Arzal walks

The village of Arzal stretches from the foot of the church's pointed bell tower to the edge of the dam. Upstream, the river has become a huge body of water where thousands of boats are moored, while downstream, the maritime character of the estuary remains. The proposed route allows you to discover both aspects of the river and the bocage that overlooks it.

As is often the case in Brittany, the landscape is not the result of tectonic forces, which would have created a few sharp-peaked mountains, but rather the result of numerous watercourses that have carved their way through the plateaus. The proximity of the Vilaine, which flows here through a narrow, steep-sided valley, has led secondary watercourses to cut through the moorland to join the river. Starting on the wooded plateau, the proposed route soon winds its way through these valleys, which, due to the decline of agriculture or the low value of this poor soil, have been left to more or less spontaneous woodland growth. The result is a undulating route that runs mostly in the shade of tall, beautiful trees, whilst connecting the countless hamlets that dot this lovely countryside.

A country walk between Cosca, a stone's throw from the Arzal dam, and the Templar village of Lantiern.This walk along beautiful tree-lined paths and a few small roads connects the banks of the Vilaine estuary to the beautiful Saint-Jean-Baptiste Chapel, through pleasantly rolling countryside.The end of the route follows the botanical trail.The trail has been modified after the point (1), following the clear-cutting of the wooded area it used to cross, which made the trail disappear.

During this hike, discover a variety of landscapes: the river, the ocean and the countryside.

A pleasant, easy walk along the banks of the Vilaine through wooded countryside, forests and small villages. The path is fully signposted in white and red by theGR®39(left bank) andGR®349(right bank).

Walk starting from the Arzal Dam, following the Vilaine upstream on the left bank, circular route via the two bridges and finishing at the port of La Roche-Bernard. The scenery along the Vilaine is breathtaking.

In the past, the Vilaine was crossed by ferry downstream of La Roche-Bernard. This was the case between Vieille Roche in Camoël and Arzal. The construction of the dam in the 1970s significantly changed these practices, as a fixed link now allows people to cross from one bank to the other. The suggested route allows you to explore the dam and the paths along the left bank of the Vilaine around Camoël.

Running along the left bank of the Vilaine, this path follows the riverbank closely, linking the two ports of Arzal and La Roche-Bernard, and offering a multitude of landscapes and views of the Basse-Vilaine. In summer, you can also return by boat or canoe.

To the south of the Vilaine estuary, the gentle terrain encourages the intermingling of wetland and agricultural environments. The village of Camoël is built on a slight rise overlooking both the river and the marshes situated upstream of Pont Mahé Bay. The proposed route allows you to explore the river where its estuary begins and one of the streams feeding the Étang du Pont de Fer, a hidden nature reserve that can be glimpsed when the foliage is not too dense.

Located opposite La Roche-Bernard, on the other bank of the Vilaine, the commune of Marzan stretches across a plateau overlooking the river. On these heights, exposed to sea winds, the remains of several windmills can still be seen. Streams have carved out the rock and flow at the bottom of the valleys. Where it was possible to dam them, water mills were built. The proposed route takes you from one to the other through varied and pleasant countryside.

Situated about ten kilometres inland from the coast, on a plateau sloping down from the banks of the Vilaine to the first marshes of Briéron, the commune of Férel has managed to preserve its bocage landscape and a network of paths offering a wide range of walking options. This route offers an almost constant view of the bell tower, which, being tall and sharply pointed, is one of the area’s main landmarks.

An hour-and-a-half circuit with a few tricky sections. This pleasant walk alternates seamlessly between passages at water's edge and ridge-climbing, and also spans two bridges some 50 m above the Vilaine. The bridge circuit allows you to discover a small section of the river as it crosses the Sillon de Bretagne. Get your calves ready!

Although La Roche-Bernard is an urban centre that locals refer to as a ‘town’, its area (40 ha) and population (approx. 700 inhabitants) make it one of the smallest county towns in France. It is surrounded by the communes of Nivillac, Herbignac and Férel, across which the majority of the urban area is spread. The proposed route takes you around the area.

