Around the Kergolo between Lanloup and Petit Saint-Loup

Car park in front of Lanloup Church.

(S/E) Turn right onto the road as you leave the car park, then just behind the car park wall, take a grassy path on the right that runs alongside a field.

(1) After the manor house, turn left. Continue straight on along a path that joins a small road. Follow this road to the left for a few metres, then turn left again at the corner of a house to rejoin a path that descends to the Saint-Golven Fountain.

(2) Follow this path, cross a small road and continue along a grassy path running alongside fields. At the cross, turn left onto the road, passing in front of Kerjolis Manor, which you will skirt to the right.

(3) Continue along a path through the woods to descend towards the Ruisseau de Kergolo. A fountain is currently being cleared at the entrance to the path. Cross the D54 with care, then the Ruisseau de Kergolo via a small wooden bridge.

(4) Turn left and head back up along this small coastal stream.

(5) Junction with Variant 1 (see Practical Information section). Continue to follow the Kergolo Stream. Cross the D786 with care (poor visibility) and follow a tributary of the stream on the opposite side, veering to the right. Head up a small road at a wash house and follow it to the left.

(6) At the^first junction, turn right onto Impasse de la Fontaine. Continue to the fountain, which is on the left, hidden among the vegetation. Return to the previous junction.

(6) Turn right and continue along the road you took earlier. Turn right at the next junction, onto Route du Petit Saint-Loup. Ignore a road on the left and you will soon reach a junction at the hamlet of Le Petit Saint-Loup.

(7) Turn right towards the chapel, which is visible from the road, then right again to reach the chapel.

(8) Retrace your steps.

(7) Start of alternative route 2 (see the Practical Information section). Take the path on the right. After about 150 metres (elevation 99), turn onto the path on the left. Pass in front of livestock buildings (chicken coops). At the crossroads, turn right onto a tarmac track to join a small road, which you follow by turning left, passing under a high-voltage power line.

(9) Leave this road at Kerbreza to take a path on the left (sometimes damp) and arrive at an old farm, “Ar Feunteun” (the Fountain in Breton), where the source of the Kergolo Stream (private) is located. Pass by and turn left at the next road towards Kerbinson, passing under the high-voltage power line again.

(10) At the cross, carry on, leaving a road on your right, and continue to a small wood which is home to the Manoir de la Noë Verte.

(11) Turn right onto the path that runs alongside the property.

(12) Junction with Variant 3 (see Practical Information section). Turn left at the first crossroads. Continue straight on this path past a group of houses, then turn left onto the small road and head towards Bel Orient. At the junction, take the road on the left for a few dozen metres.

(13) Continue along the road, cross the D786 with care and take the small road opposite which passes in front of a campsite. At a cross, leave the old school on your right. Follow the small road to the left. After 100 m, turn right onto an old path that runs alongside a vegetable garden and leads to Impasse de la Fontaine. On the road, turn right to reach the church, where you can admire the porch. Return to the starting point (S/E).

Start/finish point: toilets and picnic table

Variation 1: From the start, you can head straight to the left bank of the Kergolo Stream. Follow the Route de la Mer down to the exit from Lanloup. At a cluster of houses on the left, after the Impasse de la Fontaine, wade across the Kergolo Stream. At (5), turn left.
This shortens the route by about 2 km.

Variation 2: At point (7), follow the road (left-right) towards the hamlet of Kergolo (or Kergolet). Cross the stream of the same name near a dairy farm. At point (10), at the cross, turn left.
This shortens the route by approximately 1.5 km.

(12) You can make a return trip to the Manoir de la Noë Verte by continuing along the path.
Turn right onto the main road. You can see the manor house. You can go through the gates to admire it more closely and walk around the grounds. A pretty dovecote is open, with free entry, near the wall of the manor house courtyard.
An extra 1 km round trip, or 1.5 km if you walk around the grounds.

The climb up the Kergolo tributary after the first crossing of the D786 may be difficult in heavy rain. Follow the course of the stream very closely

The Kergolo Stream, a small 4 km coastal river on which there used to be several mills. It flows into the English Channel atAnse de Bréhec.

Ropartz Manor (private), home of the composer Guy Ropartz

Saint-Golven Fountain

Kerjolis Manor: a former farm, parts of which date from the first half of the 16th century, and a fountain currently being cleared:

Petit Saint-Loup Chapel: Built of granite on a Latin cross plan, first mentioned in 1238, it was rebuilt in the early 19th century and restored in the early 20th century.

La Noë Verte Manor. From the 15th and 16th centuries. Very well restored.

Lanloup Church: a fine porch dating from 1550 featuring statues of the apostles and the four evangelists, a cemetery and a calvary.

Saint-Roch Chapel: next to the church.

Bréhec: to see the Kergolo flow into the English Channel, you can end the day with a swim at Bréhec beach or stroll along the terraces of the small heritage port. You can reach the beach car park by car (road on the right bank of the Kergolo) or head to point (5) and walk down the left bank along the river.