Rosay: Museum, chapel and routes towards Forêt d’Eawy

Rosay can be explored through two themes: the Musée du Cidre et des Métiers Traditionnels, with its recreated workplaces, and walks around Chapelle Saint-Étienne and towards Forêt d’Eawy. Local history also features, spanning from the late 19th century to the Gallo-Roman past. For planning your trip, cultural history and practical details about the walks go hand in hand.

Workshops and historic trades

The Musée du Cidre et des Métiers Traditionnels recreates numerous workshops and shops across 400 m² in a setting resembling a rural village from the 1900s. The village setting brings the workplaces together in a shared environment: workshops and shops appear as parts of everyday rural life, rather than as separate examples. This gives the museum its distinctive focus.

The exhibits span different periods, including a school museum from the 1950s and an authentic forge from the late 19th century. Together with the village setting, these offer several historical perspectives on everyday rural life. The forge and the school museum represent clearly distinct periods.

Chapelle Saint-Étienne and its spring

Chapelle Saint-Étienne was built over a spring in 1886. The spring is believed to have healing powers against fever because of its popularity. The building’s history and local tradition belong to two different categories: 1886 dates the chapel, while the attributed healing effect relates to the spring. The description thus preserves the distinction between the building and local tradition.

Walks and landscape

The Le Val Saint-Etienne circular trail is 6.3 km long and starts at 12 Route de la Forêt, 76680 Rosay. It heads towards Forêt d’Eawy. The forest is considered one of the most beautiful beech forests in Europe, making it a striking landscape feature along this route.

In Forêt d’Eawy, Hêtre Rudi is one of its three remarkable beech trees. The name provides a specific point of reference within the forest, beyond its general description as a beech forest. This information relates to the forest itself and should be distinguished from the circular trail’s starting point and length.

Another walk is called “Forêt d’Eawy pour petits et grands autour de la chapelle Saint-Étienne” (“Forêt d’Eawy for young and old around Chapelle Saint-Étienne”). It starts at the northern edge of Rosay, at the end of the paved section of Chemin de la Chapelle. The route follows wide, well-maintained forest roads throughout, rather than poorly maintained roads or narrow paths. This gives specific details about both the starting point and the condition of the paths.

The two walks can be compared by different features: for the Le Val Saint-Etienne circular trail, the length and starting address are given; for the walk around Chapelle Saint-Étienne, the starting location and consistently good path conditions are highlighted. This helps you compare the routes using the respective points of reference described, without confusing their different details.

La Fonte and local history

La Fonte is a hamlet in Rosay named after a former Gallo-Roman foundry. The place name thus points to an earlier form of craftsmanship. Alongside the forge in the museum, it offers a historical comparison: both references relate to crafts, but belong to very different periods. The history of La Fonte thus adds a distinct local dimension to the museum and walking themes.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont, Tôtes, Offranville, Rieux, Épreville, Montmain, Bois-Guillaume, Turretot.

For the broader travel overview: Seine-Maritime.