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The hike starts from the underground car park on Avenue Carnot, at the Cité des Congrès. (See "practical information" for other starting points). The return to the starting point is by tram. (Château Anne de Bretagne stop)
(S/E) When you exit the car park, you will find yourself on the forecourt of the Cité des Congrès, in front of the Novotel. Turn right, then right again to go around the building. Head towards the Erdre and, at the river's edge, turn right and walk along it on your left. Go under the bridge and continue to cross the Erdre via the lock footbridge (on your left is the Erdre, on your right is the Loire).
(1). At the end of the footbridge, turn right to pass behind the renowned Marcel Saupin stadium, well known to Nantes residents. Continue along this route and cross the Willy Brandt Bridge. Continue on, pass the SNCF bridge and turn left before the next cable-stayed bridge, the Eric Tabarly Bridge.
(2) Continue along Boulevard de Berlin and cross the SNCF bridge. You will arrive at a strange construction, the Péage sauvage (see its history in the "during the hike" section).
(3) If the site behind it is open, take a tour of Petite Amazonie with its cows with huge horns.*(see note)
(3) When you leave the site via the "toll booth", turn right, cross the railway line and immediately turn left into Mail Pablo Picasso. At the roundabout, turn right, then take the first left, which is signposted Rue Nina Simone (contrary to the map). Continue straight ahead until you reach Quai Malakoff. Cross the car park and turn right to walk along the Erdre towards the château, which you will see on your right.
(4) Follow the Erdre, which becomes the Canal Saint-Félix as it passes under certain districts of Nantes. Continue to the end, passing under the bridges, where you can only go up on your right. Follow the green line on the ground. It will take you towards the château. Continue along the green line and take the first path on the right. Do not go down into the moat. Enter the château courtyard via the footbridge.
(5) Exit via the exit on the right-hand side. This crossing is free of charge. Go up Rue des États on the right and continue straight on Rue Mathurin Rodier, towards the cathedral.
(6) Just before the cathedral, turn right onto Impasse de la Psalette, then right under the archway. Cross Square de la Psalette on your left. Then cross Cours Saint-Pierre. Continue straight ahead on Rue Georges Clemenceau via Place de l'Oratoire. Pass in front of the splendid Nantes Museum of Art.
(7) At the end, enter the Jardin des Plantes and turn right.
The aim is to walk around it for a visit. Don't forget the vegetable garden at the back. In the centre there is also an aviary with parakeets and parrots.
(7) Exit through the same gate you entered and turn right. Follow the green line again on the right towards the Church of Saint-Clément. At the end (green line), turn left onto Rue du Maréchal Joffre. Continue to the end and leave the green line. Turn right onto the esplanade, Cours Saint-André. Continue to the end and exit at the back, on the right-hand side. Cross Quai Ceineray and pass under Pont Saint-Mihiel, following the Erdre river. Continue straight ahead on this quay.
(8) Cross the Erdre via the metal footbridge. Once on Île de Versailles, turn right to reach the Maison de l'Erdre (open to visitors, as is the Japanese garden). Then perform a circular walk around the island and take the small bridge with the red mast, located opposite the footbridge you took earlier.
(9) Turn left onto the quay and continue to the "Saint-Mihiel" tram stop. Just before it, turn right onto Rue Adolphe Moitié. Continue left at the fork, then right towards Talensac. Cross Boulevard Paul Bellamy and turn right to visit the Talensac market. Exit at the top of the market.
(10) Turn left to go down Rue de Bel Air. At Place Saint-Similien, take the second exit on the left, Rue Léopold Cassegrain. Immediately on your left, 50 metres after the Centre Communal d'Action Sociale (red barriers), go down the stairs on Rue Le Nôtre (contrary to the map). Then, opposite, slip into the Ruelle des Tanneurs.
(11) On Cours des Cinquante Otages, turn right and follow the road. Between the car park exit and the laboratory, turn right again and go up Rue de l'Abreuvoir towards the car park entrance. Go through the doors on the right and go up the stairs or take the lift to level 0 of the Tour de Bretagne (bar at the top of the tower, lift costs €1, drinks at normal prices).
(12) When you leave the tower, cross the tram lines on your left and turn left. Turn right onto Rue Cacault, to the left of the splendid building housing a well-known brand, to find yourself in front of the Basilique Saint-Nicolas: go around it on the right. Go down a few steps and, at the bottom on your right, you will reach Place Royale. Walk around the square clockwise and take the fourth exit, Rue de la Fosse. Continue until you find the entrance to Passage Pommeray.
