After the blessing ceremony for the Tocqueville church on 5 July, attended by Mgr Cador, Bishop of Coutances, and the book fair on 12, 13 and 14 July, the 15th edition of the traditional discovery walk took place on Saturday 26 August. Nearly fifty hikers gathered in the castle alley for a 7km walk around Tocqueville, during which the life and work of Alexis de Tocqueville were discussed at various stages. A quiz was offered to participants to test their knowledge of this illustrious Tocquevillais.
After passing by ‘La Ferme,’ a former complex of buildings surrounding a square courtyard, the oldest of which date back to the 16th century and the most recent to 1830, the walkers were welcomed by the owner of the Moulin de Bas, one of six mills that once lined the Couplière river in the commune of Tocqueville.
The walk continued with a stop at the Ozeville manor house on the old Saint Pierre Eglise road, now a path, before returning to the village of Gofontaine, crossing the Couplière valley and passing in front of the ‘Vieux Presbytère’ on the heights of Tocqueville, with a beautiful view of the village and the Pointe de Barfleur.
We descended to the church where, after stopping in front of Alexis de Tocqueville’s tomb, everyone settled down in the church for a history lesson on this building, whose origins date back to the 13th century. This was an opportunity to mention all the restoration work undertaken since 2008 and to recall the important role of our Association in helping the municipality to finance all these projects.
After passing by the bust of Alexis de Tocqueville, unveiled in 1936 in the village square, we returned to the castle where a well-deserved snack, pastries baked by volunteers from the Association and artisanal cider, was offered to the hikers.