Loop between Rance and Terre, from Pont Saint-Jean to Pointe du Puits

Walk in the Pays Malouin between the sea and the Rance around one of the most beautiful villages in France. To be done at low tide, check before you go.

Details

83694
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 18.33 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 158 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 165 m

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

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the Vigneux car park near the campsite and the mooring area in La Ville ès Nonais.

(S) Head north, take the Pays Malouin hiking trail marked in yellow and red, follow the path along the Rance for 1.5 km until you reach the junction with Rue des Hurettes.

(1) Turn left and head towards Mont Gareau at the foot of the mountain, going around it via the path on the left. Cross the moors, ferns and chestnut trees, follow the signs, go past the sailing school and you will arrive in Saint Suliac

(2) TheGRP® runs alongside La Rance.

(3) Pass the Oratory of the Virgin of Grainfolet, continue along the path to the road, then turn left towards the Garel beach, where you will find the banks of the Rance. Go around the Pointe du Puits.

(4) Walk along the fishponds opposite Saint Jouan des Guerets and continue along the water's edge before entering a shaded path and coming out into the light at La Maléguerre.

(5) Turn right onto the D117 road.
Head towards Saint Suliac, at the second crossroads turn left onto Chemin du Gué Morin, climb up to the right towards the D7 road and take it on the left.

(6) Below the Chablé farm, climb up the path on the right under the trees. At the top, turn left to join the D7 road and then the D407.

(7) At the Rue de La Baguais crossroads, continue along Rue des Masses on the left to join Rue Jacques Cartier in La Ville ès Nonais.
Turn right and take theGRP® again on the left at Rue du Dessous le Mur. Pass behind the residential area to join the D407, continue left, pass under the N176 bridge and turn right towards La Saurais. Reach the bank of La Rance on the right, then turn left onto the grassy path.
When you reach Les Rochaux, head towards Le Pont Saint Jean and join it via Rue de La Neuva. Cross the D366 just before the bridge, go down the steps on the right of the road to pass under the nearby N176 bridge, continue along the path to the car park (E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 12 m - Departure from the Vigneux car park near the campsite - Rance (fleuve)
  2. 1 : km 1.63 - alt. 15 m - Turn left and head towards Mont Gareau
  3. 2 : km 4.66 - alt. 7 m - In St Suliac
  4. 3 : km 5.15 - alt. 32 m - In St Suliac
  5. 4 : km 7.32 - alt. 5 m - After the fish farm
  6. 5 : km 9.38 - alt. 5 m - Before the junction with the D117
  7. 6 : km 11.15 - alt. 18 m - 100 m on the right after the farm on the D7
  8. 7 : km 12.98 - alt. 31 m - Baguais crossroads on the D407
  9. S/E : km 18.33 - alt. 12 m

Notes

Check the tide times, as the route should be taken at low tide. The high tide route is not signposted, particularly after Saint Suliac.
Picnic area at the Vigneux car park.
Crêperie and restaurant on the banks of the Rance in Saint Suliac.
Shops in La Ville ès Nonais.

Worth a visit

Medieval walls visible at low tide on Rue des Hurettes, 1.7 km away.
Visit Saint Suliac, listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France.
Oratory of the Virgin of Grainfolet in Saint Suliac.
View of an old tide mill after the fish pond.
Bird colonies and view of an old mill before the junction with the D117.
Menhir "La Dent de Gargantua" in Chablé (100 m on the right after the farm).
Pretty Breton granite well at the Baguais crossroads.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 24 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
CLAUDELC
CLAUDELC
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

The first 2 thirds of the route were magnificent, but it was after that that the going got tough:
- a 1st "collapsed" coastal path with diversion
- several busy and dangerous roads from point 7 onwards
- a 2nd path that finally collapsed at Pont Saint Jean with no indication of a diversion, as the collapse must have been "recent", resulting in additional mileage, plus a work zone on the Ville-es Nonais exit (N176).

To sum up, we covered a distance of 21 km instead of 18.3 km, with a last third of the route that wasn't very interesting and, above all, was very tiring because of all the tarmac.

