Description:

A 40 kilometre car-free escape route to the open countryside…

The Green Road or Corridor runs from the heart of the Pays de Bray to Dieppe following the extension to Arques-La-Bataille beside the lakes at Saint-Aubin-Le-Cauf and the “La Varenne”  leisure complex.

On foot, roller blades, bike, buggy or wheelchair, you can explore the Pays de Bray its rolling landscapes, chateaux and rivers.You can walk or cycle and travel at your own pace visiting local villages and finding out about the local produce especially cheese, cider and calvados.

An Anglo-French story…

In 1873 a railway was built to link up with the London-Paris sea crossing via Dieppe/Newhaven. Today this link still exists - not by train but by bike! For the “Avenue Verte” is a major cycling route that will eventually connect the two European capitals.

The railway heritage has been preserved.

The old railway line has been converted into a Green Road from Saint-Aubin-Le-Cauf to Beaubec-La-Rosière. You can still glimpse the past through the echoes of the trains which once passed by and there remain stations, barriers, signals and level crossings .

The old level crossings - all marked PN – serve as access points to the “Avenue Verte”. All numbered they also represent route markers, from PN 63 at Beaubec-La-Rosière to PN 104 at Saint-Aubin-Le-Cauf.

Every 500 metres, the kilometre posts “PK” tell you how far you are from the Saint-Lazare main railway station in Paris – as if the railway was still in use. At the “PK” 140.000 you still have 140 km to go before you reach Saint-Lazare!

This is a fascinating heritage which will interest anyone with a love of the open spaces and the physical exercise of walking or biking along this historic route through the Normandy countryside.

For further information on this and other Green Ways in France visit the Voies Vertes (Green Way) website: http://www.voiesvertes.com