Country:
District:
(S/E) Parking at Carrefour Étienne, on the right coming from Rouen at the intersection of the D351 and the Caumont forest road (towards Saint-Pierre-de-Manneville). Cross the D351 and continue straight on the Route Forestière Étienne (eastbound).
(1) At Carrefour du Rossignol, turn right onto Route Forestière du Loup, which stretches for over 2 kilometres: there are deciduous and coniferous trees, and you may be lucky enough to spot some forest wildlife.
(2) Turn right towards Rond-Point de la Martel, a gently sloping forest road.
(3) Cross the D351 (caution, heavy traffic) at the Rond-Point de la Martel roundabout and take the Route Forestière du Petit Charme, which starts on the left of the departmental road. Cross another road at the Carrefour Gustave junction, which is open to traffic.
(4) After crossing Carrefour Gustave, you will soon arrive at the arboretum (see link in the "During the hike" section). The complete circuit of the arboretum covers a distance of nearly 1 km, which should be added to the hike route; allow at least 1 hour to fully enjoy it.
(5) At Carrefour du Petit Charme, turn left onto Route Forestière à Madame.
(6) After 500-600 metres, take a path at a 45° angle to the right that cuts through a sparse forest.
(7) Pass close to Mare Auzou, leave the path and turn right onto Allée au Chevreuil. At one point, take the path on the right to avoid an unnecessary climb.
(8) When you reach the Maison Forestière de la Mare au Grès, take the Route Forestière de la Réunion which runs alongside the animal park (third path at the crossroads in a clockwise direction). You may see deer and wild boar, and there are information boards and wildlife observation points (see link in the "During the hike" section).
(9) After one kilometre, you will arrive at a crossroads at the end of the Route Forestière de la Réunion. Leave the large car park on your left, turn right twice to go around the animal park and take the Route Forestière de Saint-Pierre.
(10) After about 400 metres, turn left onto the path leading to Mare Epinay. When you reach it, you can walk along the left-hand side, which gives you the opportunity to cross a small bridge (Japanese style!) and enjoy a better view of this bucolic spot. Less than 100 metres after the pond, take the first path on the right. At the end of this path, turn left and you will find yourself at the car park (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Difficult 
