Green Wolf Trail 2026

No playing cat and mouse here, or wolf and sheep. You’re signing up for this race of your own free will, and you’ll get through it thanks to your strong calves 💪.

Every first weekend of October, the local legend comes back into action near Jumièges, in Seine-Maritime 🐺. One of the region’s most famous events, called the Trail du Loup Vert, awaits you on the banks of the Seine, under a Norman sky that alternates between a cool morning and beautiful autumn clear spells ☀️.

But let’s get back to the event’s origins, because sometimes trail running is as much a story as it is a race 📚. The race takes its name from a local legend: for centuries, the inhabitants of the hamlet of Conihout went to find the year’s "Green Wolf", a man dressed in a large green cloak and wearing a conical hat, led in procession to the abbey ruins. The rite is said to go back to Saint Austreberthe, who allegedly condemned a wolf to carry the abbey’s laundry until its death, as punishment for having killed the donkey tasked with this job 🫏. No need to be green with fear though—the brotherhood died out in 1921! A hundred years later, the race takes over from the legend for a very real route through the Norman woodlands 🌳. Three distances, a walk and races reserved for children allow everyone to take part according to their level of motivation 🔥.

As for the courses, the route winds around the ruins of Jumièges Abbey, one of Normandy’s most admired historic monuments, before heading onto the switchback paths along the Seine meander 🍂. The "Tour de la Tanière" and the "Boucle du Loup Vert" show you the place over 6.25 km and 13 km with relatively light elevation gain—just to make sure you cross the finish line 😝. If you don’t feel like rushing, you can also do the "Boucle du Loup Vert" as a hike. After all, no one is forcing you to open your stride as fast as Vert-stappen 🤣. On the "Trail de l'Abbaye", the longest format, you string together runnable woodland sections and more technical stretches along the riverbanks, with two generous aid stations to help you go the distance 🍽️. As a little gift, you can also count on the 300 mD+ to come warm up your quads 🦵. The youngest runners, meanwhile, can line up for races according to their age group. "Éveil Athlé", "U12" or "U14-U16" category—each little wolf cub takes on their own challenge 🐺.

Once you’ve crossed the line, head to the banks of the Seine and the surrounding orchards for a bit of Norman conviviality 🍏: ice-cold apple juice, fruit jellies and local specialties await you at the local stalls. If you feel like it, extend the stroll to the illuminated ruins of Jumièges Abbey, one of the region’s most emblematic listed sites, or set off in search of a good table in Duclair ("there’s no wolf" promised—only succulent dishes 🤤). If you want to explore a historic city, you can also set your sights on Rouen, its immense cathedral and its charming little streets 💕.

So if you were wondering where on earth to go on vacation in October, the answer is clear: the Trail du Loup Vert in Jumièges is perfect for getting into the Seine 🕺.