A very pretty route which starts in the countryside and forest and then follows the course of the Vilaine river. The start and finish are at the very pretty port of La Roche-Bernard.

As you approach La Roche-Bernard, the Vilaine river winds its way through the geological folds of southern Armorica. The result is a rugged, wooded landscape that is very pleasant to walk through.

The Péaule countryside has a rather unique network of paths. Land consolidation has not been destructive here, and large, beautiful hedges still line the roads. Elsewhere, the Vilaine and its tributary streams have carved into the rocky plateau to create a generally wooded landscape where you can take a stroll. The long route on offer allows you to enjoy these different but always interesting landscapes, which follow one another during a beautiful day's walk.

North of La Roche-Bernard, the Vilaine has carved its bed into a rocky plateau, and the streams that join it have also settled in fairly steep valleys. The remains of windmills on the heights and watermills along the streams mark this route, which winds around the former estate of Fescal Castle. This route runs mainly through wooded areas, interspersed with wooded hedgerow landscapes.

On either side of La Roche-Bernard, the Vilaine flows through the South Armorican Fold, the first range of hills behind the coastline. Here, the river has carved out a steep-sided valley, and the proposed route allows you to explore the section immediately upstream of the Morbihan Bridge. The wooded slopes, varying in steepness, line the mirror-like surface formed by the dark waters of the Vilaine.

Following the suggested route is a lovely way to explore the northern part of the commune of Péaule. Whilst the first few kilometres of this route simply take you through beautiful, undulating countryside with little variation in elevation, the landscape changes completely once you reach the Ruisseau du Pesle, to the north of the commune. And along the way, you can admire some fine examples of local architecture, such as old mills or the chapels of Saint-Leufroy and Saint-André, as well as many other civil buildings.

Saint Cornely is the patron saint of horned animals. It is therefore fitting that his chapel is located in a very agricultural part of Péaule. But during this walk, which criss-crosses the plateau above the Vilaine, you will have other things to do than count cows and other quadrupeds. Keep your eyes open, there is much to see in this meander of the Vilaine

In Pénestin, far from the hustle and bustle of the coast, you can stroll in complete tranquillity along quiet paths that criss-cross the countryside between the Tréhudal marshes and those of Pont Mahé. This walk is best enjoyed on sunny days, when it’s pleasant to walk in the shade.

This is a circular route running along one side of the Étier de Billiers, Plage des Barges and Plage des Granges, not forgetting a walk around the Penn Lann Lighthouse. In a single day, you can combine sightseeing, swimming and a walk, either on your own or with the family. The trail follows, for the most part, the Chemin des Mégalithes between the marshes and the ocean.

The seigneury of Couéguel occupies the northern part of the commune of Péaule. In this stretch of land on the border with the commune of Limerzel, everything bears this name: mill, farm, stream.It is also an ideal spot for a pleasant walk through heathland and wooded valleys where peaceful streams flow.

The Pointe du Halguen marks the southern limit of the Vilaine estuary. This promontory overlooking the ocean is also the northern end of the ochre cliffs that line the ocean front of Pénestin. A lovely walk is available around the village of Haut Pénestin, where long stretches of sandy beach precede secluded coves and abandoned salt marshes.

A pretty walk between the countryside and the seaside. The Pointe de Penn Lann stands guard over the Vilaine Estuary.

A beautiful walk along the banks of the Vilaine and inland.

The commune of Péaule is located on a plateau that has been carved out by rivers, creating valleys of varying depths. In the eastern part of the commune, these valleys, which lead towards the Vilaine, create a forest atmosphere that is pleasant to walk through. Deciduous trees on the slopes and at the bottom of the valley, and conifers on the moors at the top, provide the setting for this well-shaded walk, where sunken paths give way to tree-lined avenues.

Passing through clay extraction sites and former pottery villages, this route pays tribute to one of Herbignac’s traditional trades, which continued until the mid-20th century.