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Laurence La Méziere
Laurence La Méziere

It loses a bit of its magic, but it's still atypical...
Thanks for the information

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dechambre
dechambre

Hello Laurence La Mézière,
Thank you for the comments, notes and photos added to this walk, mine have miraculously disappeared. At the risk of disappointing you, the newspaper Ouest-France published in August 2023 that the ruins of the Viking camp were nothing more than the foundations of an old oyster farm. Let's keep dreaming!
Happy hiking in Brittany and elsewhere.

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Laurence La Méziere
Laurence La Méziere

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent walk punctuated by beautiful views over the Rance and remarkable features.
Beware of the dam times for the section between Etang le Brestois and Les Vivier de la Rance to avoid having to walk along the ribs on this stretch (can also be avoided by taking the road).

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dechambre
dechambre

Hello again Mick88,
After Cancale, I'm delighted to see you back on this route.
Thank you for your comments and clarifications about the state of the paths.
There too I have not returned since the publication in 2014.
Bonne continuation en Bretagne et ailleurs!

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Mick88
Mick88

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk. When I got to Grève de Garel, I didn't see the entrance to the path, which was probably hidden by tall grass, so I walked along the Rance and up to the foot of Pointe du Puits, where I turned back because it was becoming a bit of a climb. Back to the Garel strike and then to the new town. At the fishpond I went to the Pointe du Puits. The path passes above it.
After point 7, tall grass masked the path as you walked along the Rance, but you couldn't go wrong there.
Thank you for this route.

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dechambre
dechambre

Thank you Mpatoux for your comments on this hike.
It's been a long time since I walked in Brittany.
Other collapses have been reported on the GR 34.
Your messages allow me to escape a little in these complicated times.
I wish you all the best.

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mpatoux
mpatoux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely and very pleasant tour. Some great photos.
For your information, the route is currently interrupted at point 3 due to a risk of cliff collapse. The map makes it easy to get to the fishponds and point 4.
The path below Le Chablé towards the D7 is little used.

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Laurence44810
Laurence44810

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent course. The Rance offers a wide range of landscapes. You'll be amazed.

We recommend it!

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bretonne35400
bretonne35400

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is probably a little-frequented route, as it is not very practicable in some places.
The staircase after Saint-Sulliac has a loose step that is quite dangerous because of the steep gradient. A fallen tree between points 6 and 7 means you have to duck under the electric fence. Still between points 6 and 7, the path is almost impassable as it has been left in a wild state (nettles, brambles, ouch ouch ouch).
The signs are not sufficient. I was lucky enough to come across local people at tricky points to help me find my way.
This is all the more regrettable as the area can be dangerous during periods of high tide.

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Domi2935
Domi2935

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I'd advise setting off at low tide if possible: it's said that you can see a medieval enclosure and, above all, walk along the banks (between 3 and 4, then between 4 and 5) which are otherwise under water.
- In my opinion, the start of the circuit is at the bottom of the campsite car park rather than at the top: you avoid the road and walk along the Rance.
- A little before point 6, when you reach the D117, there seems to be a new alternative route (blue markings) that takes you through the countryside and almost to the level of the D7 (dotted line on the map). We realised too late, but I think it works.
- Shortly after point 7, at the Moulin des Masses, turn right (yellow arrows) to avoid the road and cut across a downhill dirt track (it's clearly visible on the map but not in the text).
SUPERB WALK!!!

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roquier
roquier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant and friendly walk
The route was very well laid out, even if we didn't follow it in its entirety because of the ban on access to the beaches and the direction of traffic laid down by the town hall.

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jcch.senecat
jcch.senecat

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk. Well signposted except for the part between points 6 and 7. Walk made under the sun with superb points of view on the Rance. Some sections changed by the direction of traffic due to the risk of covid19.

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Charo35
Charo35

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Currently redoing the path
At this time of year, quite a lot of mud

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dechambre
dechambre

Thank you lanngourlae for your message.

It's true that the level of La Rance in its maritime section is never exactly that of the tide.
It's linked to the operation of the dam, whose turbines can work when the estuary is filling and also when it's emptying.
Nice walks

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