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From the Scie Valley to Bernouville Woods

in Hautot-sur-Mer
8.1 km

  • A lovely three hour hike between land and sea.

  • This route passes through the three hamlets that make up the municipality. It leads from the valley to the sea, where you will discover the little resort town of Pourville-sur-Mer and its beach enclosed within two cliffs. The next part of the loop will take you to the Bernouville coastal woods, a natural, unspoilt area at the edge of the Alabaster Coast.
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Points of interest
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Departing from the 16th century Saint-Rémy Church in Petit-Appeville, follow Rue Emile Bourdon towards the Route de Dieppe and then turn right on Rue du Paradis. Cross over the Scie River and continue straight ahead.
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At the intersection with Rue de la Mer, move onto the Avenue Verte cycling trail on your right, heading towards Pourville-sur-Mer. Walk along the Lower Scie Valley, its water meadows, ponds, reed beds and extraordinarily rich bird life. On your right, you can also admire a gorgeous, restored water mill. During the 19th century, the Scie Valley boasted as many as 43 such mills.
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A few hundred metres from the beach you’ll want to stop on the wooden footbridge to admire the famous “Monet Barn”, immortalized in multiple paintings by the famous painter who lived in Pourville from 1882 to 1886 and fell in love with the Upper Norman coast, its lights and its diverse atmospheres. Continue on to the oceanfront and breathe in a lungful of fresh sea air as you walk along Pourville’s beautiful beach.
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Gehen Sie dann wieder rund 100 m auf der Rue des Verts-Bois nach Varengeville-sur-Mer hinauf. Dabei kommen Sie an der Kapelle Saint-Thomas de Canterbury vorbei.
Man erzählt sich, dass der Erzbischof auf der Flucht vor dem Zorn Heinrichs II. von England im Jahr 1164 nach Pourville kam und dort die Messe las. In dieser Kirche wurden gemischte Ehen (zwischen Katholiken und Protestanten) geschlossen, die in Dieppe verboten waren.
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Next, continue along the Route de la Mer (D153) to your left for 200 metres before turning right on Chemin du Bois d’Hautot. After 100 metres, turn right at the first intersection, towards the Bois d’Hautot, also known as Bernouville Woods. This coastal wood spanning some 60 hectares has been designated a Special Area of Conservation by the Seine-Maritime Department, which leads hikes there throughout the year.

Follow the site’s main trail on your left to discover, along the route of the GR21, a wide variety of forest species (beech, oak, maple, wild cherry, sweet chestnut and more), a wealth of ferns typical of wet woodland zones and relatively untapped by man, as well as the remains of the 11th century Château des Comtes d’Hautot. The property of the Princes of Monaco since 1789, these ruins were “donated” to the local population so houses could be built in the surrounding area, which now form the hamlet of Bernouville.
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After the château’s ruins, continue along the main trail to your right, heading back towards the site’s car park. Turn left on Rue de Bernouville and then follow the rural track through the meadows where Normande cows, so easily recognizable, frequently graze. This outdoor circuit offers an interesting panorama of Petit-Appeville and the heights of Dieppe. Lastly, you will get back on the Avenue Verte, accessible via a small wooden staircase.
This time, walk in the direction of Petit-Appeville, which will lead you back to Saint-Rémy Church, the hike’s starting point.
162 meters of difference in height
  • Start altitude : 9 m
  • End altitude : 6 m
  • Maximum altitude : 103 m
  • Minimum altitude : 4 m
  • Total positive elevation : 162 m
  • Total negative elevation : -164 m
  • Max positive elevation : 22 m
  • Min positive elevation : -88 m
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