Route des Bonnes Gens from Le Mesnilbus

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In the Middle Ages, its name meant ‘small farmstead in the middle of the woods’. In 1792, its inhabitants refused to accept the change of regime brought about by the Revolution. Following a dispute with the king’s recruiter (who demanded more soldiers), the population rebelled, and the parish was removed from the register of parishes in France. The church was devastated, and the bells and the lords’ lead coffins were melted down.

Details

n°15899356
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.93 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 384 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 381 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 341 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 154 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Le Mesnilbus (50490)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 49.132393° / W 1.349754°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1312O, 1313O
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Photos

Hiking trail

Description of the walk

Park in the church square.

Blue signposting

(S/E) With your back to the church, head left onto the D57 and take the first street on the right, towards the Hôtel au Couteur. Turn left at the next junction. Continue straight on, moving from a small road onto a narrow path, heading towards the D57.

(1) Once on this road, turn right and then take the first path on the right as well, heading towards La Clergerie

(2) At the end of the path, turn right onto the road towards La Roserie and the Hôtel Bourguet, then continue on to La Scellerie.

(3) Take the road on the right, then the first path on the left to join the D57 on the outskirts of Le Bocage.

(4) On this road, turn left, then take the first path on the right running alongside the main road (D52). Follow it all the way to reach La Patinière in the village of Le Mesnilbus. At the end of the street, turn left to join the D533.

(5) Turn left, then take the first road on the right towards the village of La Vagerie.

(6) In the village, cut across to join the footpath opposite the road and head towards the Hôtel Jouvet on the D52.

(7) At the road, continue to the right and, after the Hôtel Jouvet, turn left towards the Hôtel Hannot. Go to the end of the road and take the footpath that follows it.

(8) As soon as you come out of the path, turn right onto the road. Cross the D52 and take a path that leads onto a road.

(9) Then turn right and carry on straight ahead, ignoring the road on your right. Take the path which runs alongside the road and follow it to the fork at the edge of the woodland, after having followed the edge of the woodland.

(10) Turn right, go past the first ‘S’-bend and carry on straight ahead. Ignore the left-hand bend a little further on. There is another ‘S’-bend, and the path leads out onto a road. Then turn left towards the village of La Vagerie once again.

(6) Stay on this road and retrace your steps along the route you took on the way there until you reach the church square (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 269 ft - Church square
  2. 1 : mi 0.36 - alt. 259 ft - D57
  3. 2 : mi 0.89 - alt. 180 ft - La Clergerie
  4. 3 : mi 1.5 - alt. 299 ft - La Scellerie
  5. 4 : mi 1.93 - alt. 308 ft - D57
  6. 5 : mi 2.73 - alt. 246 ft - D533
  7. 6 : mi 3.02 - alt. 243 ft - Village of La Vagerie
  8. 7 : mi 3.33 - alt. 276 ft - D52
  9. 8 : mi 3.96 - alt. 240 ft - Junction on the road
  10. 9 : mi 4.74 - alt. 276 ft - Path
  11. 10 : mi 5.68 - alt. 154 ft - La Vasselière
  12. S/E : mi 6.93 - alt. 269 ft - Church square

Notes

Difficulty: the village of La Scellerie, often damp along a short stretch. In the woods before the village of La Vasselière, very damp.

Public toilets next to the town hall.
Restaurant.

Worth a visit

Point of interest – The Robert Lee Dufy Monument
The Robert Lee Dufy Monument was erected in memory of an American fighter pilot from the 404th Fighter Group, whose P47 Thunderbolt crashed near Le Mesnilbus on 27 July 1944. The aircraft was excavated in 1992 and the pilot identified; he had survived after parachuting to safety and was living in Colorado.

Le Mesnilbus Church
Its origins probably date back to the 11th century and it features a crypt which can be seen in the chancel. Traces of opus spicatum (fish-scale masonry) can still be seen in the masonry. Outside, there is an 11th–12th-century baptistery.
Patron saint: Saint Cénéri.

Reviews and comments

3.9 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
Denis26
Denis26 ★

Thank you, coutan, for pointing that out; I’ve just made the necessary changes.

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coutan
coutan

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I’d say the route is generally easy to follow, although the signposting is sometimes unclear.
Make sure you follow the instructions carefully.
Between points 8 and 9, one section remains very wet due to the nearby river.
After point 9, you’ll need to follow the signposting carefully,
as the original route has been removed.

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Elololo
Elololo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Signposting is fine, nice paths
Worth a go

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JPLNorm
JPLNorm

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk. There are some wet patches, though.

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SarahLEM
SarahLEM

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk, though with a few hiccups. The first circular loop is clearly marked and well-trodden, despite a few brambles along the way. On the second circular loop, be careful not to miss the path just outside La Vagerie, which runs beneath a track leading to a farm. It feels as though you’re heading straight into the farm. However, the path is poorly signposted beneath the buildings. Unfortunately, if you go too far up, you’ll come across the blue markings for the end of the route. That’s where things get confusing... As for me, on the second section of the final path, there were several fallen trees and very muddy sections with a real risk of slipping.
For our four-legged friends, if you have a dog that runs ahead, be careful: some paths lead out onto roads, so there’s a risk of vehicles.

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Xavier1944
Xavier1944

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike as it takes you off the beaten track through the Corentin hills. There are plenty of lovely covered paths, which offer shelter from the rain and wind but do block the view.
Hilly but not steep, with occasional stretches of quiet road.
In fact, I followed the route described in the Coutances Tourist Office guide, which also suggested the ‘Les Trois Saints’ route starting from Saint-Michel-de-la-Pierre. That way, I walked just over 20 km. Great!

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desvre
desvre

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We go on lots of hikes using the routes on Visorando. As for the Mesnilbus route, the description was difficult to follow. Numbers 9 and 10 didn’t seem to match the blue markings.

In Hauteville-sur-Mer the week before, it was spot on.

Kind regards.

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