Saint-Aubin-des-Préaux combines a church with precisely dated features and a landscape of wet plateau, trails and views across fields to the sea. For planning your trip, this offers several distinct themes: sacred architecture, mini golf and hiking routes. The route information varies considerably—from a trail with named endpoints to a tour with a stated distance and elevation gain. You can therefore choose the focus of your stay based on culture, landscape or activity.
Church: Romanesque and Gothic features
The church was listed as a Monument historique under a protection order dated 9 June 1971. Buttresses survive from its Romanesque construction in the 12th century. The pillars of the bell tower, the rib vault and the two transept windows date from the Gothic period in the 13th century. These features reveal two successive periods in the building’s history, without reducing the church to a single stylistic period.
The altar also brings together different dates: the altarpiece dates from the 18th century, and the tabernacle from 1822. The history of the relics includes Pierre Lecuyer, a Jesuit from Saint-Aubin who sent them from Rome to the parish of Saint-Aubin; they included six reliquaries. Six reliquaries from the main altar ensemble were stolen between 10 and 18 July 2020. The protected ensemble of the main altar has been partly stolen. For a cultural and historical perspective, the architectural features, furnishings and later history offer distinct, clearly dated points of interest.
Wet plateau, fields and views to the sea
The wet plateau of Saint-Aubin-des-Préaux covers 824 hectares and is bordered by the Thar and the Saigue. The Coudray and Gracerie trails offer another perspective on the landscape: from there, as well as near the 2,500 m² mini golf course, views extend across fields to the sea. The area figure and the views describe different aspects of the area—the plateau as a landscape and the viewpoints with their wide panorama.
Mini golf and hiking trails
A mini golf course has been located on Route de la Malenfandière in Saint-Aubin-des-Préaux since summer 2018. Green Minigolf offers an 18-hole course with varying levels of difficulty. If you plan to play mini golf, check the opening periods before visiting; seasonal operating details are not specified here.
Various route descriptions are available for hiking. The Sentier de la Venlée runs along the Oiselière valley, formerly called the Saigue, between Saint-Planchers and Saint-Aubin-des-Préaux. The Le Boscq, L’Oiselière route is listed in the Saint-Planchers and Anctoville-sur-Boscq area as 15 km long, with an elevation gain of 144 m. It is rated fairly easy and runs mostly along trails and small shared roads also used by hikers. Seasonal ground conditions may vary; check the latest route information before setting out. The endpoints of the Sentier de la Venlée help you locate its course. For Le Boscq, L’Oiselière, the distance, elevation gain, difficulty rating and surface provide other useful planning details.
Transport in the Manche department
Saint-Aubin-des-Préaux is in the Manche department, which is served by the Nomad-Manche network in the Normandy region. The network offers residents and visitors three types of transport. Services and routes may change, so check the latest information from the Nomad network before travelling.
In rural areas of the Manche department, two demand-responsive transport services are also available to residents outside urban areas. They can be used without age or income requirements. A journey must be booked by 4 p.m. on the preceding working day at the latest; check the applicable booking rules before travelling. This information provides a starting point for transport planning without specifying a particular connection or journey time.
Discover more destinations: Marchésieux, Champcervon, Heugueville-Sur-Sienne, Courcy, Liesville-Sur-Douve, Saint-Rémy-Des-Landes, Lessay, Gavray.
For the regional travel overview: Manche.
