From Bretteville-sur-Odon to Fontaine-Étoupefour in the footsteps of the Odons

This beautiful walk near Caen takes us through the countryside to Verson and back along the Odons. The meadows, copses and small paths transport us back to the Middle Ages with the Barony estate, the mills and their ruins. We will also go to the source of the Petit Odon, which is not actually a source! Apart from the section that runs alongside the ring road, this is a peaceful walk in the countryside close to the Caen conurbation.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.73 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 49 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 50 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 39 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 8 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access: from the Route de Bretagne, head towards Louvigny via Avenue des Canadiens, D112. After 400 metres, you will see the Parc de l'Odon car park on your left.

(S/E) Cross the wooden footbridge next to the Monument des Canadiens, turn right to cross the avenue and take the Route d'Aunay-sur-Odon (D8) opposite.

(1) Ignore the path on the right (return path) and continue almost to the end of the straight road. Before the Louvigny le Mesnil exit sign, take the second right after Chemin de la Ferme Eustache, route du Golf Compact, and follow Chemin du8e RECCE along the golf course.

(2) At the next crossroads, at the junction with Chemin du Moulin d'Ardennes, continue straight ahead. Then cross over the ring road. After crossing the bridge, continue slightly to the right. On the descent alongside the ring road, after the left-hand bend, continue on the road to the left and do not take the small path to Mont Saint-Michel on the right. When you reach the village of Rocreuil, continue right onto Rue du Bout au Mesnil.

(3) At the T-junction, go up Rue du Moulin on the left, heading south (narrow road with wide gutters but no pavement, so take care and watch out for vehicles). After 75 metres uphill, take the first path on the right, Chemin du Mont Saint-Michel, and continue to Route d'Éterville (Chemin de la Frenee signposts not always clearly visible). When you reach Route d'Éterville, go downhill to the right for about 100 metres (be careful, narrow road, same as gutters).

(4) Then take thefirst path on the left. Go to the end of the path to see the cottage and its chestnut wood shingle roof. Turn right onto Rue du Bois de l'Île (D214) and continue to the first crossroads with Rue des Jardins. Follow this street for 50 metres and stop at the gate on the right marked "private property".

(5). Opposite you, at the end of the meadow, is the church of Verson and, at the level of the Odon, the junction (unfortunately not visible) where the Petit Odon river branches off under the buildings to emerge next to the cemetery adjoining the church.
Turn around and turn left to reach the church and the passage of the Petit Odon under the road, which you will find opposite at the corner of the car park.

(6) Turn around again on this road to Éterville and at the crossroads, turn left, still heading towards Éterville, and continue for 200 metres.

(4) Turn left onto the small path.

(7) In the copse, after the wooden footbridge, take the path on the left which descends northwards towards the Odon and, at the exit of the copse, after the wooden bridge, turn right, following the Grand Odon on your left downstream (at the first footbridge, you can go and see a second footbridge opposite, which crosses the Petit Odon behind the water treatment plant).

When you reach the road after a circular route, cross it and take the Sentier de la Vallée de l'Odon opposite; Commune of Éterville. Follow the meanders of the Odons. Atthe first crossroads, turn left heading north to pass under the ring road, then turn right and join the road where you will need to turn left.

(2) At the next crossroads, turn left towards the Odons, where you will cross a small bridge and then a second bridge over the Grand Odon, which is divided in two at this point. Between the two, on the left, is the Moulin d'Ardennes.

(8) After crossing the second bridge, you can see the remains of the Moulin de l'Arbre at the end of the meadow on the left, and when the Petit Odon has a good flow, you can see a waterfall where the tailrace drops. Continue along this road, passing under the viaduct of the old Caen/Vire railway line, where you will join the Petit Odon on the left.

(9) Ignore a path that climbs to the right (which you will take on the way back), then cross athird bridge.

(10) Turn right immediately afterwards towards the cemetery and the Domaine de la Baronnie car park. Walk along the low wall and then, on the right, follow the Petit Odon: admire the Domaine de la Baronnie, including the former tithe barn of Mont Saint-Michel and the manor house or Logis des Moines.
You can enter and admire the site (if it is not reserved or closed), including the Romanesque remains of the Church of Saint-Pierre (12th century).

(11) Then continue to the left to walk around the estate.

(10) Return to the railway bridge.

(9) Just before the old railway viaduct, take the small path on the left that leads up to the old railway line. When you reach the line, turn left.

