Circular route in Dol-de-Bretagne via La Belle Étoile

Start from Place de la Cathédrale.

(S/E) Walk along the forecourt to reach the roundabout and turn right onto Rue Yves Estève. Continue straight on along Rue Saint-Malo. After about 150 m, turn left and take the footbridge over the Guyoult.

(1) Then take a path on the left and follow the river on your left. Follow the river as it bends to the left.

(2) Cross Rue de Dinan and head towards the Ville Nicault and Jean Hamelin car parks. Pass the playground on your left, go round the community buildings (CDAS, youth centre, etc.) keeping them on your left. Walk along Place du Champ de Foire; the swimming pool is on your right. Continue straight ahead and walk past the Odyssée building.

(3) Cross the path and take the dirt track opposite. Follow it through the Vallée du Guyoult park. Keep to the right; you will need to cross two wooden footbridges. After the second one, turn left. Continue straight on for about 700 metres.

(4) At the crossroads, keep to the right to enter the woodland. Continue to the road, with a wayside cross on the left. Head left, pass carefully under the bridge and continue to the junction (church on the left).

(5) Take the Chemin du Picoiseaau straight ahead. When it turns right, veer left and cross a branch of the Guyoult. Follow the main branch on your left.

(6) You’ll come out onto a road; first turn left then right to take a path and follow the Guyoult on your right. Follow the path for about 1.5 km until you reach another road.

(7) Turn right towards the Petit Gué farm. Pass the farm on the right, cross the bridge and follow the path which runs alongside the Guyoult once more. Pass under the road bridge, cross a second bridge and climb a short slope to the road at La Belle Étoile.

(8) Turn left and continue along the road. Go under the road bridge.

(9) After the bridge, continue to the Notre-Dame School; in the meantime, go through the tunnel under the road. From the school, continue to the crossroads and turn left onto Rue de la Belle Étoile, which is a no-entry road except for residents.

(10) Pass the level crossing on your right. First turn right then left, continue to the end of Rue de la Belle Étoile and turn right onto the path that goes round the sports ground. Follow the path lined with plane trees on your right, then turn right. Cross the railway line and take the path on the left. At the roundabout, cross the road and turn right. Keep to the right and follow the railway line below.

(11) At the crossroads, turn left and cross the railway bridge, then immediately turn right towards the Promenade Jules Revert. Enter the old moat and follow the path to a small square just after the large wrought-iron gate. Turn left towards the cathedral. Head towards the cathedral (S/E).

Please note that during the winter months, the section of the route between Le Petit Gué (marker 6) and marker 7 may be very muddy or even flooded. The section between Le Petit Gué and marker 8 is impassable, as the private road is closed.
Check before setting off.

Saint-Samson Cathedral dates from the 13th century and features a treasury.

The Cathédraloscope: helps you understand how these buildings were constructed.

La Grande Rue des Stuarts: a shopping street lined with half-timbered houses featuring porches.

The Jules Revert rampart walk.
To protect against invasions and pillaging, fortifications featuring moats, ramparts and defence towers were built in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The Jules Revert Rampart Walk offers views of the remains of the medieval city’s fortifications, Mont-Dol and the marsh.

The Petit-Gué Farm
The educational farm at the Lycée des Vergers covers 148 hectares and is home to buffalo.

The Champs Dolent Menhir. Read the article by clicking here.