On the way to La Lucerne Abbey

(S/E) Leave the car park with the station behind you. Take Rue Saint-Jacques to the left for 50 metres, then turn left into Rue de la Brasserie. Cross the level crossing and continue along the D 309, which soon turns westwards. Leave La Garenne on your right.

(1) After a right-hand bend, take the path on the right which very quickly turns north-north-east and leads to Le Chanu. At the road, first turn right then left for 20 metres to continue along a path heading north-north-west, then north. Ignore the turn-off to Le Buffe on the right and continue to Hocquiny.

(2) Turn left, walk alongside the cemetery, then, at the fork, continue to the left.

Red and yellow markings on the^GRP®® trail to the Mont-Saint-Michel viewpoints

(3) Follow the^GRP®® by turning left. When the path becomes a road after passing between two buildings, turn right, heading due west, and you’ll arrive in front of the town hall in Le Mesnil-Drey.

(4) Turn right, then first turn left then right over 50 metres to leave the road. After a bend in the path to the right, turn left twice over 50 metres, then follow the^GRP®® heading west-south-west. At the end of the path, turn left.

(5) Follow the road to the left and, immediately at the start of the bend, leave it by taking the path on the right. Ignore two paths on the left and head towards La Charrerie. Continue straight on towards the south until you reach the D 309 departmental road.

(6) Take the D 309 on the right for 300 m, then turn left towards La Gislardière. At the right-hand bend, take the path on the left. Cross the Ruisseau du Thar and enter the Forêt de La Lucerne. At the top of the hill, turn right, taking care to follow the yellow and red markings of the^GRP®®.
Follow the forest track westwards to the Abbaye de la Lucerne, which may not be visible due to the vegetation.

(7) Continue to the left for approximately 2,000 metres.

There are no more^GRP®® markings, but there are some dark green markings

When the^GRP®® follows the road round a bend to the right, take the path on the left, heading east, along the edge of the forest. Turn right (if you go straight on, a sign on a post on the right says ‘Private’). This uphill path leads to the D 109 county road.

(8) Turn right. In front of the cross and the memorial stone on your right, turn left. Cross La Hulonnière by turning right then left. Cross the L’Allemagne stream and continue along the same path to La Barbière.

(9) Turn left after the last house, then take the footpath on the right just behind the house. At the end of the path, turn left. At the hamlet of La Perruche, continue to the right to join the D 105.

(10) Follow it to the left. Go straight on at the junction with the D 35 and pass the town hall of La Rochelle-Normande. Just before the cemetery, turn left into Rue du Presbytère.

(11) Follow the D 35 to the right to pass through La Croix. On leaving the village, turn right, leaving the D 35. Continue straight ahead along a track to pass under a power line. Carry on north-east to reach Le Pavé Besnard.

(12) A few metres before the house on the left, leave the road by taking the track on the right. Follow the D 231 on the left for 200 m. Ignore an access road on the right and, a little further on, take the path on the right which continues on from the Route de la Mare Croisée and heads northwards.

(13) Cross the D 109 once more and continue straight ahead. This road leads to the Blandouet neighbourhood and then to La Douveterie, which is crossed by the D35. Turn right to go under the railway bridge, then, just after the sign marking the entrance to Saint-Jacques, turn left, passing between the containers on the left and an old well on the right. Carrying on along the dead-end road will take you back to the car park (S/E).

200 metres past (8), a memorial stone commemorates the fact that on 23 July 1944, the local Resistance leader was shot by the Gestapo at this spot.

La Lucerne Abbey: Abbey