The Sougeal Marsh

Parking: Place de l’Église de Sougéal.

(S/E) Go down the steps in front of the church entrance and follow Rue du Prieuré to the right (towards Pontorson). After the crossroads by the school, turn right onto a sunken track running parallel to the road. Once back on the road, immediately take a path on the right after the lagoon, then the dirt track on the left, and rejoin the road on the right for 20 metres. Follow the signs on the right towards Vilormel and the marsh.
In the hamlet of Vilormel, take the path on the right towards the marsh.

(1) Before entering the marsh, follow the path on the right to reach the bird observatory.

(2) Turn back to return to the previous crossroads.

(1) Go through the cattle grid (entrance to the marsh) and follow the path to the fish pass.

(3) Cross the footbridge, then follow the Couesnon river to the south-eastern edge of the marsh to rejoin the path leading to the Lanrigan exit.

(4) There, you leave the Couesnon. The path bends to the left and then passes under a high-voltage power line. Go through a second cattle grid marking the marsh exit.

(5) At the marsh exit, just before the road, follow the path on the right which runs alongside the marsh below the road on your left. Continue to the second observation point, which has a picnic table.

(6) Return along the road for 200 m and turn right onto the path that climbs into the Bois de Vaugoubé.

(7) Take the road on the left to the hamlet of La Selle (chapel, grotto, old houses).
Turn left before the chapel and continue towards Le Buisson. After the hamlet of Le Buisson, follow the path on the left which leads down into a wood.

(8) The path runs alongside a road on the left and descends past the fish farm.

(9) Take the road on the right as you leave the woods. It leads onto the D89, which you should follow to the right. At the crossroads (cross), follow the road on the left towards Les Landelles. After the hamlet, carry on straight ahead.

(10) When the road bends to the left, take the sunken track on the right to join the D15.

(11) Cross with care and carry on straight ahead (way of the cross on the right), then turn right onto the footpath. It becomes damp after a 90° bend to the right, running alongside a stream, then veers to the left.

(12) At the road, turn right, ignoring the Champ Gérault further on to the left. Once you reach the D15, follow it to the left for 300 m and turn left again towards the Vauscension valley.

(13) Go as close as possible round two sides of the football pitch, pass the shed on the left, then follow the stony path to the left and head down a steep track. Once at the bottom, veer left to follow the stream and, after about a hundred metres, wade across it as the footbridge is no longer in good condition.
Cross the stream and walk along the valley on the other side, descending to the road.

(14) After the lake on your right, walk alongside the D89 to the right for 40 metres, then take the path on the right to reach the village (S/E).

The Sougeal marsh:
- a major breeding site for pike, thanks to development work that has restored its proper hydraulic function.
- The marsh is frequented by waterbirds. In winter, it hosts surface-feeding ducks that come here to feed at night, leaving their daytime roost in the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. In spring, these birds are either migratory or breeding.
- Finally, it has retained its traditional use as communal grazing land, where cattle, horses and geese graze together in summer.

The entire walk, with the exception of the two extensions to the birdwatching posts, is signposted with a yellow bar (sometimes very pale or even white) accompanied by the P9 mark.
This route and some of the information provided are taken from the ‘Randoguide’ for the trails of the Pays Gallo and the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel.