How to make your dog really happy?

The answer is … exciting dog walks!

We are staying in a 3ha / 7 acres property in Mesnieres-en-Bray of Normandy (France), and our dog is “Miss Mole” hunter! Most of our guests will only let their dogs run within our ground https://www.beau-soleil.eu, but we prefer to make life a little more interesting for our girl. Whenever the weather permits, we will bring our dog for her walk once or twice daily. She always sniffs something interesting and perks up her mood!

The followings are some of the exciting places we walk our dog, if you are visiting Mesnieres-en-Bray or near here, you might like to bring your furry friend along.

Avenue Vert

It was laid in year 2000 when the redundant railway line was dismantled. It is 64km end to end and links Dieppe with the charming town of Forges les Eaux. It is wonderful smooth tarmac suitable for cycling, walking, horse riding and even roller blading. This is a popular route for fund raising events cycling from London to Paris.

Mesniéres-en-Bray

When we are busy, this is a perfect place to bring our dog for a walk or run as it is only approximately 1 km away from our holiday cottage, Beau Soleil. We often let our dog explore and run on this track without leash when we are on our own. The 500 years old Château de Mesnières-en-Bray is on this route and it is about 1.5 km from our holiday cottage, Beau Soleil https://www.beau-soleil.eu. There are multiple designated picnic areas along this walk, and my favourite is the one near Le Lavoire.

Osmoy

This is still part of the Avenue Vert. We often see the local villagers picking blackberry along the Avenue Vert during late Summer and Autumn.

Bure

Bures is about 2km from our holiday cottage, Beau Soleil https://www.beau-soleil.eu. The Bethune River is approximately 500 meters from the Chemin Vert. There are some picnic areas along this path too.

Mont St Amadour

It has the best possible view of the River Bethune Valley, bring your dog for this invigorating climb. The view includes the Château of Mesnières-en-Bray and we can also see our holiday cottage, Beau Soleil across the valley! The above pictures were taken in January 2022 when the winter was mild. I would recommend you to wear hiking / walking boots during the wet season because certain parts of the ground from parking lot to the base of the hill can be quite muddy.

Forêt du Hellet

This is a great walk for exercising your dog as there is a steep climb at the start, not for the faint hearted. The trail leads along the ridge, offering occasional stunning views across the valley. It is approximately 2km from our holiday cottage, Beau Soleil https://www.beau-soleil.eu.

On 17th August 2022, we came across a huge paw print which we believed was from a wolf. As you can see from the above picture, the print was 2/3 of my boot’s size; and I’m wearing UK size 7. There had been some local news about a wolf being spotted around this area, was this the evidence? The closest wild animal I came up close with in this region are deer, coypou & fox . So, my first thought in my mind, was it safe for our dog to walk here as she has such a sensitive nose, she might follow the scent! My husband, Robert who is an animal lover explained to me a Wolf will not attack when they are not being threatened. As a matter of fact, they are probably in hiding.

Fresles

Robert likes to call this ‘Roof Of The World’ because we can see almost all villages from here! The view is breath taking, and only 2km from our holiday cottage, Beau Soleil https://www.beau-soleil.eu

I would strongly suggest you keep your dog on the leash if you are not confident in controlling, because there are many hares and deer which might tempt your dog from giving chase!

Forêt du Croixdalle, Londinières

This is a super walk. First half is through the trees and the second is walking along the quiet road with forest on either side. It is approximately 3km from our holiday cottage, Beau Soleil. It is very atmospheric, in Spring it is usually covered with Bluebells and Wood Anenome.