The ‘Villages of the Future’ Route: Épégard, Le Troncq and Iville

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Parking and start point at the orchard conservation area car park, not far from the town hall and the school.

(S/E) Leave the car park by turning right towards the village centre/town hall/school. Continue until you reach the lodge.

(1) Take the first path on the right and walk past the lodge. Continue along the path until you reach the Fork in the road and turn right. Take the road on the right and continue straight on until you reach the D83 county road. Cross it and take the road opposite.
Take the path on your left. Before the end of the path, look out on your right: in the field behind the trees, there is a small chapel.

(2) At the end of the path, turn right . At the end of the path, by the oak tree, turn sharply to your right. Continue along the main path, which turns into a small local road . There is a lovely wild pond on your right.

(3) Walk past the village hall (picnic area). Continue to the D80 county road, cross it and carry on straight ahead, keeping straight on until you reach the junction by the small town hall. At the fork in the road, turn left. Carry on to the roundabout opposite the entrance to the château. The grounds are open to visitors during the first weekend in June for the ‘Rendez-vous aux Jardins’, from 15 July until the end of August, and in September during the ‘Journées du Patrimoine’.

(4) Take the first exit until you reach the next junction.

(5) It’s well worth taking a detour to the cemetery to see the ‘if à la vierge’ and the enclosure at the far end of the cemetery, which features monuments relating to the history of the Troncq fiefdom.

(5) Next, retrace your steps slightly. Take Rue de la Chenaie on your left. At the end, turn left and then right onto the path. At the end of the path, turn left and, at the next junction, turn left onto Rue des Prés Hauts. Then turn right onto the D85 for about 20 metres.

(6) You’ll arrive opposite the Mare Gibelmare; walk along its left-hand side. Take the path marked ‘Ruelle des écoles’. Walk behind the school. For safety’s sake, go via the car park and cross at the pedestrian crossing; turn right and then take Rue du Moustier on your left (you can visit the church).

(7) Turn right and then left into the Maison Communale car park. Take a look at the building’s architecture: the walls are made of recycled concrete and the roof is insulated with straw. Take the Sentier Guéret (the path behind the town hall), turn right and then carry on straightahead. At the crossroads, turn right until you reach the D840.
Cross the road and head straight ahead. At the Fork in the road, turn left and carry on straight ahead until you reach the D80.

(8) Cross it and carry on straight ahead. Turn right and, at the Fork inthe road , turn left.
At the four-way junction, take the road on the left and carry on to La Bonne Mare (a good spot for a break). Carry on to the D83. Turn left, but before reaching your destination, take a detour via the church and retrace your steps to take Rue des Écoles on the left back to the car park (S/E).

If there are no spaces in the orchard conservation area car park, you can park in the town hall/school car park further up the street on your left. The route crosses a few county roads, so please take care. There are rubbish bins at each of the picnic areas; otherwise, please take your rubbish with you. Thank you for your understanding. You can fill your water bottles at each of the cemeteries.

Always be careful and prepared when out walking. Visorando and the author of this guide cannot be held liable for any accidents or incidents of any kind that may occur on this route.

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• Places of interest: The ‘Lodge les Forières’, La Bonne Mare, the War Memorial, Saint-Riquier Church.
• Le Troncq Town Hall: The Mare Sauvage d’Etremare, the Town Hall (built in 1881), the listed mud-brick walls, the Château du Troncq Park, the ‘If à la Vierge’ in the cemetery, and the ancestral enclosure of the Troncq fiefdom.
• Iville Town Hall Iville: The Gibelmare Pond, Saint-Léger Church and its Healing Saints, the Town Hall with the war memorial, the restaurant‘Le Moulin d’Iville’, the Charcutière Farm