(13) Turn right into Passage Pommeray. Visit the top if you wish, then return to the first landing to continue into the new space (on your left as you enter) and exit higher up. At the exit, turn right onto Rue Santeuil to reach Rue Crébillon. Turn left there and you will arrive at Place Graslin.
(14) Turn left onto Rue Piron (to the right of the restaurant "La Cigale") and immediately turn right, crossing Cours Cambronne. At the end, turn left onto Rue des Cadeniers, then right onto Rue de l'Héronnière. After a few large steps and then a smaller staircase on your left (just after no. 37), you will arrive at Quai de La Fosse. Follow it to the right for about 40 metres, then cross it and the tram tracks.
(15) Turn right, and you will see the Slavery Memorial in front of you. Visit it, it's free!
Turn around and walk along the Loire on your right. Cross the arm of the Loire via the footbridge that leads straight to the courthouse. Turn left, then right onto Rue Olympe de Gouges. Turn right onto Rue Lanouë Bras de Fer, which has some surprises in store for you: stand beneath the incredible façade of the building in front of you. Can you hear the birds singing? Continue along this street. A little further on, in the courtyard of a business, a giant tape measure awaits you.
(16) Cross Boulevard Léon Bureau: the large hall on your left is the "home" of the Nantes elephant, a mechanical beast 12 metres high and 25 metres long, capable of carrying 50 people. Isn't it there? That means it's wandering around the site. You'll come across it! Don't miss it.
Return to the Esplanade des Traceurs de Coques and walk along the Intercultural Centre on your left. Further on, you will find the Grand Carrousel, an oversized merry-go-round with a basement. Further still, passing under the yellow crane, continue to the end to admire the "anneaux de Burein" (Burein's rings). You can choose to go to the end of the pier. There you will find the "hangar à bananes" (banana warehouse), cafés and restaurants. Find out more before you set off on this walk. The site is breathtaking! Return to Boulevard Léon Bureau, walking along the Loire on your left.
(17) Cross the Loire via the Anne de Bretagne Bridge. At the end, continue left along the quays. Behind the warship moored there, the Maillé-Brezé, there is a bus stop on the water.
(18) Take this river shuttle, which will take you to Trentemoult in 10 minutes.
(19) When you get off the Navibus, turn right and go to the end, towards the disused factory you can see in the distance. Take the time to go there and discover a huge clock. But don't try to set your watch by it, as this clock has no hands.
Turn around and turn right onto the street, then left along the tennis court. After that... lose yourself in the maze of colourful little streets. You won't get lost, but you'll be amazed at the width of the streets, sometimes no wider than a wheelbarrow, and the houses painted red, blue, yellow and green.
You can try to follow the route I have mapped out:
At the end of the tennis court, turn right in front of the grey-blue house and immediately left onto the small path. At the end, behind the stairs, turn right and left, then right again to reach Rue Boju.
At the end, turn left, then left again into Rue Jules Labbé. Continue along Rue Olive on your right, then turn left immediately. On the small square, take the small passage opposite towards the blue and yellow house.
Continue straight ahead to reach the two red houses. Turn right in front of the second one.
Turn left twice around the blue house on Rue Arsène Bardin.
At the end, turn right, then after passing Rue Cloâtre, turn right and left towards the white, orange and yellow house.
Then opposite towards the yellow house, then left at the turquoise house and right at the end towards the black fence.
Under the yellow-flowered keria tree on Rue Hautebert, turn left, then right onto Grand'rue.
At the end, go down the small ramp, then 2 steps, towards the green house opposite. Cross the courtyard and turn left. Continue straight on Rue Ertaud. Cross two streets. At the end, turn right, then left into the cul-de-sac. Take the small passage opposite, then turn left at the first turn and left again. At the end, turn left again along the Loire.
(19) Leave Trentemoult via the Navibus.
(18) Cross Quai Ernest Renaud, then turn right towards the "Gare Maritime" tram station. It is five stops to "Duchesse Anne". To return to the car park, cross over and go down the stairs to the right-hand side of the Canal Saint-Félix. Head towards the "Tour LU". Then follow the Quai de l'Erdre and Quai Ferdinand Favre until you find Rue de Valmy on your right and the car park entrance on the forecourt of the Novotel (E).
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