For a trip to Tostes, two distinct themes are worth considering: the architectural history of Église Sainte-Anne and routes in the Forêt de Bord-Louviers. The church can be placed in context over several centuries; for cycling routes, distance, surface and elevation gain provide concrete points of comparison. This can help you weigh up whether cultural history or cycling should be the focus of your trip.
Forest and Cycling Routes
Terres de Bord is one of the municipalities that includes part of the Forêt domaniale de Bord-Louviers. A management plan for the forest is listed for the period from 2023 to 2042. The “Circuit de la Sente aux Moines” mountain bike loop follows tracks and trails through the forest. Its route heads towards Incarville and then on to Tostes.
The loop is 30.15 kilometres long and includes almost 400 metres of elevation gain. Together, these figures give a concrete sense of the route’s length and elevation profile, without implying a journey time. Forest landscapes shape the character of the route. The loop starts and ends at the Sente aux Moines forest house in Montaure, so the starting point is not in Tostes. As route details can change, check them before planning a ride.
Cycling options from the 2024 programme
Another point of reference is the third edition of “Terres de Bord à Vélo,” which started at the community hall in Tostes on 12 May 2024. The event programme included two mountain bike loops in the Forêt de Bord, each between 9 and 16 kilometres long. There were also two road cycling tours of 8 to 16 kilometres, designed to help participants discover their own village and neighbouring villages.
The distances show the different scales involved: at 30.15 kilometres, the named “Circuit de la Sente aux Moines” is longer than the routes in the event programme at the time. However, the shorter mountain biking and road cycling options are details of the 2024 edition, not a description of a future programme. If you plan to use a later edition as a guide, check its dates and route details.
Église Sainte-Anne and its architectural history
The history of Église Sainte-Anne can be organised around three milestones. Its original chapel was built in the 14th century and converted into a parish church in 1687. The church was remodelled in the third quarter of the 18th century. The early origins, its conversion into a parish church and the later structural changes thus represent distinct stages.
The church’s described form also makes its architecture tangible: it has an elongated floor plan, a single nave and a polygonal-ended choir. A single-nave plan refers to a central main space; for the choir, “polygonal” describes an end with several sides. These features help convey the basic form of the building without confusing it with the sequence of historical events.
Église Sainte-Anne also contains the listed altarpieces of its two side altars, recorded under reference number PM27001655. Altarpieces are structures placed behind or above an altar; here, the reference specifically concerns the two side altars. Together with the building’s different phases, these objects offer a distinct focus on cultural history for travellers interested in church architecture and the history of a place.
Discover other destinations: Aubevoye, Château-sur-Epte, Broglie, Louviers, Gisay-La-Coudre, Morainville-Jouveaux, Les Préaux, Serquigny.
For the broader travel overview: Eure.
