Towards Notre-Dame de Hambye Abbey

Between Sienne and Hambyotte, this route invites you to discover the Normandy countryside via numerous sunken lanes where, in the meadows that line them, Prim'Holstein cows, originally from Holland, mingle with Normande cows, the region's emblematic breed. At the end of the route, Hambye Abbey awaits you with its13th-century chapter house.

Details

3943421
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.13 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 276 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 281 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 150 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 51 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Hambye (50450)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.94682° / W 1.265713°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1314E, 1314O
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Place Jeanne Painel in Hambye.

YellowPR® markings

(S/E) Leave the car park with your back to the post office and turn right onto Ruelle aux Sorciers. Take the path on the left that leads down to the Hambyotte river. When you reach the road, turn right and follow it to the end.

(1) When you reach Rue de la Chaussée, turn left and walk 300 metres before turning left between numbers 23 and 25 onto Chemin du Mont Cauvet. Follow this road until it bends to the left (barrier).

(2) Leave the road and continue straight ahead along the path that extends from it. At the junction with another path, turn right. Ignore the access road to La Pitoiserie on the left and continue on the right until you reach Route du Hamel Marie.

(3) Turn left and walk 200 m to take a path on the right heading west. Follow it to the left. At the crossroads between roads and paths, turn right.

(4) Ignore a path on the right and, 20 metres further on, turn left towards the south-west. The path leads to Mauny and ends at the D398 departmental road.

(5) Turn left onto the road towards Moulin de Mauny. Cross the Sienne and continue along the road towards the south-south-west.

(6) Before reaching Vauvenard, turn left onto a path and follow it to the end. Continue along the road to the left towards Les Bretonnières. At the T-junction, turn right and continue to the road.

Yellow and red markings forthe GR® de Pays "Sur les traces des Fondeurs de cloches" (In the footsteps of the bell founders)
Yellow markings for thePR®

(7) Turn left and continue left at Haut Bosq to go straight ahead onto a path. Continue on this path until you reach a crossroads.

(8) Take the path furthest to the right. Continue to the right and at the crossroads, turn left towards the east to end up on the D198 departmental road.

(9) Turn left. Walk past the church and cemetery of La Haye Comtesse on your left and continue along this road until you reach the D51 departmental road.

(10) Follow it on the left for 100 metres and turn left to quickly follow a path on the right that continues along the road. Follow the path around a hairpin bend to the right, then another to the left to descend towards the river.

(11) Cross the Sienne a second time via a footbridge. Continue and ignore a staircase on the left, then continue along the road.
Before the bridge and after the Auberge de l'Abbaye, take the D51 road on the left and arrive in front of the entrance to the Abbey.

(12) Before the entrance to the abbey, continue along the road that runs alongside the abbey, then take the path that goes around the abbey and continue along Chemin de la Croix Martin until you reach the end of the D198.

(13) Turn left to cross the D51 and continue straight ahead towards the north-west, then north. Take the path on the left that crosses the Hambyotte. At the Y-shaped crossroads, turn right. Cross the river again.

(14) Continue on the left and join the D51 departmental road. Follow it to the left for about 200 metres and continue left onto Route de la Gare. After 50 metres, turn right onto Chemin des Muletiers.

(15) Enter Hambye by continuing along the road on the left. At the crossroads, Place Jeanne Painel is on the left (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 97 m - Place Jeanne Painel in Hambye
  2. 1 : km 0.68 - alt. 77 m - Rue de la Chaussée - on the left
  3. 2 : km 1.62 - alt. 112 m - Turn left at the bend - straight ahead
  4. 3 : km 2.42 - alt. 115 m - Road on the left
  5. 4 : km 3.45 - alt. 101 m - After 20 m - on the left
  6. 5 : km 4.24 - alt. 59 m - Route D398 on the left
  7. 6 : km 4.89 - alt. 75 m - Before Vauvenard - Path on the left
  8. 7 : km 6.37 - alt. 124 m - Road on the left
  9. 8 : km 7.33 - alt. 117 m - Rightmost hairpin bend path
  10. 9 : km 7.94 - alt. 145 m - Route D198 on the left
  11. 10 : km 9.1 - alt. 70 m - Route D51 on the left
  12. 11 : km 10.04 - alt. 65 m - Footbridge over the - Sienne (fleuve)
  13. 12 : km 10.7 - alt. 61 m - Hambye Abbey
  14. 13 : km 12.89 - alt. 116 m - Road on the left
  15. 14 : km 14.01 - alt. 69 m - Path on the left
  16. 15 : km 14.95 - alt. 93 m - Entrance to Hambye
  17. S/E : km 15.13 - alt. 97 m - Place Jeanne Painel in Hambye

