La route de l'huître à Blainville-sur-Mer

Park in the town hall car park.

Blue signposting

(S/E) With your back to the building, turn right. You’ll soon reach the D 536; follow it to the right. Ignore the Chemin de la Viaurie on the right and continue along Rue d’Agon as far as Gruchy.

(1) Carry on straight ahead and take the 2nd left, the Chemin de Waratah. Go straight on and join the D 536.

(2) Follow the road to the right, continuing along its course. Take the second right, towards La Beuverie.

(3) At the junction, turn left and cross through the hamlet. Take the first left. Cross the D 650 carefully and take the path on the other side. Join a tarmac road and follow it to the right. Ignore a turn-off on the left and continue to a junction with the D 344 at the hamlet of La Lande.

(4) Take the first right. At the end, turn left onto a footpath. Join the D 344 again and follow it to the right.

(5) Take the first left and pass through the hamlet of La Petite Vallière. Continue along the footpath that follows on from the road. Return to the tarmac road and turn left at the hamlet of L’Hôtel Hurel.

(6) Turn left onto Rue ès Pelley towards the village of the same name and ignore a turn-off on the right.

(7) At the next bend, take a track on the right. Head north until you reach the D 244 at the hamlet of L’Hôtel au Loup.

(8) Follow the road to the right towards La Journeauserie. At the next junction, turn left and pass through the hamlet of La Chardotterie. Then pass the hamlet of La Devauserie.

(9) At the end of the road, follow the D 144 E1 to the left. As you come out of a left-hand bend, turn right and pass through La Rogerie. Then pass the hamlet of La Hervuerie.

(10) At the T-junction, turn left onto the D 144 and take the first left at the hamlet of La Dujardinerie. Ignore a road coming from the right.

(11) At the next junction, leave the road and turn right. Follow a track and enter Le Hutrel via Rue du Nord.

(12) At the end, turn right. Pass through Néauville and then La Noblerie. At the next junction, near Gonneville, cross the street of the same name and continue straight on towards La Boivinerie.

(13) Turn left to quickly join the D 72. Then take the first right-left turn to follow a track westwards. Just before the D 650, at La Trémaillerie, take the first right-left turn to rejoin the road.

(14) Follow the D 650 to the right and take the first left, a track heading west. Cross the D 651 with care and continue straight on along a track leading to the edge of the shellfish farming area.

(15) At the end of the path, turn left into Rue de la Vieille Digue, which runs alongside the shellfish farming area. Take the first path on the right and continue along it to Blainville Harbour.

(16) Turn right and walk parallel to the D 651 on your left. Stay on the path and go round a campsite on the right (sea side). Continue along the Chemin de la Sablière and rejoin the D 651.

(17) Follow the road to the right, taking care. At the next junction, turn left onto Route des Landelles and walk through Le Bas de Gruchy.

(18) At the junction, turn left onto Rue de Grouchy.

(1) Return to Rue d’Agon and follow it to the left. Turn right at the Fork in the road and return to the town hall car park (S/E).

Difficulty: you’ll need to cross the D 650 twice and the D 651 at three points along the route.

Public toilets near Blainville-sur-Mer and at Gonneville beach.
Restaurants and local shops in Blainville.
“Le Cabanor” area, a cooperative specialising in oyster production.

Point of interest – The frog pond
A former peat bog, the ‘Frog Pond’ is home to a multitude of amphibians (tree frogs, toads, newts and salamander larvae) in its dark, tinted waters.
Even if you can’t see them, tree frogs and green frogs easily give the game away in spring with their very loud mating calls.

The Sailors’ Chapel
The chapel at Gonneville, known as the ‘Sailors’ Chapel’, was built in the early 15th century at the same time as the seigneurial residence of which it forms part. During the 19th century, it was regularly visited by cod fishermen who came there to seek the protection of Our Lady before setting sail for Newfoundland. Open to visitors every day by its owners, it contains maritime votive offerings.

The harbour at Blainville-sur-Mer
In the Middle Ages, the harbour stretched from Gonneville to Coutainville (now the racecourse). It was home to a very busy commercial port, particularly trading with the Channel Islands in lime, slate, stone and other goods. In the 1970s, the harbour was transformed with the construction of the D651 road, which formed a sea wall, depriving the harbour of a large part of its salt marshes, which were subsequently reclaimed as polders. A floodgate can be seen beneath the road at the bridge facing Blainville harbour. The purpose of this floodgate is to prevent seawater from entering the land. It closes automatically as the tide rises and opens as the tide ebbs.

The church at Blainville-sur-Mer
The Church of Saint-Pierre in Blainville was built in the 12th century. In this Romanesque-style building, five large Romanesque arches, made of Chausey granite, can be seen in the nave, projecting from the side walls. Inside, visitors can admire some fine statues, notably a 15th-century Virgin and Child and statues from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Rue des Libraires
Rue de Bas, known as Rue des Libraires, is lined with several beautiful houses. The street derives its nickname from the fact that it was mainly inhabited by Parisian booksellers and print dealers. These men, originally from Blainville-sur-Mer, left the village to seek their fortune in Paris, following the example of Pierre Blaizot, a native of Montsurvent who became a supplier to Marie-Antoinette. Upon returning to their homeland, they built beautiful, opulent houses. Dating from the 19th century, the five mansions found there are architectural marvels.