The castle of Gueures loops 13 and 15I just finished the first season of the Lupin series on Netflix, and the least we can say is that the series clearly makes you want to (re)dive into Maurice Leblanc’s novels! Omar Sy has convinced my kids to visit Etretat as soon as the Clos Lupin reopens, and my grown-up is wondering which book to start reading about Arsène’s adventures…
Bref, all of this has made me want to tell you about Arsène Lupin on Terroir de Caux!”
ZoëIn fact, if Etretat is well known by lovers of the gentleman burglar, the close ties between Arsène Lupin and the Terroir de Caux are less famous… So let’s redress the balance a bit!”
Because Maurice Leblanc is one of the famous hosts of our territory. One of his favorite places to write his books was the castle of Gueures, rented by his sister Jehanne, and where he stayed regularly when he visited his sisters, whose youngest, the actress Georgette Leblanc, wife of another writer, the Nobel Prize for Literature Maurice Maëterlinck, owned a house in Gruchet-Saint-Siméon.
It is said that it was right here in the orangery of the château de Gueures that Leblanc wrote the most famous adventure of his hero, L’Aiguille Creuse!
The castle of Gueures
The church and the orangery of the castle of GueuresIn La Comtesse de Cagliostro, he even sets part of the action at the château de Gueures. The building still exists today, as Leblanc describes it next to the church. You can see it from Rue de la Vallée across from the town hall, and from Rue de la Renardière along our hiking loops 13 (Les Coquelicots) and 15 (De la Saâne à la Vienne).
See the loop From the Saâne to the Vienne
And guess what? You can even stay there! The castle of Gueures indeed offers the rental of a charming gite and guest rooms (under construction until early 2023). It is even possible to organize ceremonies there. Something to inspire future new authors?
Old postcard Ambrumesnil castleIn L’Aiguille Creuse, it’s to Ambrumesnil that the author takes us, under the name d’Ambrumesy, there again in the castle, with the famous Affaire d’Ambrumesy! It is a much more secret place that we can not see from the public space, but sometimes the owner opens the park for heritage days, so stay tuned to our cultural news! This will not prevent you from visiting Ambrumesnil which remains a charming village and reveals many other remarkable buildings!
Lovers of Maurice Leblanc’s novels, I can only advise you to include the Terroir de Caux in your journey in the footsteps of Arsène Lupin! And who knows, maybe the Netflix teams will come here for a next season… Mister Sy, we are waiting for you !
