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Sainte-Marie-du-Ménez Hom car park (D887 Châteaulin-Crozon road).
(S/E) From the car park, turn right along the D887 (take care, especially in summer). At the sign for Gîte de Run Vraz, turn left and follow the access road to the lodge.
Yellow and red signposts
(1) Leave the lodge on your right and take the marked path opposite, following it through a wooded area. Continue until you reach a small road (D47).
Signposting: VTT6 + Tro Breiz
Turn right onto this gravel road with a grassy strip on the left. Pass an entrance with a sign saying "Strakell Off Road, initiation au tout terrain" and continue to the next intersection.
(2) Turn left onto this wide track that descends towards a stream, whose murmur will accompany you for a while, then continue slightly uphill to reach fields and a group of houses, which you go around on the left, following a small road on the right (sign for Ateliers du Ménez Hom, a centre for art therapy workshops in Brittany).
(3) At a metal shed on your right, turn left onto a road suitable for vehicles that climbs straight ahead (signpost for VTT6 panoramic circuit). This relatively gentle and steady climb leads to a flat area with two barriers opposite the information sign "Ménez Hom, protected natural area."
(4) Turn right (barrier and sign prohibiting motorised vehicles) and follow this wide path through a wooded area of pine trees. Keep to the same contour line and note the views of Dinéault and the surrounding countryside on your right. At the end of the path, turn slightly right as you descend.
(5) At the crossroads, turn left, a little further on, leave aPR® on your right and continue straight ahead (barrier and sign prohibiting motorised vehicles and VTT6 panoramic circuit signpost). Continue along this wide path, which for the moment goes around a hill that you will have to climb, gradually offering views of the Aulne and the Térénez suspension bridge on your right. You will reach a VTT6 panoramic circuit signpost.
Off the marked trail
(6) Leave the wide mountain bike trail and take a small stony path on the left. At the first fork in the path, turn left again and follow the small path through vegetation consisting of moorland and heather dotted with a few buckthorn bushes. Continue to the highest point at an altitude of 201 metres.
(7) Look out for a path on the right that is not very visible and starts with a small bar of stones. If your path starts to descend, you have missed the start of this path. Follow this single track through the vegetation, climbing steeply over stony ground. Remember to turn around from time to time to admire the view of the Aulne valley and Brest on the horizon.
At the end of this steep climb, you will reach a summit decorated with several cairns (with extensive views over the Châteaulin basin as far as the Monts d'Arrée).
Continue straight ahead on a wide, relatively flat path until you reach a crossroads.
Yellow and red markings + VTT6 ( in the opposite direction and not very visible).
Leave the marked path that branches off to the left and begin the easier climb to the main summit of Ménez Hom, called Yed (329 m). This wide path climbs steadily and, depending on the day, you may see paragliders and model aeroplanes circling in the sky. Go around the summit on the right. There is no need to climb up to the orientation table, which no longer exists, but take the time to admire the panorama (wide 360° view).
(N.B.: the summit is often crowded as it is accessible by car).
Descend towards the road.
There are no longer any visible markings (theGR®37sign on the map cannot be seen on the ground)
(8) Look for a discreet path in the vegetation on the right, go around the car park on the right and follow this path heading south-west, keeping the next summit called Hielc'h (298 m) in sight, which is dominated by a wooden pole with an anemometer and a small solar panel. Go straight down and reach a flat area.
Now begin the climb to this peak (be careful of sharp rocks) and you will easily reach the summit, where you can enjoy views of Douarnenez Bay and Cap de la Chèvre, one of the points of the Crozon Peninsula. Descend slightly.
(9) Turn left onto a wide path, leaving the steep path that descends opposite.
Go around the summit to the east and join a path on the right towards the road that climbs up to Ménez Hom.
(10) Cross the road and continue along the narrow path opposite in a north-easterly direction. You will see the Cast wind farm in the distance. Continue at the same altitude through this area dotted with a few pine trees, pass a stone marker and a small pile of stones to reach a fork.
(11) Turn right downhill and continue straight ahead. Cross a slightly marshy area and arrive in a wooded area with pine trees. Do not look for the dolmen indicated on the map as it was dynamited in 1951 in an act of vandalism and the slabs are no longer really visible. You will arrive at a carriage road that descends straight down to a road.
(12) Turn right and follow this road. At the sign for Sainte-Marie-du-Ménez Hom, look for a wooden sign on the left indicating the fountain. Enter the field on the left and walk down the wide grassy strip. The fountain is at the end of the field on the left. It has been neglected for a long time, but photos from 1920 show it with a beautiful stone arch, which has now disappeared.
(13) Retrace your steps (about 400 metres there and back) and continue up the road towards the chapel built between 1570 and 1773.
Pass under the stone archway to enter the parish enclosure with its beautiful Calvary. This is a very interesting place to visit (beautiful Baroque altarpieces and statues, open mainly in summer).
Leave the fenced area of land through the triumphal arch dating from 1739, which bears a statue of Saint Hervé, and cross carefully to reach the car park opposite (S/E).
A beautiful route with magnificent views. Even on a cloudy day, the climb up Menez Hom requires frequent stops to catch your breath. The chapel was open. An exceptional visit. A beautiful day.
Visorando member
