Path along the old railway line in Thierville

Departure from the car park at the town hall and the village hall in Thierville.

Unmarked route

(S/E) With your back to the village hall, take the path opposite which crosses the plain. At the end of the path, follow the small road to the right, Route du Manoir Cornet.

(1) At the end of Route du Manoir Cornet, turn left twice to join Route du Bec. At the first path, turn right. Once back on the tarmac, ignore the path across the plain on the left and continue straight ahead.

(2) At the crossroads in front of the bus shelter, turn left onto Route des Champs. At the hamlet of half-timbered houses, turn left first and, 50 metres further on, turn right onto Rue de la Fontaine, which continues as a path.

(3) As you enter the forest, turn left towards the concrete bollard. At the junction with the^GR®, head down the path opposite into the valley, following the signposts for the Chemin de Saint-Michel all the way to the bottom.

(4) Just before the bridge over the old railway line, climb up the embankment to the left. Take the old railway line to the right to cross the bridge and enjoy a superb view of the Risle valley (watch your ankles, the ballast is still in place). After 500 m along the track, turn right into the next valley and head straight up into the forest.

(5) At the top, at the corner of plot 84, enter the Montfort State Forest on the left by going through the gate. Follow the^GR® 224 straight on, cross two roads and descend into the small valley. As the descent is very steep at the start, a small path on the left allows you to bypass the scree and descend on a gentler slope, giving your ankles a rest.

(6) At the bottom of the small valley, after crossing the dry riverbed, leave the^{GR® and}continue to the right to go deeper into this small valley. After 500 m, head up to the right.

(7) At the Quatre Frères crossroads, admire this remarkable tree and head off to the left to climb gently straight up to the top.

(8) At the top, at the crossroads sheltered by a large beech tree, take the small path opposite to the right of the caravan. As you leave the woods, go through two pedestrian gates in the cattle fences and continue along the pretty path between two hedges which takes you back to the village. N.B. If you come across cows, cross calmly without making any sudden movements or speaking loudly; dogs must be kept on a lead at all times. At the end of Allée des Marronniers, turn right onto Rue Eleonora de Cheddeville, then left at the church to return to the start (S/E)

Unmarked route: geolocation recommended using the Visorando app on your mobile phone. Dirt tracks: 85%

Starting point: large tree-lined lawn with benches for outdoor picnics and a large hall that can serve as a shelter for walkers and is equipped with picnic tables.
Public toilets available behind the town hall.

Facilities in the village:
- "L'Orée du Bois" rural lodge (sleeps 5, weekly rentals).
- "Le Refuge" lodge and guest rooms, certified by Gîte de France and Gîte au Jardin.
- Horse riding at Les Écuries des Reflets.

Hunting in the Montfort State Forest from early November to late February: generally on Thursdays in Lot No. 2 of the southern part of the Montfort Forest, with the exception of Tuesday 29 December (dates on the ONF website)
Throughout the entire forest: no hunting on Mondays, Wednesdays or Sundays.

Saint-Laurent Church with its porch, wayside cross and yew tree: a listed site. Built in^{the 11th} century, it has retained many elements of its original Romanesque style. It was subsequently altered several times: the choir, ribbed vault, re-cut windows, addition of a porch… The Romanesque bell tower is topped by an elegant double-pitched roof.

A rather unusual saint is venerated in the church of Thierville: Saint-Sauveur, whose protection soldiers sought before going into battle. It is perhaps thanks to him that no inhabitant of Thierville died in the wars of 1870, 1914–1918 and 1939–1945. Thierville is thus one of the few towns in France not to have a war memorial.

The Montfort State Forest is one of the smallest, most undulating and distinctive of Normandy’s state forests, as 50% of its trees are conifers.

Les Quatre Frères, a four-trunked oak, is one of eleven remarkable trees highlighted by the ONF in the state-owned forest.

The old railway line linked Évreux and Honfleur. As trains had not run on it since 1970, the line was fairly quickly decommissioned and dismantled. At the end of^{the 20th} century, the section running from Pont-Authou to Évreux was converted into a Greenway, a beautiful dedicated cycle path that welcomes walkers in complete safety and passes 500 metres from Bec-Hellouin Abbey.

The Chemin de Saint-Michel is a linear pilgrimage route linking Rouen and Mont-Saint-Michel. As it crosses the Montfort National Forest, it follows the GR® 224 towards Brionne.

Bec-Hellouin Abbey, 5 km away: a listed historic monument featuring a^15th-century tower, a^17th-century residence and superb^18th-century convent buildings, not to mention its picturesque village, ranked among the “most beautiful villages in France”.