(1) When you reach the road, turn left and head for the Parc de l'Odon car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 10 m - Bretteville car park on > - Odon (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.51 - alt. 14 m - Go straight on the way there and turn left on the way back.
  3. 2 : km 1.59 - alt. 17 m - Go straight on the way there and turn left on the way back.
  4. 3 : km 2.78 - alt. 19 m - Go up the road on the left.
  5. 4 : km 3.8 - alt. 35 m - Take the path on the left.
  6. 5 : km 4.36 - alt. 24 m - View of the building where the Petit Odon begins.
  7. 6 : km 4.7 - alt. 22 m - The start of the walk is visible from Petit Odon.
  8. 7 : km 5.51 - alt. 32 m - Path in the grove, descend to the left.
  9. 8 : km 8.1 - alt. 12 m - To the north are the ruins of the Moulin de l'Arbre mill.
  10. 9 : km 8.3 - alt. 11 m - Go straight on the way there and turn left on the way back.
  11. 10 : km 8.49 - alt. 11 m - Bretteville-sur-Odon Cemetery
  12. 11 : km 8.99 - alt. 14 m - Romanesque remains of St-Pierre Church (12th century)
  13. S/E : km 10.73 - alt. 10 m - Car park at Bretteville sur Odon park

Notes

The paths are very passable except perhaps in winter in the event of heavy rain: some paths may be muddy, so wear sturdy shoes.
It is also possible to do the route in reverse, starting from the car park at Verson church.

Worth a visit

The Petit and Grand Odon valleys on the way back.
VIIIth RECCE & The Royal Regiment of Canada Monument
(8) and (9) Petit Odon diversion.
(10) The Tithe Barn (10th century) on the Barony estate and the manor house or Logis des Moines (13th century)
Chemin du Moulin d'Ardennes and the Caen-Vire railway viaduct.
(8) The Moulin d'Ardennes. (13th-century private property)
(8) Remains of the Moulin de l'Arbre.
(11) Remains of Saint-Pierre Church (12th century) on the cemetery wall in the Barony estate.
Along the path, you can see cows, horses, donkeys, magpies, hear or see jays, etc.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
User 22145833

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice and easy route.
A bit noisy with the ring road.

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sdhouillier@gmail.fr
sdhouillier@gmail.fr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy, pleasant hike.

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Couedru
Couedru

Thank you for this lovely review.
Happy hiking!

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Lavive
Lavive

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The entire route is open to the public, and construction is complete. Enjoy a pleasant stroll among old buildings and country lanes, all just a stone's throw from Caen. The ring road is the only negative point, but there's nothing that can be done about that; it's part of the route.

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Couedru
Couedru

"The section along the Odon that was closed to the public is now reopened." I don't know if you've been lucky, but today, 23 April, the section between the Verson wastewater treatment plant and the Caen ring road is still closed to the public and will remain so until 31 December. This is undoubtedly due to excessive foot traffic, which has prevented the vegetation from recovering under favourable conditions...

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Titine12
Titine12

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant walk. The section along the Odon that was closed to the public is now reopened. Whether it was the novelty effect or the lockdown effect within a 10km radius, combined with beautiful sunshine, this section was very busy.

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boireaux
boireaux
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The path along the Odon is currently undergoing redevelopment until 15 April 2021 and is therefore impassable. I would therefore recommend doing the walk in reverse (from La Baronnie to the bottom of Le Rocreuil) and retracing your steps... or waiting until 16 April!

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Couedru
Couedru
• Edited:

Thank you for your feedback and this information.
The path between the two columns is now closed, so I have updated the map and description.
It's a shame about the construction work, but this kind of thing is impossible to predict. Thank you for letting us know.
Kind regards

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Marie Segura
Marie Segura

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Please note: on the way back, the (long) section between 7 and 2, starting from the wooden bridge, is closed to the public until 30 September 2020! We had to turn back.
Please note again: the small path between the columns (section 1) is closed with a sign saying "Private property - no access". You must stay on the road for 10 metres and take the path on the right that runs alongside the golf course. It's only a tiny detour, but as it's at the beginning, it shouldn't put off future hikers!

Strengths: a perfectly explained hike (impossible to get lost!), which, as others have pointed out, is keen to show us the various points of interest along the route.
Weaknesses: few natural areas.

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StellaM
StellaM

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route on the outskirts of Caen!
Be careful, there is mud near a small bridge despite the hike taking place after several days without rain.
Worth doing again!

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Couedru
Couedru

Thank you for your lovely comment. As for the outskirts, I'm sorry, but as I mentioned, it's a necessary detour to get from Bretteville to Verson via Les Odons.

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lydieposloux
lydieposloux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very detailed and accurate description that allows you to follow the route without any worries! The bonus: discovering monuments or special places.

One small downside: it's a shame to have to follow the ring road, but fortunately it's only for a short stretch.

A very beautiful walk. Thank you.

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68lolorando
68lolorando

Hello,

The road is flooded for 5 metres between points 9 and 10.
Our feet got a bit wet, but it's no big deal.

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Couedru
Couedru

Thank you for your feedback.
After two and a half months of rain, was the path passable?
Kind regards

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68lolorando
68lolorando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant walk without feeling the proximity of Caen.

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