On the Viking Coast

After the first part of the walk along the coast between Barfleur and Pointe de la Loge, the route continues through the countryside, where you can discover the beautiful church of Montfarville.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.64 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 22 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 22 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 27 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3 m

Description of the walk

Parking in Barfleur is not easy. The tiny car parks at the port fill up very quickly. The best option is to park in the long main street, Rue Saint-Thomas, as close to the port as possible. This walk starts at the church and Tourist Office at the entrance to the port.
Please note! This walk is not signposted in its entirety, nor as such.

(S/E) With your back to the Tourist Office, turn right to go around the port. Look for the red and whiteGR®®223markings and follow them until further notice. Walk along the edge of Quai Henri Chardon.

(1) At a small turret on the right of the street, continue straight ahead on Rue Albert Rossel. When this street turns away from the port, turn left onto the path that continues closest to the water. Further on, rejoin Rue Albert Rossel and follow it to the left to cross a stream at the end of the port. About 100 metres further on, turn left onto Rue Julie Rostel and, at the end of the street, continue along the path that extends it to reach the marker.

(2) Pass to the right of the marker, then cross the picnic area (note the information board about the port of Barfleur) and continue in the same direction until you reach a street at the entrance to the pier, near a blockhouse covered with bushes. Turn right onto Rue du 24 Juin 1944. About 50 metres further on, on the right-hand side of a property and at a sign for "Les Chemins de Saint-Michel", turn left onto the path. This path approaches the coast and then turns right to run alongside it. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path on the right. Join a road at a car park.

(3) Continue straight ahead along the coast. Further on, you will see an information sign about the plants growing on the beach. Join a road at Mare de Montfarville.

(4) Follow it for a few metres and then leave it immediately to take the path on the left, which continues to follow the coast towards the cape (signposted "sentier du littoral").

(5) Further on, you will come to the end of a road again. Continue along the path opposite, still heading towards the cape (signposted "sentier du littoral"). At a point where the path bends to the right, you will see an information panel about shipwrecks. Further on, you will come to the end of a road at the cape.

(6) Follow the road to the right towards Landermer (signposted "sentier du littoral") and "les Chemins de Saint-Michel". At a crossroads with a carved cross on the right, turn left onto the D1 which runs along the coast. Further on, you will see a wash house on the right-hand side of the road. As the road bends to the right, continue along the coast on the path on the left (signposted "les Chemins de Saint-Michel"). As the path runs alongside a beach, ignore a few paths that branch off to the right. Further on, the path leaves the coast to go around a property.

(7) Once past this, turn left immediately at a wooden gate to return to the coast and continue on the right. Further on, you will come to the end of the road again (signposted "Plage du Hommet") and continue along the coast on the path straight ahead. Soon, however, the path has to go around some private land that takes up the whole beach.

(8) At the intersection of three paths, at aGR®®223signpost, turn right to leave the coast. Further on, at the intersection with a small road, leave the red and whiteGR®®223markings and continue on the path opposite. After a right-hand bend, then a left-hand bend and then another right-hand bend, the path heads west.

(9) Take the next path on the right. At the first houses in Maltot, continue along the road that extends the path to reach the centre of the hamlet.

(10) At the intersection with another road, take the road on the left. Further on, cross a road (D1) and continue on the small road opposite.

(11) At the next intersection, turn right towards the road sign indicating Montfarville 2 km away, then turn left at the fork just after. A hundred metres further on, notice the information panel on the landscape of yesterday and today on the right-hand side of the road and, above all, admire the magnificent oak tree in the meadow on the right-hand side of the road. Shortly afterwards, pass the Château de Tourps on your left, then notice an information sign about falcons on the left of the road. At the junction with another road, take a few steps to the left and then take the path on the right, at the corner of a low stone wall.

(12) At the next crossroads, turn right. Look out for a red and yellow sign (GRP®® Tour du Val de Saire) which you will follow to Barfleur. Further on, you will see an information board about the benefits of vegetables. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead. On the outskirts of Montfarville, the path becomes paved. Shortly afterwards, you will come to a street. Follow it to the left until you reach an intersection with another street, just in front of the church of Montfarville.

(13) Cross the road and enter the cemetery, then visit the church to see its magnificent frescoed ceiling. Leave the cemetery through the gate opposite the church entrance and immediately turn right onto Rue de la Poste (street sign on the cemetery wall). Continue along the cemetery on your right, then, at the end of the cemetery, turn left onto Rue des Pestils (road signs for Barville). At the fork, take Rue de la Croix Muette on the right, then take the right-hand path at the next fork. You will come to a crossroads with a pretty carved stone cross, the Croix Muet (information sign). Continue straight ahead and ignore a path that joins from the left. Further on, ignore another path on the left, then, shortly after the path becomes tarmac at the entrance to Les Roches, you will come to a crossroads with a road. At this crossroads, note the information sign on rural architecture on the left.

(14) Continue along the road opposite, ignoring all the streets on the left. Enter Barfleur and pass the cemetery on your right. Ignore a street on the left at the crossroads and continue straight ahead along Rue du Général de Gaulle, then Rue des Jardins until you reach the port.

