The Dolmen de la Pierre Courcoulée in the Évreux Forest

Starting point and access: La Bonneville-sur-Iton railway station.
- The station is served by a few TER trains per day on the line between Évreux and Caen.
By car, park in the small car park on the right at the end of Impasse de la Forge (SNCF signposted) or in the car park at the foot of the station building.

The IGN map contains several inaccuracies regarding the route of this hike. In particular, some of the paths shown no longer exist and several real paths are not shown, even though they appear on the OSM map. As the latter also contains inaccuracies, the more detailed IGN map has been used here. Users of the mobile app may find it useful to cache both maps.

Red and white markings

(S/E) Head to the station platform. Take the footbridge over the railway line at the end of the platform, on the Impasse de la Forge side (if you are arriving by train from Évreux, this is not necessary as you are already on the right side of the track). At the bottom of the footbridge, leave the platform via a gate on the left. Then go straight ahead along a cobbled street, cross two branches of the River Iton and walk alongside a factory on your left.

(1) When the street turns left, take a sharp right onto a path that starts at the foot of a house topped with a bell tower. The path climbs the Fourneau hill at a steady, sustained pace.

(2) At the top, at a crossroads, continue straight ahead (south-southeast). After about 100 metres, at a fork, take the right-hand path, which is the narrower of the two. Continue straight ahead under a canopy of young pine trees in the fern undergrowth. Ignore a path on the right and continue through a birch forest.

(3) At a junction with a faint path, continue straight ahead on the main path, which soon curves to the right (south-west). Cross a narrow path and you will come to a junction with a wide path (tree marked with the letter or Roman numeral X).

(4) Continue straight ahead on the^GR®. After about 150 m, at a fork, turn right. Stay on the marked path (the purple line on the 1:25,000 map is not entirely accurate here) and ignore any vague tracks on either side.

(5) Pass a gap on the left-hand side and then cross a narrow path. Stay on the main marked path, which becomes cluttered with large stones and begins to descend. Ignore a path on the left, follow a fence on the left-hand side and you will come out onto the D60 road at a place called Les Murets.

Yellow markings

(6) Cross the road and take Rue des Murets opposite. At a T-junction, turn right (half-timbered house). Walk along a white fence on your left, then cross the Le Sec Iton river, either by fording it or by taking a footbridge on the left. Continue along a very small road between the fields.

(7) At the crossroads (small house on the left), turn left onto Rue des Haisettes. Cross the river again, either by fording it or using the footbridge on the left. Turn right and continue along a grassy path between two fields. Further on, you will come to the river on your right, then turn left along the path.

Yellow + Blue markings

At a three-way junction, turn right.

Blue markings
The colour chosen is very dark, so the markings are difficult to see from a distance.

(8) At the intersection that appears immediately, take a path on the left that is not shown on the IGN map. Stay on the shaded, flat edge. Rejoin the river on the right-hand side. Further on, the path becomes stony and runs alongside a fenced field on the right-hand side. Climb slightly and you will come out onto the D 55 road. Cross the road carefully (further on, visibility would be too limited) and follow it to the right for about 50 metres.

(9) Take the^first path on the left at an acute angle and go through a forest barrier. Climb steadily under a beautiful forest canopy and keep heading east (the IGN map is inaccurate here). Cross a wide forest path (Route Montbazon on the map) and continue straight ahead on flat ground. At the next junction (with Route de la Loge), continue straight ahead.

No markings

(10) At the next junction, at the boundary between forest plots nos. 5 and 9, turn right and walk alongside a pond on your left. At the next junction, go straight ahead. At the next junction, take a path on the left that is not shown on the IGN map.

(11) At the crossroads immediately ahead, continue straight ahead and you will soon reach the Pierre Courcoulée dolmen. Retrace your steps to the previous crossroads.

Blue markings

(11) Then turn right. Continue straight ahead and ignore a path coming from the right. As you approach some houses, the path gives way to a trail along a wall.

(12) At a crossroads in open terrain, follow a wide path to the left. After a few metres, take a faint path on the right. Enter the forest again and continue on a wider path. You will come to the crossroads you have already taken, at the boundary between plots 5 and 9.

No markings

(10) Then turn right. Follow a long straight line, keeping north-northwest at each intersection.

Blue markings

(13) When you reach a forest barrier, first turn right then left to go around it, then follow the fence on your right. Cross the D55 road carefully and continue on the path opposite, slightly to the right. Ignore a vague path on the right.

No markings

(14) At a crossroads, continue straight ahead (leaving the blue markings on your left). Cross the D 60 road and leave a metal barrier on your right. Walk north-west and ignore any vague tracks on the right.

(15) At a T-junction, turn left. A hundred metres further on, at another T-junction, turn right. Pass between two cleared plots of land. Continue straight ahead and re-enter the forest. You will come to a crossroads with a deeply rutted track on the right and a cluttered track opposite.

(16) Take the wide, well-maintained path on the left, lined with tall trees. After about 200 metres, at a fork, take the path on the right (not shown on the IGN map). At the next junction, turn right onto a wide path. Continue straight ahead until you reach a metal barrier surrounded by wire fencing.

(17) Then turn left and immediately first turn right then left at the foot of a three-trunk oak tree. After about 100 metres, at an intersection, take the most marked path on the right. Walk north-west, ignore a path on the left and arrive at the junction you took on the way there with the tree marked with an "X".

Red and white markings

(4) Return to the^GR®222and follow it to the right.

(3) Continue on the^GR® which heads north-northwest and ignore any turnoffs to the sides.

(2) At the crossroads, go straight ahead and descend.

(1) At the bottom, follow the street to the left, cross the Iton and go through the gate that leads to the station platform. Take the footbridge over the railway line and return to the starting point (S/E).

Hiking boots recommended.

No water sources identified along the route. Shops and bars/restaurants in the centre of La Bonneville-sur-Iton.

A detailed map is essential (at least the one accompanying this description). For the mobile app, it is recommended that you cache the IGN map and the OSM map in advance and, during the hike, choose one or the other depending on the circumstances.

Hike completed by the author on 29 May 2020.

- Pleasant forest trails.
- Beautiful fern undergrowth.
- Some remarkable trees.
- The Sec Iton fords.
- La Pierre Courcoulée (11), a Neolithic dolmen.