Sorel Castle

This is a pleasant hike in the forest, offering a change of scenery and the charm of being in the heart of the wilderness.

Details

71206
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.32 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 45 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 40 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 135 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 98 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Sorel-Moussel (28520|28260)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.82991° / E 1.364432°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2014E
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

The trail starts at the edge of the woods, about 50 metres after Sorel Castle.

(S/E) Facing the forest, take the path on the right, then turn left onto the lane running along the slopes of the Eure (southbound) for 600 metres, then turn left (eastbound) and take a path on the right after 450 metres.

(1) Follow this path, which crosses the road (D21.7) after 200 metres, until you reach a crossroads (orange marker) 260 metres further on.
From the crossroads, turn right until you reach a junction, then take the second path on the right and continue along the path on the left for 400 metres until you reach theGR®®22on the hillsides overlooking the Eure.

(2) Continue along theGR®®22(marked white-red) for 800m until you reach a fork near a gate in a wire fence.

(3) Turn left (do not go down to the right), then keep to the right a little further on to reach a crossroads. Take the second path downhill (eastbound) and arrive further down on the Route des Grosses Pierres.

(4) Turn right (or continue straight ahead off the trail to rejoin the path 100 metres further down on the left).
Then go up the path on the right (north-east) for 100m to a fork where you leave this path and take a narrow, steep path through the heather. Go up this very narrow path, which is quite steep at the start, to a crossroads near a small pond about 180m away.

Continue along the path on the right, passing in front of the pond (south-southwest) and descending to the Château de la Robertière crossroads (information panel about the ruins of La Robertière at this crossroads). Distance from the pond to this crossroads = 410m.

(5) From the crossroads, leave theGR®®22by taking the path on the left (white-red cross on a tree) heading east.
Keep left further along the path leading to the Carrefour de la Robertière junction (from the castle ruins junction to the Carrefour de la Robertière junction = 600 m).

(6) From this large crossroads, continue straight ahead until you reach the Carrefour de la Gratture au Loup crossroads 550m away (signpost).
From this crossroads, take the 4th path on the right (north-north-east) to a large driveway (Route de Marcilly, 570 m).

(7) Cross this large driveway and take a very narrow path on the left just behind the barrier opposite (the path runs parallel to the large driveway).
Continue along this path, passing the Mare aux Corbeaux (at 750m) on your right, then continue after a crossroads and turn right at another crossroads (in the heath) to head towards a riding centre (north-north-east) and turn left onto a bridle path until you reach a crossroads near the riding centre.
(From the Mare aux Corbeaux and the equestrian centre = 850m).
(8) From there, continue in the direction ofthe GR®®22(white-red markings) to reach a large lane, which you take on the right (Route des Meuniers) heading north.

(9) After 600m, take a barely visible path on the left and keep to the right at a fork further on to reach a road (D21.7).

(10) Cross the road and continue straight ahead, leaving the Mare de Sorel on your right, until you reach the Château de Sorel (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 128 m - Edge of the forest
  2. 1 : km 1.04 - alt. 129 m - Path on the right
  3. 2 : km 2.4 - alt. 128 m - GR22 overlooking the - Eure (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 3.16 - alt. 115 m - Fork in the road, left
  5. 4 : km 3.39 - alt. 108 m - Route des Grosses Pierres, on the right
  6. 5 : km 4.21 - alt. 125 m - Château de la Robertière
  7. 6 : km 4.82 - alt. 134 m - Carrefour de la Robertière
  8. 7 : km 5.94 - alt. 132 m - Route de Marcilly, path on the left
  9. 8 : km 7.51 - alt. 134 m - Crossroads near the equestrian centre.
  10. 9 : km 8.09 - alt. 133 m - The trail is not very visible on the left.
  11. 10 : km 8.42 - alt. 131 m - Route D21.7
  12. S/E : km 9.32 - alt. 128 m - Edge of the forest

Notes

A hiking GPS is recommended, especially if you are not proficient in reading maps and compasses, as you will often be in the middle of the forest during this route with trails diverging in different directions without many landmarks or signposts.
You can park your car near Sorel Castle at the starting point of the route.

Worth a visit

At the Château de la Robertière crossroads, there is an information board about the castle ruins, which you can read, and you can visit the ruins in the surrounding area if you have time.

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

3.7 / 5
Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.5 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Éric Camille
Éric Camille

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant, easy hike

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User 5504614

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

GPS tracking very difficult, disappointing route reliability

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benoitrando
benoitrando

Great, thank you.

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Thank you, benoitrando, for these comments. I have just revised the diagram and description accordingly.