(1) Return to the church by the same route you took on the way there, following the harbour. At the church, note an information sign about Barfleur and the painting (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 5 m - Church in Barfleur - Village de Barfleur
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 4 m - Crossroads of the loop
  3. 2 : km 0.99 - alt. 3 m - To the right of the signpost
  4. 3 : km 1.63 - alt. 5 m - Straight path
  5. 4 : km 2.28 - alt. 4 m - Straight path
  6. 5 : km 3.41 - alt. 6 m - Straight path
  7. 6 : km 4.1 - alt. 6 m - Road on the right
  8. 7 : km 5.23 - alt. 4 m - Path on the left after a property
  9. 8 : km 6.5 - alt. 6 m - Path on the right
  10. 9 : km 7.72 - alt. 11 m - Path on the right
  11. 10 : km 8.6 - alt. 7 m - Road on the left
  12. 11 : km 10 - alt. 9 m - Road on the right, then left
  13. 12 : km 11.08 - alt. 21 m - Path on the right
  14. 13 : km 12.19 - alt. 14 m - Church in Montfarville - Église de Montfarville
  15. 14 : km 13.23 - alt. 10 m - Road opposite
  16. S/E : km 14.64 - alt. 5 m - Church in Barfleur

Notes

No particular difficulties

Worth a visit

The northern coast of the Cotentin Peninsula, like that of the Seine-Maritime, was a favourite landing place for the "Northmen", the future Normans. The coastline here is very rugged and there are many dangerous rocks. They have caused many shipwrecks. One of the most terrible was undoubtedly the one that took place on Christmas night in 1836 in the Anse de Brévy. During the night, around twenty Breton boats were shipwrecked simultaneously. Later, in 1882, "La Providence", a ship from Perros-Guirec, sank on the rocks of Montfarville. In 1886, an English schooner was shipwrecked. I cannot resist telling you the story of Georges Godel, a fisherman by trade, who, on 20 January 1881, saved a man during the sinking of the Bolivia. In 1885, during the night, he also saved four English sailors from the Lady Monret, which was in distress. A week later, he threw himself into the sea to save two farmers whose boat had capsized while they were harvesting seaweed.

In the countryside, there are numerous information panels about the landscape, agriculture and architecture.

(S/E) Pretty village and port of Barfleur, very lively in the summer.

Just after (10) House with finials seen in one of the photos on this walk.

(13) Beautiful paintings inthe church of Montfarville.

 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

4.8 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
piot
piot

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

pleasant route may be a bit too much tarmac road

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fredchristine14
fredchristine14

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On sunny days, it was very pleasant to walk along the coast and return inland

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Sybe
Sybe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route first follows the coastline and then, on the way back inland, offers a glimpse of market gardening in the Val de Saire.

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Tenrec2
Tenrec2

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, part of it along the beach and part inland.

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benoitrando
benoitrando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb easy hike, very diverse, several kilometres along the coast with beautiful beaches and very little traffic on the roads we had to take in the countryside. The passage, with a stop to visit the church of Montfarville, is a must to admire the magnificent interior.

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La boscéenne
La boscéenne

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The tourist office has moved; there's a book box in its place. My friend and I got stuck at point 10. In the end, we turned right, then left, and found the sign for "Montfarville 2". Otherwise, the description was perfect, thank you.

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epiluc91
epiluc91
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a lovely walk, varied and pleasant both by the sea and inland

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Mick88
Mick88

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful, easy hike. Beautiful coastal views. The church in Montfarville is interesting.
Thank you for this walk.

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sholby
sholby

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I was worried that the return journey inland would be boring, but I was wrong – it's actually very pleasant. It's a bit of a "hard work" section, where you pass through lots of working farms, in contrast to the first "sun cream" section with its sandy paths where walking is slower and punctuated by campsites and caravan sites of varying degrees of wildness.

From the village of Maltot, the route follows a narrow paved road that is so quiet that it is never a problem. A little further on, after the junction with the D1 and before reaching point 11, you cross the Mare Barré stream and, if you proceed with caution, you may be lucky enough to see coypu frolicking in the pool just to the right of the road. A group of partridges also cheered loudly as I approached.

A little further on, you arrive at the beautiful Château Le Tourps, nestled behind a wall that undulates and threatens to collapse at any moment. Montfarville and its unusual church are very nice. The return to Barfleur is via a particularly ugly housing estate (in my humble opinion), however.

It took me 2 hours and 27 minutes to complete the route, starting and ending at point 1, as I was already familiar with Barfleur itself.

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KikiGand
KikiGand

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy, very varied route with an interesting stop at Montfarville church and beautiful coastal and countryside views too! Thank you to the author for sharing! Well done!

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Megel
Megel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike along the sea, stunning scenery. Reliable information; in May, the trail is not very busy. Thank you to Visorando for this beautiful walk.

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Alouette Lulu
Alouette Lulu

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, especially the first part along the coast. A varied, interesting and easy route. On this particular day in June, some sections of the path were flooded, but we were always able to find a way around and continue the route. Thank you for this beautiful hike and for the app. Visorando. With the IGN map, it's wonderful!

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eebeaure
eebeaure
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb, very easy hike with little elevation gain, including several kilometres along the coastline and beautiful beaches. There was little traffic in the countryside; we saw very few cars. The information provided was very clear and precise!
Walking at a good pace, it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes.

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auvray014
auvray014

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The signposts aren't always visible, but it's a great hike.

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saphyr
saphyr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

beautiful route with lovely views of the sea and market gardens

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