The Valley of the Crows

This is a short, varied route, where you will pass some beautiful Norman houses, an old church and a farmhouse inn dating from the 13th century. Half on tarmac, half on paths, this route is not very difficult, even if the hill leading to the D830 puts hikers' calves to the test!

Details

30483546
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.70 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 94 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 97 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 159 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 92 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: La Croisille (27190)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.982288° / E 0.976201°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1913SB, 1914SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

La Croisille town hall car park.

(S/E) With your back to the town hall, go down the road on the right and, at the crossroads, continue along the path opposite. Shortly after the private tennis court, pass the relay antenna pylon on the left and then go down the path on the right. A few metres further on, at the fork in the path, near a pasture, continue along the path on the left which runs alongside the woods and joins a road.

(1) Turn right, cross the bridge over the railway line, then walk past the church of Basse-Croisille.

(2) Continue along the road and cross the river (the Rouloir). Follow this road uphill to the D830.

(3) Cross it carefully, continue straight ahead, then quickly turn left onto the D710 towards Champ-Dolent. Pass in front of the Heurteloup housing estate and a few metres further on, at the crossroads, at elevation 158, continue straight ahead on the road for a few hundred metres until you reach the right-hand bend.

(4) At the bend, leave the tarmac road and follow the dirt track on the left. This crosses a cultivated area before reaching the Bois de la Garenne. At the entrance to the woods, follow the path on the left and, at the road, continue straight ahead for about 100 metres.

(5) Leave the road and follow the forest path on the left, then pass in front of a log cabin. At the edge of the woods, descend into the small valley along the edge of the woods, then turn left between the horse paddocks and join the D830.

(6) Turn right, cross the Chignolle Bridge over the railway line, then the bridge over the river. A few metres further on, turn left into the small street (Chemin de Gregneuseville). Pass three adjacent private paths, then take the path opposite, marked in red and white. After a pretty Norman house built of white stone, continue along the path that climbs up the hill. Enter Haute-Croisille and arrive at a crossroads with a stop sign.

(7) Turn right, heading north, pass the calvary, then at the next crossroads, continue straight on along Rue du Bourg. In the bend, pass in front of the pretty farmhouse in the village, then follow the path on the left that runs alongside the pond and return to the town hall car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 138 m - La Croisille Town Hall
  2. 1 : km 0.86 - alt. 111 m - Road. View of the church of La Basse Croisille
  3. 2 : km 1.25 - alt. 97 m - Passage du Rouloir
  4. 3 : km 2.37 - alt. 153 m - RD830 crossroads
  5. 4 : km 3.56 - alt. 154 m - Plain path
  6. 5 : km 4.58 - alt. 144 m - Bois de la Garenne forest path
  7. 6 : km 5.98 - alt. 100 m - The Chignolle Bridge - L'Iton
  8. 7 : km 8.15 - alt. 135 m - La Haute Croisille
  9. S/E : km 8.69 - alt. 138 m - La Croisille Town Hall

Notes

For your information, this route follows part ofthe GR®222. You can therefore follow its red and white markings from (S/E) to (2), then from (5) to (S/E).

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Bouscamoun
Bouscamoun

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Lovely walk, a breath of fresh air at -2°C.
Very pleasant.

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parekasa
parekasa

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful, pleasant route, well signposted

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CécileK
CécileK

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Varied environments. It would be more accurately called the valley of horses. Do we know why "crows"? Pretty houses.
We could add:
The farm in the village is particularly interesting with its tithe barn, dovecote and vegetable garden, whose produce ends up on our plates at the weekend! What's more, hikers are given a warm welcome here when it rains!
The river we cross is the Rouloir, and you have to be very careful when crossing the D830 at this point because cars don't expect to see pedestrians with two bends that obstruct visibility, despite the speed limit of 50.

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jploust
jploust

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

9 May 2023
Thank you for creating this hike. I tried it out so I could suggest it to my club.
I know the Rouloir valley very well and I love it! It's true that I never cross the main road!
I don't see how to shorten the stretch of road to Champs Dolent, but there isn't too much traffic!
Enjoy your hikes!

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jploust
jploust

Thank you for creating this hike. I tried it out so I could suggest it to my club.
I know the Rouloir valley very well and I love it! It's true that I never cross the main road!
I don't see how to shorten the stretch of road to Champs Dolent, but there isn't too much traffic.
Enjoy your hikes!

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margeo
margeo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, undulating route with grassy paths, woods, pretty houses, two long but not difficult hills and very few vehicles on the tarmac section. A ride with friends aged between 60 and 85 who were delighted.
One small downside in section 3: what does "cote 158" mean? We were unsure...
THANK YOU!!!

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Marie-Laurence Lamberti
Marie-Laurence Lamberti

Thank you for this information, which is certainly valuable, but I must admit that since we do not have confidence in these cases, we
prefer to abstain
And it's only a matter of time, as the season is coming to an end!
Even if we only do half of it, we're happy to give this hike 3 stars!

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minath27
minath27

Thank you very much for this information about the hunters.

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LEGLAUDE
LEGLAUDE

Hello and thank you for your feedback.
You were right to avoid the hunters and err on the side of caution, but please note that the path through the Bois de la Garenne is a public right of way and hunters are not allowed to prevent you from passing. Simply introduce yourself to the first hunter you encounter and they must notify the person in charge of the hunt. The latter will warn the other hunters of your passage using a hunting horn.
Enjoy your walk!

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Marie-Laurence Lamberti
Marie-Laurence Lamberti

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We attempted this route yesterday but were unable to complete it
because when we got close to the woods of La Garenne, the presence of numerous hunters forced us
to turn back, especially as we could also hear gunshots coming from the direction of Butte de Heurteloup.
As we really enjoyed the first part, which was very well described and easy to follow, we
intend to do the entire route again outside of hunting season.
This hilly and varied route is full of charm.

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minath27
minath27

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Very quiet trail... we didn't meet a single other walker! Pleasant countryside,
be careful on the road section over the two bridges (railway and river)
We clocked up just 8 km, so it's doable in 2 hours while enjoying the scenery.
Thank you for this route.

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