The forest and ponds of Saint-Hellier

This walk will take you through the charming village and past the ponds of Saint-Hellier, nestled on the banks of the Varenne River. It will lead you into the Forêt Domaniale d'Eawy, which overlooks the village.

Details

386852
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.56 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 123 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 119 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 180 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 56 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Parking at the sports complex car park, Rue des Pommiers (D76)

(S/E) Exiting the car park, turn right onto Rue des Pommiers and continue until the intersection at D154.

(1) Cross the intersection and take the Rue du Beau Soleil, which heads up towards the Eawy forest, and then becomes Route Forestière de Saint-Hellier. Continue along this forest trail until you reach the intersection Carrefour de la Réformation.

(2) Take the nature trail on your left, a path diagonal to the T-junction at Route Forestière de la Fresnaye.

(3) Turn left onto Route Forestière de la Fresnaye, which ends in a paved road at the old Maison Forestière de la Fresnaye. Exit the forest at the intersection between Chemin des Essarts and Rue de la Fresnaye.

(4) Continue straight onto Rue de la Fresnaye, which goes all the way down to the D154 intersection. Pass the Chapelle Saint-Sauveur-de-la-Fresnaye and you'll be back onto road D154.

(5) Cross the road onto the Chemin des Etangs, which runs alongside the Saint-Hellier ponds. Continue on your right, crossing over the Varenne and continuing onto the Chemin de Sainte-Colombe, which leads to road D15.

(6) Turn left into the village of Saint-Hellier. Cross through the village on the D15 and past the church at the D76 intersection (be sure to adhere by road-safety rules).

(7) Turn left onto Rue des Pommiers to return to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 65 m - Sports ground car park
  2. 1 : km 0.57 - alt. 69 m - D154, Rue du Beau Soleil, after the bridge over the - Varenne (rivière) - Affluent de l'Arques
  3. 2 : km 2.29 - alt. 177 m - Carrefour de la Réformation
  4. 3 : km 2.85 - alt. 176 m - Route Forestière de la Fresnaye, on the left
  5. 4 : km 3.79 - alt. 171 m - Rue de la Fresnaye
  6. 5 : km 4.89 - alt. 66 m - Chemin des Étangs
  7. 6 : km 5.54 - alt. 57 m - D15, left
  8. 7 : km 7.37 - alt. 74 m - Crossroads D15 and D76, left
  9. S/E : km 7.56 - alt. 65 m - Sports ground car park

Notes

Start: Parking at the sports complex car park, Rue des Pommiers (D76)

Worth a visit

The Eawy forest.
The Museum of Cider and Traditional Crafts, Rosay.
Saint-Saëns with its public buildings including its golf course and the Fontaine Dillard.
Val de Bures petting farm, Bellencombre.
Auffay collegiate church, famous for its Jacquemarts tower. See the Rêve de bisons, a bison reserve, in Muchedent.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Agnès DEHAIS
Agnès DEHAIS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful gradations of colour between forest and pond

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BOLINGUE Daniel
BOLINGUE Daniel

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Very nice hike, not too physically demanding; one small downside was that the end of the route was a little less interesting.

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papy diouf
papy diouf

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice ride;
The part on the road is a bit long

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marandole
marandole

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice little walk with plenty of variety (forest, countryside). Perhaps a bit too much tarmac!

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Cailly00
Cailly00

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely walk in the forest at the start, not too difficult a climb, beautiful house along the way and viewpoint.
Highly recommended.

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MALET Catherine
MALET Catherine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I was a bit scared when I saw the start of the hike with the tarmac road. But everything changes from the clearing onwards and this forest is so beautiful, especially with its autumn colours.
The Normandy bocage after passing over the Varenne is also very pretty. I was lucky enough to walk along this little road, the D15, on a warm but not too warm autumn day, so I didn't have to complain about the lack of shade, as I've read in other comments.
In short, I really enjoyed this tour.

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MALET Catherine
MALET Catherine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

On this very sunny autumn day, I really enjoyed the forest section with its beautiful colours, despite the many tarmac sections.
The Normandy bocage after La Varenne is very beautiful. I was lucky enough to take the D15 at a time of year when, despite the sun and the temperature of 22°C in the shade, the fact that there was no shade on this road was quite bearable.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed the walk.

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stallie
stallie

stallie
The children's play area is indeed in direct sunlight, but the picnic table is covered and therefore provides shade. We had lunch there yesterday lunchtime for the second time and we weren't in direct sunlight. What's more, the bins were empty, so there was no problem.

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JPRN7647
JPRN7647

JeanpierreMariejeanne
The car park near children's games with a picnic area is a good idea, however it is unfortunate that this place is located in full sun with almost no shade, moreover the bins too full overflow when a passage of a volunteer neighbour could surely be considered.
Given the temperature of this day 07/08/2018 with my wife made sure to reach the places listed by car and found this village first very flowery and maintained. The area around the ponds is nevertheless worth lingering over.
The route is a little long, however, with a child under 7/8 years old on foot or by bike, as the gradient is quite steep. Despite everything, it's a restful place with lots of surrounding villages, around forty kilometres from Rouen.
JPRN7647

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stallie
stallie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

This is a very good walk, but the last part of the route along the D15 back to the village is a downside. This road is exposed to full sun with no possibility of getting into the shade all the way to the church of Saint Hellier. It was very difficult for us (around 30°C that day) despite being in a "flat" area. What's more, the return journey could have been more enjoyable if we'd actually walked alongside the ponds, as this route takes us away from them. It's a shame we couldn't find an access road along this side of the lakes!

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cloclo76
cloclo76

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Super region, it's a shame that there are a lot of tarmac roads and that the numbering of the plots of woodland doesn't correspond to the map; the hike with 1 7-year-old child took 2 hours 30 minutes.

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Carole1977
Carole1977

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello,
It says 3h15 for this 7.5km hike. With 7 year olds, we did it in 2h15. I would also recommend that you correct the total difference in altitude, which is given as 400m (an obvious error in this hilly area), whereas according to my calculations it is 85m.
As for the rest, we really enjoyed the walk as a family.
Cdt

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lannel
lannel

Hello,

Thank you for your kind comment.
I invite you to take a look at my other selected walks which will help you discover the Pays de Bray.

Best regards.

Nadege Lannel

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binetf
binetf

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant little hike, with no difficulties... well signposted, very easy to follow.

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