Notes

Difficulty: none

Local shops
Public toilets and water point at the town hall square

Worth a visit

Former castle of the Paisnel family
Nothing remains of the medieval castle of the Lords of Hambye (the Paisnels), companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, whose last heiress, Jeanne Paisnel, was married to Louis d'Estouteville, captain and heroic defender of Mont-Saint-Michel during the Hundred Years' War. The bride herself was the daughter of Guillaume Paisnel, former captain of Mont-Saint-Michel. It was she who offered her château in Tourlaville to the Ravalets.

Mauny Mill
The leat was dismantled. It was redeveloped in 2015 to facilitate the passage of salmon.

Là-bas laines (La Baleine)
On a small hill with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside, there is a farm where Angora goats and alpacas are raised. The farmers use the wool they shear to make products that they sell under their brand name "La bas Laines". Tours of the farm are available. (www.mohair-normandie.fr)

Hambye Abbey
The Benedictine Abbey of Notre-Dame de Hambye was founded in the12th century and was home to a monastic community until the Revolution, when it was sold as national property. The abbey church was used as a stone quarry and almost disappeared. The complex was saved from ruin and listed as a Historic Monument between 1900 and 1925. The gatehouse, church and abbey lodgings belong to the department of La Manche. The convent buildings are privately owned and have been undergoing patient renovation work since 1956.
(www.manche.fr / Tel: 02 33 61 76 92

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 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Véronique B
Véronique B

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike along sunken paths surrounded by greenery. There was hardly anyone there, even in high season! I don't use the description, but mainly the trail when I hike, so my opinion on the matter should not be taken into account

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User 24563422

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

For a group of friends, this was a very enjoyable tour, which we would recommend along with a visit to the abbey

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User 26028521
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A bit muddy in the undergrowth but accessible to all... little picnic spots here and there for those who want to stop off... completed in 2 hours 30 minutes for me at a moderate to sustained pace, with some lovely views and no one there... I was all alone in the world!

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j-y.leguillou
j-y.leguillou
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike along excellent paths (but in August. Some sections may be muddy in winter or spring), very wooded and shaded. Some beautiful views of the countryside. No exceptional sites, but a very pretty and pleasant country walk through wooded and hedgerow-lined countryside, including a few sections on small roads where you won't meet anyone. Passage and picnic area along the beautiful ruins of Hambye Abbey. No difficulty, but a little over 200m of elevation gain.
Description not used as the route and GPS, as well as the markings along the paths, are more than sufficient.

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fheraud
fheraud

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant and varied circular route between hedgerows, sunken paths, wetlands, streams and a visit to the magnificent Hambye Abbey in its green setting. Well-marked and maintained trail.

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Isabelle Bournier
Isabelle Bournier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, with varied landscapes, paths and points of interest. We just got lost after the abbey on the way back up. We probably missed a yellow mark. A wonderful day thanks to this beautiful hike alternating between woodland and open paths.

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paulmalo
paulmalo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk along well-maintained paths, beautifully decorated with flowers at this time of year!
The abbey is as majestic as ever...
We did the route in the opposite direction, but I think it's better to follow the recommended route so you can arrive with a superb view of the abbey!

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mmarche50
mmarche50

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route, mostly along paths through the woods and alongside the River Sienne. The paths are well maintained, with one small section being very wet. I plan to return to do the route in the opposite direction.

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annec1930
annec1930

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Well done on this beautiful route, lovely paths, really very pleasant.
I have already walked the GRP des Sonneurs de Cloches but in the other direction, and I find this route more interesting.
Very good description of the route.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Anne

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