GRP 5 Sur la trace des fondeurs de cloches - De Villedieu-les-Poêles à Hambye

Get a taste of roaming in total freedom by taking the long-distance hiking trail.

Discover the art of the bell maker, the Dinandiers and one of the first commanderies of the Hospitaller Order. Remarkable monuments and sites line the route:

1- Musée de la Poeslerie and Maison de la Dentellière in Villedieu les Poêles: Discover the cradle of Dinanderie and the bell foundry at the Musée de la Poeslerie and Maison de la Dentellière. Discover contemporary bells and copper pieces.

2- Notre-Dame de la Jaunisse fountain in Fleury

3- Champrepus zoo: Champrepus zoo features some 50 species in 5 main themes: savannah, Madagascar, tropical area, exotic pets and mini-farm.

4- The Guibel viaduct: Built in 1869, under Napoleon III, to mark the commissioning of the Paris-Granville line. 98.5 m long and 22.5 m high, it spans the Airou valley. This bucolic site also features a picnic area.

5- Beauchamps chapel: You pass through the old village of Beauchamps, whose 11th-century church was destroyed by a lightning strike in the 19th century. Only the small south chapel remains in the cemetery. Beautiful old houses with round arches and statues of the Virgin Mary line the route to Beauchamps. Come and discover them!

7- Château de Beauchamps: On your left, high up on the hill, are the remains of the medieval Château de Beauchamps, whose first owner, Hugues de Beauchamps, was a companion of William the Conqueror. This castle is the birthplace of the Anglo-Norman lineage of the Beauchamps, who became Earls of Warwick or Worcester, one of the oldest counties in the peerage of England. You're standing on a promontory overlooking the River Airou, facing Dragueville to the north.

8- The ruins of the Château du Ducal in Gavray: The Château du Ducal site offers a fascinating tour of the remains of this ancient medieval fortress, with panels telling the story of the region. Overlooking the Sienne River, at the crossroads of the routes to Mont Saint-Michel and Brittany, it's a strategic point and a great vantage point. Worth a detour.

9- The Sienne at Gavray: In Gavray, along the Sienne, there were numerous mills and paper factories in the 19th century. You'll follow its course, passing the Moulin Fouleur, the Moulin à papier, and more. The Sienne is a river that flows into the sea at Le Havre de Regnéville, 25 km away.

10- Le moulin Mauny: This is an opportunity to learn about the many paper mills and factories that sprang up all along the Sienna Valley in the 19th century.

11- Sainte Trinité church in Hambye: Dedicated to the Holy Trinity in the late 19th century, it was consecrated in 1899 by Mgr Guérard, Bishop of Coutances and Avranches. The church has a neo-Romanesque basilica layout, with a nave in the center, aisles to the north and south, and a choir forming a circular apse to the east. Two types of stone were used for the exterior construction: pudding stone and granite. Inside, frescoes painted in 1935 by Charles Rocher - known as de Gérigné.