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Start from the Chapelle Saint-Louis, located behind the station, on the other side of the tracks, and accessible via Avenue des Douits. Parking is available at the station car park or at the cinema located opposite the station, on the other side of Avenue de la République.
Please note that this hike is not signposted as such, nor is it signposted in its entirety.
(S/E) Go up Allée Saint-Louis to Avenue des Douits and turn left. Cross Rue du Hougard and, at the next intersection, turn right onto Rue du Cap, against the traffic, opposite the cinema. At the post office (a beautiful building), turn left onto Rue de la Poste to reach the port. Turn right onto Rue Thierry d'Argenlieu, towards "La corniche / Le phare". Continue along this road uphill, ignoring three streets and then two paths on the left.
(1) At the "Rue Dennemont" sign on the left, turn right onto Rue de la Roche Biard (street sign on the right) and drive back to a signpost. At this crossroads, note a house with a beautiful roof ridge typical of the region. Just after a house with white balconies on the right and slightly higher up, turn right at a transformer, take a staircase and then a path that branches off to the left to reach the orientation table. Return to the starting point.
(1) Turn right onto Rue Dennemont. At the next intersection, follow Route de la Corniche to the right. Our route now follows theGR®®223, but the red and white markings are not always very visible. Further on, at the wooden signs, leave the road and take a path on the left, following the signs for "Sentier des douaniers". Further on, go through a gate to enter a pasture area and continue along the cliff side.
(2) At Pointe de Carteret, ignore a path that climbs to the right (towards the lighthouse) and continue along the edge of the cliff, following the red and white markings (GR®®). Go around the point, then go through another gate to leave the grazing area. Shortly afterwards, turn onto a path on the right (GR®® signposting) to climb up to the ruined church. Go around it on the right and continue to follow theGR®® signposting to reach a small road at the wooden signs.
(3) Follow the road to the right. Further on, at an information sign about the Hattainville dunes, take a path on the left.
(4) Ignore a path on the right and then, just after, leave theGR®® trail, which branches off to the right, and take a path on the left. At the T-junction, continue left and then, just after, at a "Site Naturel Protégé" (protected natural site) sign and a barrier, follow the path on the right. The path quickly fades away and disappears. Descend in the same direction, west, on a wide ridge to the bottom of the valley. During the descent, note the outline of four hedges of tall conifers on your right, which will soon serve as landmarks.
(5) At the bottom of the valley, follow a path on the right, ignoring other paths that branch off to the sides. Then, as the path becomes unclear, climb up to the right towards the first hedge of conifers and cut across it perpendicularly. Pass under the trees and continue towards the next hedge. On the other side, turn left and pass under the third hedge. Just before the fourth hedge, turn left between the trees and a bramble bush, then, about 50 metres further on, turn right towards a wooden sign that you can see above. Continue in the direction of another post to reach the path marked by the GR®®.
(6) Follow it to the left, ignoring all the paths that branch off to the sides, and continue, following the red and white GR®® markings on the posts. Further on, go through a gate, then a second one, and you will soon come to a crossroads.
(7) See Practical Information for an update in 2025. Leave theGR®® and turn left. Shortly afterwards, you will see a sign for "Site Naturel Protégé" (protected natural site) and pass through a gate. The path is, once again, very poorly marked. From an iron cistern on the left, continue towards the wooden posts that mark the path. However, ignore the directions indicated by these posts as they mark a circuit that is in the opposite direction to our route. As for the directions to take, follow a left turn shortly after the cistern, then a right turn going uphill. At the next post, turn left. At the next post, turn right then follow a north-west direction to descend towards a well-marked path at the bottom of the dune. Further down, turn slightly right towards a post then you will come to the path.
(8) Follow it to the right and continue north to reach a small road at a gate and a sign saying "Site Naturel Protégé" (protected natural site). Follow the road to the right until you reach an information sign about the dune wildlife and a gate.
(9) Leave the road and take the path on the right. At the wash house, continue to the right and look for wooden posts marking the path (but in the opposite direction to us). At the first post, turn left and climb up a few steps to reach the orientation table.
(10) Leave the site by turning right towards a post with blue markings. At the "Site Naturel Protégé" sign, turn left and continue straight ahead until the next intersection, at the "Ici commence..." sign.
(11) Turn right onto theGR®® for a short round trip to a wash house, then return to
(11) Continue straight ahead on the small road, following theGR®® signs until you reach a T-junction with a green lamppost in front of you.
(12) Leave theGR®® and turn right, then follow this road for about 730 metres.
(13) As the road curves to the left, leave it and continue straight ahead on a path marked in yellow. Shortly afterwards, you will see a sign for "Site Naturel Protégé" (protected natural site) and a barrier. Just after this, take the steps on the left. Further up, do not go through the barrier and continue along this path, on the heights of the Ruisseau des Douits valley, marked by posts and running alongside a meadow. Further on, the path descends and joins a road.
(14) Follow it to the right to return to Carteret, and shortly afterwards you will see a sign for "Mer de sable". Ignore the path on the right and continue along the edge of the road, alongside the Ruisseau des Douits, until you find Allée Saint-Louis on the left. Take this road to return to the chapel (S/E).
Visorando member
Easy 
Association / Club / Walk leader
Difficult 
