 ft
3h 10
Moderate
Departure from Mouen (Calvados)
Although the route starts and finishes in the Mouen industrial estate, this route passes through the village with its beautiful houses and a lovely church, before crossing the Bois de Baron-sur-Odon, passing by the Château de Baron.
Circular around May-sur-Orne
6.56 mi
+197 ft
-207 ft
3h 10
Moderate
Departure from May-sur-Orne (Calvados)
From May-sur-Orne, cross the fields, stroll through wooded areas, follow the Laize and Orne valleys and return via Saint-André-sur-Orne.
Val de May and the Orne Valley from May-sur-Orne
4.55 mi
+223 ft
-243 ft
2h 15
Easy
Departure from May-sur-Orne (Calvados)
Set off across the fields and then enter more wooded areas to follow the valleys of the Laize and then the Orne, into which the Laize flows.
The Guigne Valley starting from Vieux-la-Romaine
5.58 mi
+243 ft
-240 ft
2h 45
Easy
Departure from Vieux (Calvados)
The legend of coal: for centuries, a stone in the commune of Feuguerolles intrigued many quarry workers. Black in colour, it became incandescent when burned. Thinking they had discovered precious "earth coal", wells were dug in the hope of finding a coal deposit. Unfortunately, the searches proved fruitless and were abandoned at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, the coal of Feuguerolles is nothing more than a legend.
Serge Saint route: Thaon - Basly - Colomby - Anisy
10.29 mi
+315 ft
-341 ft
5h 00
Moderate
Departure from Thaon (Calvados)
This circular route connects four small Norman villages: Thaon, Basly, Colomby-sur-Thaon and Anisy. The main attraction of this circular route is the opportunity to see Serge Saint's sculptures installed in these locations. Some parts of the route across the plain may seem long.
Between land and sea, starting from Colleville-Montgomery
8.00 mi
+66 ft
-56 ft
3h 45
Moderate
Departure from Colleville-Montgomery (Calvados)
This walk will allow you to appreciate both the tranquillity of the marshes and the countryside, as well as the seaside atmosphere of the famous seaside towns. Along the way, you will discover the architectural and, above all, historical heritage of the towns of Colleville-Montgomery, Hermanville-sur-Mer and Ouistreham Riva-Bella, key locations in the June 1944 D-Day landings (Sword Beach).
Circular route through the Grimbosq Forest starting from the Pont du Coudray
9.80 mi
+797 ft
-787 ft
5h 10
Moderate
Departure from Amayé-sur-Orne (Calvados)
Set off from the Pont du Coudray for a short circular route through the Grimbosq Forest, starting with a stretch across the plateau.
From the Pont du Coudray to the May-sur-Orne Quarries
5.61 mi
+102 ft
-105 ft
2h 40
Easy
Departure from Clinchamps-sur-Orne (Calvados)
Here is an easy walk that will offer you lovely views of the Orne valley and its small tributaries. Part of the route follows the greenway (a former railway line).
Circular around Fontaine-Henry
5.10 mi
+240 ft
-243 ft
2h 35
Easy
Departure from Fontaine-Henry (Calvados)
Route around Fontaine-Henry Castle. Halfway between the city of Caen and the D-Day beaches, Fontaine-Henry Castle overlooks the green valley of the Mue. Its vertiginously high roofs tower above the centuries-old trees in the park and crown a richly sculpted façade combining 15th- and 16th-century styles.
Circular loop around Ouistreham
10.67 mi
+105 ft
-108 ft
5h 00
Moderate
Departure from Ouistreham (Calvados)
This walk will allow you to discover various aspects of nature.
It begins in the nearby countryside, crossing a small wood and then a marsh.
It then continues for a long stretch along the Colleville Montgomery seafront promenade to the port and lighthouse at Ouistreham.
And to finish, the icing on the cake: a detour through a protected dune area, the Pointe du Siège, with the Orne estuary—a birdwatcher’s paradise—behind the sea wall.
More walks in Caen
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