The covered walkway and the three mills of Les Moitiers-d'Allonne

This charming walk combines the Cotentin countryside (hedgerows, orchards, etc.) with a little historical heritage: wayside crosses (Romanesque period), tower mills (19th century) and a covered walkway (Neolithic period).
Duration: 2½ hours, no more!

Details

221739
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.67 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 111 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 112 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 127 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 46 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The starting point is at the car park of the village hall (mille-club) in Les Moitiers-d'Allonne. This is located at the junction of the D 323 and the D 904 E.

(S/E) When you leave the car park, cross the road and take Rue des Deux Églises. At the end of the winding road, turn left at a right angle. At the end of a short straight stretch, you will pass a stone cross.

(1) Continue straight ahead, leaving the stone cross on your right, and take a path that continues straight ahead with a few bends at the end.

(2) Then turn right onto the D425 for 200 metres. Next, leave this road and continue straight ahead, crossing the Petit and Grand Breuil, recognisable by their silos. After the Grand Breuil, continue straight ahead.

(3) 600 metres further on, on the right, a hedge of trees marks the location of the path leading to the covered passage. To see this particularly long dolmen, turn left 200 metres after the start of the path. Retrace your steps. 180 metres after reaching the road, continue to the right, then turn onto the path on the right and follow it for 300 metres.

(4) Turn right and follow the signs for the fitness trail.

(5) Near a picnic area, you will see the towers of old mills. To reach the first tower, take the path at the start of the left-hand bend on the fitness trail. Retrace your steps and continue along the path towards the D323; on the way, you can visit a second ruined mill on your right. Continue along the path to the D 323.

(6) Take the D 323 for 140 metres to the right. Continue on the D 425 (fork to the right). In the middle of the next bend, take the path north of the hamlet of Le Bosquet towards the hamlet of Surcouf.

(7) In the block of houses, turn left onto the road that will take you to Hameau Daumelle.

(8) At Hameau Daumelle, after crossing the bridge, take the D323. After 800 metres, it crosses the D904E. Turn right to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 88 m - Car park at the Moitiers-d'Allonne village hall
  2. 1 : km 0.4 - alt. 84 m - Path straight ahead from the cross
  3. 2 : km 1.09 - alt. 62 m - D425 on the right
  4. 3 : km 3.41 - alt. 98 m - Access to the "covered walkway"
  5. 4 : km 4.62 - alt. 90 m - Turn right towards the fitness trail.
  6. 5 : km 5.4 - alt. 127 m - Follow the path and join the D323.
  7. 6 : km 6.11 - alt. 100 m - Turn right at the fork.
  8. 7 : km 6.97 - alt. 51 m - Turn left towards Hameau Daumelle.
  9. 8 : km 7.45 - alt. 46 m - At Hameau Daumelle, follow the D323.
  10. S/E : km 8.67 - alt. 88 m - Car park at the Moitiers-d'Allonne village hall

Notes

Some sections may be wet in winter, particularly from (S) to (2), as well as after (8) if you take the path (alternative route possible by road).

Option: at (8), take the winding path that will bring you back to the stone cross at the start of the route. Please note that this section is wet in winter!

The covered walkway is private property, but entry is permitted.

If you have followed this walk, please send us your comments (descriptions, photos, etc.).

Worth a visit

During the walk, you will discover:
- A wayside cross,
- The covered walkway of Les Moitiers-d'Allonne, also known as the Dolmen du Breuil or Altar of the Druids,
- On the moor, three tower mills (with rotating roofs) typical of the Cotentin region,
- And also the bocage: hedges, orchards, sheep pastures, hamlets with stone houses and slate roofs...
...along the shady paths that are home to local flora, including medicinal centipedes and common thistles.
- See photographs.

Nearby:
A few kilometres away , the Fierville les Mines windmill is a fine example of a tower mill. Renovated in 1997, it is still in operation: tours and activities.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
3.8 / 5
mlevisse
mlevisse
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the Cotentin countryside. The trail is marked in blue and signposted from the start. There are picnic tables at the three mills. The covered walkway is signposted from the route (which is necessary, as the walkway is in a field).

There are very few people on the route, and the roads used are fairly quiet.

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Samotrace
Samotrace

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy and pleasant hike, but a bit too much road.

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kartavan
kartavan
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk in the centre of the Cotentin region after hiking quite a bit along the coast.
There are certainly opportunities to improve this route to avoid the road, which is always tedious.

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marc-educ-pop
marc-educ-pop

Hello!

Thank you for your comment.

Like you, I appreciate and use Visorando.

However, I won't be able to modify this hike: I live in Marne.

If necessary, you can retrieve my route and description and modify them as you see fit.

Enjoy your walks, best regards

Marc Béteille
Tinqueux near Reims

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desvre
desvre

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello

We followed the Visorando route except between numbers 5 and 6, where we followed the Manche Tourisme map and thus avoided the D 323 road. We enjoyed some beautiful paths and covered a total of 10.8 km.
I think this route should be modified on Visorando to match the Manche Tourisme route.
Kind regards

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patrick002
patrick002

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

For me, it's too much walking for a relatively short hike. It's a shame that the covered walkway isn't really shown off to its best advantage; the site seems to have been abandoned. The same goes for the three mills, except that one is fenced off and inaccessible. At point 8, instead of continuing along the road, I took the path on the right at the bend to return to point 1. There's a beautiful view from the mill hill. There are lovely houses in the hamlets.

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Claude7222
Claude7222

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

smooth

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marc-educ-pop
marc-educ-pop

Glad you enjoyed the walk!!!

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Zeniperus
Zeniperus
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike through the bocage countryside, mainly on tarmac. Beautiful view at the three mills. The covered walkway is not highlighted – no signs and located in a ploughed field. It seems to be rather inconvenient for the owner!

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marc-educ-pop
marc-educ-pop

Hello! Thank you for your comment, it has enabled me to modify the route description.

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Mari el
Mari el

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Luckily we had the map to guide us, because the directions are not very good.
Turn right instead of left.
It's not very easy to find your way around.
Kind regards

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M B 83 89
M B 83 89
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A short, peaceful and pleasant walk
To see a bit of the Manche countryside, I thought it was great
One correction needs to be made to the description: don't leave the cross on your left, you go down into a property. The lady was very friendly, but it would be good to change this detail so that she no longer has visits from walkers.
We went back up to the cross, kept it on our right and continued the walk.
Otherwise, nothing to report. A pleasant walk
Very happy to have seen this covered walkway, the mills and the Normandy countryside.

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Paja
Paja

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A hike lasting no more than 2½ hours, done in the afternoon. At point 1, you don't actually leave the cross on the left. You cross the junction and leave the cross on the right. There was a slight problem finding the road after the fitness trail (which we recommend). Otherwise, it was a pleasant walk.

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marc-educ-pop
marc-educ-pop

Sorry,
The other "users" of this route have been, for the most part, satisfied...

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alldone2
alldone2

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing

Very disappointing
Lots of tarmac 80%
With lorries
A lovely view from the Butte des Moulins

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