Baie de la Fresnaye and Moulin de la Mer

This short hike allows you to discover the southern part of Fresnaye Bay with its colours and lighting changing with the tides, the Moulin de la Mer site, the village of Saint-Germain de la Mer, and views of Fort La Latte.

Details

1601002
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.78 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 99 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 99 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 52 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 5 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the small square in front of the Chapel of Saint-Germain-de-la-Mer, where parking is easy.

(S/E) Take the road towards the bay, which quickly turns into a path, and turn right at the first path that runs alongside a riding school. Turn left to avoid entering the riding school.

(1) At the first fork, follow the path on the left (GR® 34) which runs along the coast. The path crosses a wood. At the end of the wood, it turns left, runs alongside a field and leads to a tarmac road.

(2) Leave theGR® by taking this road on the left. It quickly turns right, running alongside a beautiful L-shaped house with blue shutters. Continue straight ahead, taking the path at the bend. It leads to a tarmac road, which you must cross to take the path almost opposite. When you reach a tarmac road, take it on the right.

(3) Before the Bellevue buildings and after a tower (ruins of an old windmill), take the path on the left. It crosses a tarmac road and turns into a beautiful sunken path. Leave the path on the left and continue downhill.

(4) At the bottom of the hill, take the path on the left that runs alongside the small stream and the fork that follows it on its left bank. Follow it to a tarmac road, which you should take on the left.

(5) At the bend, turn right at the sign for Vallée du Moulin de la Mer and take the path that leads there. You will come to the ruins of Léa's house and the Moulin de la Mer mill. There are numerous information boards. Go around the ruins of the mill and turn right onto the bridge that crosses the stream, where you can admire a small waterfall and the Moulin de la Mer leat. Turn right onto the path that runs alongside the stream and passes along the rocks on a section that is submerged during high tides.

(6) Continue along the rocks (you will join theGR® 34) until you reach the artificial rockfill and the garden wall of a beautiful building that is a former tide mill (whose architecture has been significantly altered). Admire Fort la Latte at the end of the bay. Between the rockfill and the wall, take the small staircase hidden there, which leads to a tarmac road to follow on the left.

(7) After a steep climb and a sharp bend, theGR® 34 (note: the markings are not very visible) continues along the path almost opposite a large gate. Follow this path, which runs alongside meadows, and at the first fork, continue to the right, the branch closest to the sea. This will take you to an old wash house. You can make a small detour to the left to see the fountain that supplies it. Turn around to return to the path.

(1) At the intersection, take the path on the left that you have already taken to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 43 m - Small square in front of the chapel
  2. 1 : km 0.17 - alt. 34 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 1.49 - alt. 35 m - Route to the Fontaine Gourien
  4. 3 : km 2.26 - alt. 50 m - On the left just before Bellevue
  5. 4 : km 3.01 - alt. 20 m - Path along the stream
  6. 5 : km 3.98 - alt. 16 m - Entrance to the Moulin de la Mer site
  7. 6 : km 4.71 - alt. 7 m - Junction with the GR 34
  8. 7 : km 5.05 - alt. 32 m - Resuming the GR 34
  9. S/E : km 6.78 - alt. 43 m - Small clearing in front of the chapel

Notes

For this hike, take into account the tide times, as theGR® 34 follows a short stretch of coastline that may be submerged at high tide.

Worth a visit

The village of Saint-Germain de la Mer was the first settlement in the town of Matignon. The small chapel is usually open in summer and is well worth a visit.
Baie de la Fresnaye is approximately 2 km wide and 6 km long. It is the second largest mudflat in France. The problem of green algae has been virtually solved and remains a bad memory. It is home to numerous oyster and mussel beds.
In the enclosure of the Moulin de la Mer, there is a remarkable tree. Although it was felled by a storm some time ago, it has shown great vigour and its branches bravely reach for the sky like so many new trees.
The area on the right where you join theGR®34is a former pond that filled and emptied with the tides, enabling the mill at its end to operate. The dyke that closed it off was destroyed a few years ago.
Fort La Latte is an old fortified castle that was modernised under Louis XIV. It served as an advanced defence for Saint-Malo and allowed ships surprised by the enemy at this point on the coast to take refuge in the Bay of La Fresnaye.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
jocelyne
jocelyne
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, lovely varied landscapes
Very pleasant path through the woods along the stream and beautiful views of the bay

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cajoba
cajoba

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with a mix of sun and shade. We enjoyed the ruins of the mill, the waterfall and the beautiful view of the "beach" before arriving.

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User 18790905

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with beautiful views of the bay, without too much difficulty.👌
Walk done at low tide

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Gisèle 94
Gisèle 94

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route between land and sea.

A few comments:
1. At point 3, the narrow path is barely visible (only marked for horses)
2. Between point 3 and point 4 (after crossing the road), the path was almost impassable because it was flooded
3. At point 5, there were no signs. I went along the left bank to reach point 6, but this would not be possible at high tide.

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Bonpalou48
Bonpalou48

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very, very slippery route after the rain that day

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Visomontigny
Visomontigny

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very easy to find, magnificent scenery

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Superbioman76
Superbioman76

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, completed in 2½ hours, in gloomy weather. A few muddy sections, but manageable, no disaster!
An accessible circular route offering a beautiful coastal route, as well as the Fresnaye valley and its beautiful estuary.

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baj35
baj35

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A short stroll between the countryside and the sea. It's a shame that the coastline isn't visible along the coastal path.

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visomerigot
visomerigot

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A parish-specific to Brittany, very pleasant short hike with varied landscapes. The path along the stream (between 4 and 5) is a little muddy, but that's normal at this time of year. Worth doing again in summer

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Ewighol
Ewighol

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk between the sea, fields and forest. I just found that some explanations were missing once I arrived at the ruins of the sea mill: should I continue along the left bank or the right bank of the river? I think the left bank is safer.

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coco68@
coco68@

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A truly beautiful and enjoyable hike.
A beautiful combination of land and sea.
Towpath's house, the ruins of the mill with its tree that has continued to grow horizontally, the sea, and in the distance, the view of Fort La Latte...!!!
At the end of the hike, near the wash house, don't miss the fountain on the right (the path is slightly hidden by vegetation).
This hike is one of our favourites.

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Petitours29
Petitours29

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful and easy hike, much of which is on the GR 34 trail. On 23 August 2020, we also enjoyed sunny weather and a high tide... Please note that access to the foreshore has been prohibited by municipal decree since 18 June (accidents could be caused by decomposing green algae that has not been collected) and will remain so until further notice: this is important to note at the end of the route, between points 2 and 9 on the way back.

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Jacqueline11
Jacqueline11

Finally, I went hiking without a map or description. I had forgotten it, but it was very easy to follow the coastal path, which was well marked. There was a beautiful view of the bay and I discovered two old mills, one of which (the tide mill) is privately owned.

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carinelatour
carinelatour

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful walk that allows you to (re)discover the remarkably well-preserved remains of the water mills, as well as the bay; both are simply stunning.

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michou44
michou44

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

It was quite warm, but fortunately there are quite a few shaded areas that are very pleasant, especially near the ruins of the mill and the waterfall.

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