Le port de Foleux marque la limite occidentale des marais de Redon. À cet endroit, la Vilaine se resserre et se fraie un passage entre les reliefs du Sillon de Bretagne. Le circuit proposé permet de découvrir la rive Sud de ce goulet. Il parcourt le bord de l'eau et joue aux montagnes russes à travers le relief assez accidenté de Nivillac.

Pénestin is just a stone's throw away from being an island. Although its ocean side faces the Atlantic, it is only connected to the hinterland by a strip of land wedged between two marshes. The suggested route takes you through the southern part of the area, formerly known as Larmor, between the Pont Mahé marshes and the cliffs of Lanchale and Le Bile.

The Château de Ranrouët is a medieval gem nestled on the edge of the marshes. Here, there is no fortified rock, but a slight elevation in the greenery. The marshes that surround it provided protection, and the proposed route winds through the surrounding countryside where land and water constantly mix.

This hike starts at the car park of the Mine d’Or beach, along the coast north to Haut-Pénestin, to return by internal paths to reach the sea at Maresclé beach and then the starting point.

As well as its magnificent coastal path stretching over 14 km, Pénestin boasts a multitude of trails criss-crossing the local area. The circular route allows you to explore some of these paths as far as the edge of the Pont Mahé Marshes, before returning to the coast via the coastal path. And if the weather and season permit, do make the most of the lovely beaches that line this route.

This route forms a circular loop between Pont Mahé Bay and Pen Bé Bay.

Behind the Pont-Mahé dune ridge lies a large marsh which is still regularly mown during the summer months. Connected to the sea by the channel that flows into Le Palandrin, it is still more or less subject to tidal effects but each summer regains its appearance as a meadow grazed by herds, in the heart of a basin bordered by dense woodland. It’s up to you to explore it via a few secret paths, when the water level allows.

Finally! After years of land negotiations, the elected representatives of Muzillac have succeeded in bringing to fruition a project that has been in the works for more than a decade: creating a footpath that goes all the way around the Étang de Pen Mur. This long stretch of water, held back by the Moulin de Pen Mur dam, occupies the bottom of the valley where the Ruisseau de Saint-Éloi stream used to flow. It is now possible to walk along the lake to the Chapelle du Moustéro chapel and return via the other bank. Although the eastern bank is less wooded than its counterpart, the entire route runs under the canopy of trees that line the banks of the lake. And the icing on the cake is that the improvements made, which are fairly minor and will soon be invisible, have preserved natural sections and stairways that prevent motorised vehicles and even mountain bikes from using the path. Walkers, grab your walking sticks!

As is often the case in Brittany, the Noyal-Muzillac area has a hollow relief, in which streams of varying sizes have carved out their beds. The proposed route plays leapfrog over the Tohon and the Pont Pily and Pont Noyal streams. In between, it climbs back up to the top of the relief to visit a few villages with beautiful architectural heritage.

The Pointe de Pen Bé juts out like a ship between Pont Mahé Bay and the Pen Bé and Rostu straits. While its maritime location is undeniable at high tide, it changes completely at low tide, as the sea then deserted the coastal areas. Whether at high or low tide, this is a route that is worth exploring at any time, as the landscape is so changeable.

The Pointe de Pen Bé juts out with its ochre cliffs between the Traict de Rostu and Pont Mahé Bay. These two stretches of sea, which are revealed at low tide, form the foreground to the marshes – one a salt marsh, the other a freshwater marsh – which extend behind the coastal sandbars. The circular walk that links them offers a lovely glimpse of this coastal countryside.

Straddling the departments of Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique, Pont Mahé Bay is a vast sandbank at low tide and a renowned spot for board sports once the sea has returned. Connecting the two headlands that mark its boundaries is a pleasant way to cross administrative borders

To the west of the Brière Regional Nature Park, the Brière coast stretches from Pont Mahé beach to the Pen Bé strait. It offers a varied landscape of beaches, shorelines, wild coastlines, moors and salt marshes. A return trip connects to this route for a foray into Morbihan to Pointe du Bile.