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benoitrando
benoitrando

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Right from the start of the route, there is a problem. It is impossible to follow the description and the route. Parking and departure from Sorel Castle is not good (it is impossible to enter the park grounds to park and start the circuit.
PRIVATE PROPERTY and enclosed). Therefore, start the route at the edge of the forest by taking the path on the right.
At point 3: there is no path if you follow the itinerary, but refer to the description, which is more reliable.
At point 9: very difficult to find the path, luckily I had GPS.
An interesting route for walking and enjoying the flora and fauna (I was lucky enough to photograph a deer).

Thank you, Xavier Graux, for this beautiful trail, despite a few minor points that need to be reviewed.

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Tonton Fred
Tonton Fred

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

From the start to point 1, this hike is more enjoyable if you take the route through the foothills of Harrouard Castle (or what remains of them). Between points 3 and 4, you will need to find your own way, but ultimately you should follow the GR trail.
The foothill path is visible on the map to the right of the standard route.
This walk requires good cardio fitness due to the elevation changes and sometimes slippery roots under the leaves. There is a path that is very muddy and wet for 500 metres; take the path in the forest on the left.
A very pleasant walk.

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loic.vatar@bbox.fr
loic.vatar@bbox.fr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike in a beautiful forest, well protected from the sun. We shortened the route by a third by cutting between points 4 and 8, as one of the participants was tired. This meant a total of 2 hours of walking instead of the planned 2 hours 45 minutes. The explanations seemed confusing to me, so I just followed the GPS cursor and had no problems.

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Hélène Luray
Hélène Luray

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The explanations for the Château de Sorel hike are really not up to scratch. There are far too many of them and they are poorly organised. It's impossible to follow them. Please review this for future hikers, thank you.

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faf787
faf787

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice hike, but the route between points 3 and 5 is not very easy to find.
The path behind the barrier at point 7 needs to be cleared, so it's better to follow the road.

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martine27220
martine27220

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The starting directions are essential for finding the right path, but they lack clear and simple details to get you started (e.g. facing the castle, take the path on the left along the meadow, towards the valley...).
Fortunately, with an IGN map and a good sense of direction, it's impossible to get lost in this beautiful forest!
A very beautiful hike, and above all, very beautiful nature. The hike is beautiful in spring.
I recommend doing it in all seasons.

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mlh
mlh

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
This was our group's second hike on this same route, and we were unable to follow the signposts. As experienced hikers, we were able to find our way, but in our opinion, the signs are not very clear for novices. It's very easy to get lost or end up walking a lot of extra kilometres because the forest is so large. That said, it's a very pleasant place. The vegetation, nature and tranquillity of the area are very rejuvenating. It would be a great walk if the signposts were revised. Thank you.

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Rémydef
Rémydef
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a beautiful hike in the Dreux forest in a fairly "wild" area.
It's difficult to find your way between markers 3 and 5. I would advise following the GR, which is well marked, as there are many small "parasitic" paths that make it difficult to find your way. This isn't an orienteering race! It's a shame that you need a smartphone or GPS (or even a compass) if you want to follow the author's route.
As a result, once I reached point 6, I turned back to go to the Château de la Robertière. The ruins are overgrown with vegetation and therefore not very visible (I couldn't find the places photographed in the description).
I finished the hike by returning in the opposite direction and reaching point 10 without doing the section from 6 to 10.
The view of Sorel Castle is very beautiful.
Parking is easy.

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

@yoyopisteur

Yes, people have their GPS or smartphones, which may be OK, provided they have network coverage, but with the map, be careful not to get lost.

Stop Confusion: it is important to distinguish between two things:

1. Using GPS

As far as GPS is concerned, 4G, 3G, etc. networks are not necessary.

2. Use of a GPS application for smartphones

As far as the app is concerned, the network is useful, BUT with the Visorando GPS app, you can download maps and make them available without a network connection.

Making a hike or map background available offline

Kind regards

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yoyopisteur
yoyopisteur

The directions between points 2 and 6 leave something to be desired (e.g. at point 2, it says to take a fork near a gate on a wire fence, but the fork is at least 250 m further on, so we search around and go back to see if we've missed something).
After that, you have to take paths that are not easy to find, so it's a bit of a struggle. Fortunately, we hike often, so we manage to find our bearings and get back on the right track.
If people have their GPS or smartphones, it might be OK, provided they have network coverage, but with the map, be careful not to get lost.

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Netra
Netra ★
• Edited:

Hello yoyopisteur,

I haven't done this hike, but I took a look at the description: "draft" is a bit harsh, don't you think?

As for the lack of detail, could you tell me which parts of the description were insufficient, why, and how it could be improved? Thank you in advance.

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