Sarrasins footpath in Condé-sur-Risle

In the Risle Valley in Normandy, a hike alternating between forest, sunken lanes and open plains. Stroll through the Sarrasins valley to discover a fountain lost in the heart of nature. The forest is the dominant feature, with numerous panoramic views. The bocage is very common, with many trees of remarkable size, especially the Chêne à Leude, which has been there since the Middle Ages.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.07 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 640 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 610 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 410 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 92 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the church in Condé-sur-Risle. Follow the blue markings.

(S/E) With your back to the church, head right along the cob and thatched wall. At the bottom of the small street, turn left. Then follow the departmental road to the right.

(1) After 500 metres, take the path that climbs to the left. At the top, turn right and continue straight ahead until you reach the tarmac road.

(2) At the Chêne à Leude crossroads, take the small road on the right, then the first path on the left to cross the woods straight ahead. At the edge of the valley, turn left. At the edge of the forest, go down to the right.

(3) At the first crossroads on the descent, take a detour to the right to see the Fontaine Sarrasin fountain.

(4) Return by the same route.

(3) Back at the crossroads, take the path down to the right and cross the valley.

(5) At the top, at the Forge crossroads, take the small road on the left twice and cross the valley again.

(6) On the other side, keep to the right to pass by the Château de la Thillaye. Then veer left to cross the plain along a straight path.

(7) At the Courellerie crossroads, continue straight ahead to descend into the Risle valley.

(8) At the crossroads, take the path opposite. Then, at the bottom, turn left to return to the village of Condé-sur-Risle. Once you reach the Saint-Philbert road, turn first left then right to return to the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 102 ft - Car park at the church in Condé-sur-Risle - Risle (rivière)
  2. 1 : mi 0.48 - alt. 95 ft - La Rue
  3. 2 : mi 1.32 - alt. 371 ft - Carrefour RD
  4. 3 : mi 2.95 - alt. 299 ft - Carrefour Fontaine Sarrasin
  5. 4 : mi 3.31 - alt. 187 ft - Sarrasin Fountain
  6. 5 : mi 4.29 - alt. 397 ft - La Licorne
  7. 6 : mi 4.85 - alt. 377 ft - Château de la Thillaye
  8. 7 : mi 6 - alt. 381 ft - La Courellerie
  9. 8 : mi 6.66 - alt. 157 ft - Calvaire
  10. S/E : mi 7.07 - alt. 102 ft - Car park at the church in Condé-sur-Risle

Notes

Car park near the church.

A marked route that can be done by mountain bike.

Hiking maps are available from the Val de Risle Tourist Office or on request:
Val de Risle Tourist Office - 5 place des Annonciades - 27290 Montfort-sur-Risle - 02 32 56 35 76 - info@tourisme-val-de-risle.com
This hike is also available in PDF format on our website.

Worth a visit

Things to see during the hike:

The charming village of Condé with its half-timbered houses and church with a Renaissance portal. The outer wall of the nave features an ancient pre-Romanesque door.

The Sarrasin Fountain: an old wash house tucked away in an isolated valley carved out by the Ravin des Sarrasins, an intermittent stream that only flows after heavy rainfall. This valley has preserved the traditional bocage landscape. Surrounded by woods, it features a few old trees: lime, beech, oak... and a collection of pretty hornbeam pollards.

The forest is the dominant feature of the landscape (nearly 40% of the route): a beautiful high forest combines oak and maritime pine in the Bois des Marettes. Numerous sections of bocage, the crossing of the open plain and the panoramic views of the Risle valley and the Ravin des Sarrasins valley provide a great diversity of landscapes.

The Château de la Thillaye, dating from the Louis XIII period, features an elegant red and black brick checkerboard pattern with two pretty corner turrets.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Emmanuel THIERRY
Emmanuel THIERRY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A well-marked, easy-to-follow and pleasant hike.

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Geraldine76
Geraldine76

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A varied and very pleasant hike with a slight incline. Some sections are muddy but passable.
The only difficulty is at point 3, where you have to reach the spring rather than a fountain. In case of heavy rain, the path is likely to be very muddy. In addition, the last part is not maintained and is very wild. There are three fallen trees: one you have to climb over, and the other two you have to pass underneath. Then there are very tall nettles. The spring is small, with a little water flowing, but the small stream contains very little water.
Thank you for this beautiful route.

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cornille Bernard
cornille Bernard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Varied route. Personally, I let myself be guided by the GPS, but the signposting was sufficient. I didn't take the short detour to the fountain.

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clicnet
clicnet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route with panoramic views of the Risle valley at the start and end.
Pay attention to the colour markings!

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noelja
noelja

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A few aggressive dogs on various properties (3) along the route disturb the peace and quiet...
The Sarrasin fountain was almost dry in mid-August... not really worth a detour, but good for adding a little extra elevation.
In terms of cumulative elevation gain, I recorded 205m (40 more than the guidebook, according to my tried and tested Suunto altimeter).
Blue markings throughout, good quality.

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bfmonti
bfmonti

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very affordable, pleasant and peaceful route.

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Dominique Louis
Dominique Louis

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This route offers views of magnificent trees, including a rare field maple pollard (see attached photo, which I will try to publish). The descent to Fontaine Sarrasin is well worth the effort: this unspoilt valley feels truly timeless, and the colours around the fountain are often magnificent.

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knarpil
knarpil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, starting off mostly in the forest and ending on tarmac.
Set in beautiful countryside. Forest, fields, village.

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pdelmon@free.fr
pdelmon@free.fr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant and varied hike. Valley, undergrowth, pine forest. Very easy to follow.
The Sarrasins fountain is more of a spring surrounded by pretty vegetation.

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mamy yoyo
mamy yoyo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant hike with varied terrain. The only slight downside is the detour to see the Sarrazin fountain, which I found uninteresting. But otherwise, we really enjoyed this hike. Thank you to the author of this hike.

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jsaudray
jsaudray

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike.
It corresponds to the blue route.

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