Galaisière-La Cognerie-Les Ponts-Nicorps-Aquascole

From the car park at the equestrian centre, in the La Galaisière housing estate, head back towards the Route de Courcy (D99, Rue de la Galaisière). Head due east, towards Courcy-Saint Lô.
At the first fork in the road, turn left uphill(1) towards the north-east. Continue along the road (D199, Rue du Gris Caillou). This road has very little traffic.
Pass the hamlet of Gris-Caillou on your right and continue along the road. Pass through the centre of the hamlet of La Besnardière until you reach a junction on the right, which you should take.
The road narrows and heads due south, descending steeply.
Pass through the cluster of houses in the hamlet of La Quinarderie, turn right to cross the railway line at the level crossing and pass through the start of the hamlet of La Cognerie.
Before the road turns south again and to the left, leave the road and turn left between the buildings to look for the start of a sunken track to the east of this hamlet (2). Don’t hesitate to look around, as the entrance to the track isn’t obvious.
Once on the track, it heads south-east, descending very steeply. The track passes the farm’s sheds and stables on its right (still in use in 2014). You can see that significant earthworks have been carried out (with varying degrees of success for the character of this hamlet and access to the ancient paths).
The path thus joins the small road to Courcy (D99)(3).
Turn left heading due east towards Courcy. Pass the first small junction on the left at the foot of a house, and turn right at the second junction, opposite a second house. The road (D437) climbs gently up the hillside towards Les Fleudries (sometimes spelled Les Fleuderies). Pass through this charming hamlet and take the first road on the right (still the D437) towards Nicorps. Nicorps is clearly signposted on a road sign.
The road descends into the valley of La Soulles and crosses the river via a single-arched Romanesque-style bridge (4). To the left of the bridge, you will notice a footbridge (marked “Plle” on the IGN map) which also crosses the river at a 90° bend where the river is channelled by high walls, on one of which you can see – even from a distance – a water gauge.
The route continues along the left bank of the river. The road climbs towards the south-west and passes above the beautiful Les Ponts farm, then leaves the hamlet of La Géhanière on the right. Continue straight on, passing the crossroads at La Géhanière and Le Hamel.
The road passes close to the old, beautiful Le Laquetier farm, then, after a hairpin bend, the Nicorps stadium and the village of Le Havre (on both sides of the road), before entering the village of Nicorps.
Take a detour to the right to the square in front of Saint-Corneille Church. Admire the old presbytery, whose porch dates from the 17th century (1669).
Cross the whole village, staying on the D437. Pass the hamlet of La Herrerie, which adjoins the village.
At the large crossroads by the Auberge de Brothelande, turn right onto the “Route de Coutances” (D27)(5). Continue due west, leaving the industrial estate on your right, until you reach the Coutances-Gavray road (D7) and the hamlet of La Belletière. Turn right onto this road (D7, Rue des Amontoux)(6), which descends towards the Pont de Soulles district of Coutances. Take the necessary precautions when walking along this road, which is busier than the previous ones! Fortunately, this stretch of road is very short! But it offers one of the most beautiful views of Coutances when approaching from the south.
After 1,200 metres, at a hairpin bend on the left, take a tiny path that heads off to the right into the dense vegetation. The area around the start of the path is overgrown and there are no visible markings.
The path is a well-shaded sunken track, very dry for the first few metres, which descends towards the valley of a small tributary of the Soulles. But after 200 metres, another small stream, shown as a dotted line on the IGN map, flows into the path and uses it as its bed. In summer the path remains passable but is unsafe in winter...
The path climbs slightly, passing the edge of meadows (on the left) and a cultivated field (on the right), then climbs again to the access path to the old La Planquette farm.
A cultural detour is possible via La Planquette on the right. Then take this long access path straight ahead for 200 metres until you reach the small road leading to Pont de Soulles (on the left) and to Le Bosc and Maison Neuve (on the right).
Turn left (7) and head back down towards La Soulles, passing through the hamlet of Viquet. The road then makes a right-angle turn and crosses the small tributary again (seen above). On the right, you can see the buildings of the “Aquascole”, made available to the Avril association, which works to promote the rivers.
Continue to the large metal gate at the Aquascole. On its right-hand side, there is a V-shaped pedestrian gate (8), accessible to pedestrians at all times.
Cross the car park and take the gravel courtyard to the right of the building, then head towards the grassy area at the rear, following the signs put up by Avril towards the River La Soulles.
Cross the La Soulles on a fairly wide metal footbridge (not shown on the IGN map), then take a boardwalk that winds 50cm above the meadow and marshes for 120 metres. You reach “dry land” in a small wood on the edge of the meadow. The path then runs alongside a small stream before climbing a hillside. The path is equipped with rough steps. At the top of the slope, on the flat, there are two signs: one pointing back in the direction we came from reads “Chemin des 3 Vallées Aquascole”, the other, indicating the way forward, reads “Chemin des 3 Vallées La Porte du Parc”(9). This is another lovely little sunken path between two fields.
We soon reach a junction (very wet outside the summer months). Turn left(10) and head uphill, still on a sunken path, but a wider one as it is used by modern agricultural machinery.
After a few hundred metres, you reach a small access road to the hamlet of La Criquette (rue de La Criquette). You can take a detour via La Criquette on the right. Otherwise, turn left immediately; the road climbs very steeply, then after a 90° bend levels out slightly before continuing uphill. In line with the road, you can see the spires of the cathedral and the bell tower of St Nicolas de Coutances. At the junction with Rue des Courtilles (D99), turn right, cross the railway bridge, then at the second junction, turn left into the La Galaisière housing estate, taking Rue de La Galaisière, and return to the starting point.

Water flows in abundance along this route, but none of it is safe to drink...
You might want to bring a water bottle and, above all, light hiking or running gear (trainers are fine).
I usually do this hike as a run.

The walk is dotted with exceptional and rather well-preserved rural heritage buildings (17th and 18th centuries). The most notable are:
La Besnardière,
La Cognerie, several houses,
Les Fleuderies, several houses,
Les Ponts,
Le Laquetier,
the church and the former presbytery of Nicorps,
La Planquette,
Viquet,
La Criquette,
where you can see beautifully carved pediments on Romanesque doors with arches, beautifully carved lintels with single or double brackets, and fine restorations of façades, courtyards, outbuildings and bread ovens...
Or nearby:
L'Abbaye (Nicorps),
Le Bosc (Nicorps).
And of course Coutances and all its heritage.
Also worth a visit are the sites signposted by the Avril association (http://www.associationavril.org/), which are freely accessible within the left-bank enclosure, and also in the marshes on the right bank, after crossing the footbridge (12).