Circular loop around Ouistreham

Park in the car park at Ouistreham Town Hall.

(S/E) Walk past the church then take the^first street on the right, Rue du Chanoine Petit. At a car park, ignore the street on the right and continue along Rue du Tour de Ville, towards Caen. Then take the^third street on the right: Rue du Petit Bonheur; follow it, ignoring the streets on the left and right, until you reach the D 514.

(1) Cross it at the pedestrian crossing on the right near an advertising hoard and turn left onto the cycle path. At the water tower, ignore the paths on the left and right and follow the edge of a meadow to reach the junction with the Chemin des Pèlerins.

(2) Turn right onto this path and continue along it, ignoring all the paths on the left and right, until you reach a car park (in the woods); continue straight on. You will reach a fork in the path at the Bois du Caprice, where there is a signpost.

(3) Take the left-hand path towards Saint-Aubin-d’Arquenay. Cross the woods completely, ignoring all paths to the left and right, and arrive just before a housing estate at a village hall and a playground. Take the S-shaped path between the village hall and the playground, at the volleyball court. Continue to the right and take the exit on the left, between two houses, onto Rue Alexandre Lofti. Proceed to the junction with Rue des Londettes.

(4) Turn right onto it. At the Stop sign, ignore the street on the right and turn left into Rue du Goulet.
At the second junction, turn right onto Chemin de Colleville, which is tarmac-surfaced at the start. Continue until you reach a No Entry sign. Pass to the left of a barrier and a concrete block and continue along Chemin de Colleville, which becomes a dirt track, ignoring the first path on the left, until you reach Colleville Montgomery Cemetery.

(5) After the cemetery, turn onto the path on the right. At^{the first} junction, continue straight on along Rue du Bocage until you reach the D35, Route de Ouistreham.

(6) Turn left onto it, then take the^first right: Rue du Ruet. At the end of the street, continue along Impasse des Gravettes. At the end of the cul-de-sac, turn right and follow the path running alongside a small stream. Cross the Colleville Marsh woodland. Ignore the left-hand exit (picnic table) and continue to the second exit, marked by a sign: Colleville Marsh.

(7) Cross the D60 and Rue de la Mer, then head right onto the footpath. Walk past a shopping centre and continue to the D514. At the traffic lights, cross the road and continue straight on until you reach the seafront at the Colleville Montgomery lifeguard station.

(8) Turn right onto the Promenade de Bord de Mer, which is concrete at first and then wooden, until you reach the end of Ouistreham Beach, where the path ends with a slight right-hand bend. Take the^first left until you reach a monument: Arbres de la Liberté. Then walk past a skate park and continue to a motorhome park on Boulevard Maritime.

(9) At the entrance barrier to the motorhome park, immediately turn left onto the footpath and cycle path that runs alongside the ferry car park and continue towards the lighthouse to the harbour and fish market.

(10) Turn left onto a small swing bridge to cross the lock of the Caen-to-the-Sea Canal. Go round the lighthouse on the right to reach Rue Paul Émile Victor. Turn right onto it and, almost immediately, you’ll reach the junction with Rue Marthe Janvier.

(11) Continue along Rue Paul Émile Victor and turn immediately left onto Chemin de la Pointe du Siège, which leads to the large car park at the Pointe du Siège.

(12) Cross the car park to the right to reach the sea wall, behind which you can admire the Orne estuary with a view of the village of Sallenelles. Turn around to return to the car park entrance.

(12) Turn right onto the path that runs alongside the trees and, as you emerge from this small copse, turn left onto a track through the grass heading towards a sandbank visible in the distance at the top of a hillock. Cross it to reach the seafront and the Promenade Pierre Deport.

(13) Turn left onto this promenade and follow it to the junction with Rue Paul Émile Victor, which you passed earlier.

(11) Turn right to follow the route you took on the way there, cross the footbridge again and return to the Marché aux Poissons junction.

(10) Turn left onto the cycle and footpath to follow the Caen-to-the-Sea Canal. When you reach the Jaune Bridge, continue along the canal until you reach the boat repair workshops. Head for the^second car park at the boat repair workshop.

(14) Turn right onto Rue du Canal, with the sewage treatment plant on your left. Then turn right onto Avenue du Grand Large. Next, turn left onto Rue du Leat. At the roundabout, take the left-hand exit onto Rue Michel Cabieu. Walk past the cinema to reach the church. At the foot of the church, turn right up the steps to reach the town hall car park (S/E).

Between (10) and (11) The swing bridge.
The lock on the Caen to the Sea Canal allows pleasure and fishing boats to enter and exit. Consequently, before you can use the footbridge, there may be a wait of varying length depending on traffic at certain times, which vary according to the tide timetable.
A sign at the footbridge barrier indicates the opening times
You can also check them on the Ouistreham marina website
In the unlikely event that it is impossible to cross the lock, change from (10) to (14) in the route description, which would be a shame as the Pointe du Siège is one of the most beautiful parts of the walk.

The tithe barn and the 12th-century Romanesque Saint-Samsom Abbey Church.
Numerous memorials to the 1944 liberation along Ouistreham Beach.
The Casino on Place Alfred Tomas, Ouistreham.
The Atlantic Wall Museum (Le Grand Bunker), 6 Avenue du Six Juin, Ouistreham.
Ferry Terminal, Rue des Dunes, Ouistreham.
The fish market at Ouistreham harbour.
The Ouistreham lighthouse.
Ouistreham Marina.
The Caen to Sea Canal, Ouistreham.
La Pointe du Siège, a dune ridge and protected area.