Circular route between Saint-Quay and Binic

Start from Port du Portrieux (or Port es Leu). Several car parks available.
You can get there by Breizhgo Bus Line 1, Saint-Brieuc-Paimpol, getting off at the Saint-Quay-Le Port stop.

(S/E) Head north and walk along the dry dock towards the harbour master’s office, following the Quai de la République. Just before the large car park at the fish market, take the steps on the left. Follow the^GR®34(red and white markings) and walk along Plage de la Comtesse.

(1) First turn left then right and follow the^GR®34diversion following a cliff collapse in 2021. Head towards the casino. Join Rue des Lavandes and follow it to the right. At the end, turn right onto Allée de la Barbe Brûlée and continue to the seafront to rejoin the coastal path.

(2) Follow the coastal path to the left. Reach the Pointe du Sémaphore (orientation table) and continue westwards along the coastal path to Casino Beach.

(3) Leave the^GR®34by turning left to reach the Parc de la Duchesse Anne: cross Rue Jeanne d'Arc, take Rue du Moulin Saint-Michel then turn left to cross Place de Verdun (car park). Enter the park and follow the path without crossing the stream, heading south. At the very end, cross a small bridge, leave the park, turn right onto a path and join Rue de Merle.

(4) On the right, follow the street to the junction with Avenue du Martouret. Cross this avenue carefully, first turning left then right to take Rue des Fusains opposite, which climbs quite steeply. At the junction, turn left into Rue du Moulin Saint-Michel. Cross the D786 at the pedestrian crossing. Take the steps, pass by the foot of the mill and continue along Rue des Roches Olives to the junction.

(5) Turn left onto Rue de la Garenne. Cross Rue des Trois Frères Salaün and continue straight ahead onto Rue du Gacon. At the stop sign, turn left and continue until you reach a granite wayside shrine.

(6) Then take the^second right, Chemin de la Vallée, towards a riding centre. At the entrance to the riding centre, turn right, take a very narrow path through the woods and cross a stream. After the footbridge, turn left and follow the stream on your left until you reach a junction.

(7) Immediately ignore a turn-off on the right and head straight towards the Viaduc des Pourrhis (signposted). Cross the viaduct and continue straight ahead along the wide path (ignore the turn-offs on the left). Cross Rue de l’Étang, then cross Rue de la Ville Durand (the straight stretch corresponds to the old railway line). Continue along the path, which becomes a tarmac road, until you reach the junction.

(8) Turn diagonally left onto Rue Pierre Le Cornec. At the roundabout, turn right into Rue Saint-Roch. Ignore the turn-offs on the right and, before the hamlet of La Ville Marquer, follow a wide path on the left which has a tarmac lane in the middle for cyclists until you reach a junction with buildings opposite.

(9) Turn right. You’ll come out onto a road; follow it to the right. Just before the D21, take a sharp left onto a grassy track. On the road, turn right until you reach a small roundabout.

(10) Go round the roundabout on the right, cross the D21 at the pedestrian crossing to reach the entrance to a passageway between houses opposite. Go down this street. At the junction, cross Rue des Fontaines Gicquel and continue straight on into Impasse des Fontaines Gicquel, then keep right onto a path that joins a small road. Turn left and follow it, leaving another small road on your right. Just before the fire station, turn right, leaving the station on your left.

(11) Then walk down a slope to reach a sunken path, turn left and then immediately right. Stay on this path, which leads to a stream.

(12) Cross the stream via a small bridge, leaving the path that continues to the left (not shown on the map). This path climbs a slope and runs alongside a pasture to reach some large buildings at a road (at a bend, leave a path not shown on the map to the left). Cross this road and continue straight ahead along a path through a grassy field (look out for an old railway viaduct in the distance on the left).

(13) At the T-junction, turn left onto a path that descends very steeply and then turn right to pass under the viaduct. Cross Rue du Chien Noir at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left. After a good fifty metres, take a path on the right that begins with a small bridge over the small coastal river, the Ic, until you reach a T-junction.

(14) Turn left, then walk alongside the Ic on your left, passing behind the sewage treatment plant. Cross a small tributary via a small bridge, and continue along this lovely path (which can be damp at times) until it joins Rue de l’Ic at a motorhome site. Cross the road safely and turn left, just after the toll barrier at this site, to cross the Ic via a footbridge. Cross a developed area (leisure centre, residential estate). Follow the stream on your right, which is only visible on the map (as it is culverted or runs in a hollow behind the reeds), pass in front of the Estran theatre and join the D786.

(15) Cross the road and head right towards the port. Follow the Quai de Courcy on the left bank, passing a footbridge on the right, then a lock, and follow the coast to the Penthièvre jetty. Join the seawall at Avant-Port beach by staying along the coast, without crossing. Walk along the seawall past the beach huts. In the middle of the beach, head up the steps on the left and continue along the^GR®34on your right until you reach the campsite (the coastal path is closed following a cliff collapse).

(16) Turn left to reach Rue des Mouettes on your right, then at the junction turn left onto Rue Francis Kerautret. Take the first right to reach Rue de la Rognouse, which leads back to the coastal path on the right. This diversion is clearly signposted with^“GR®34”signs. Continue along the^GR®34until you move away from the coast and reach a flight of steps between two fences.

(17) Climb these steps and, at the top, turn right, continuing straight on until you descend via another set of steps. Return to the coastal path, which descends via a final flight of steps to Plage des Godelins. Turn left in front of the Jean Le Gallais house to walk along the beach, first on Boulevard Legris, then turn right again onto the coastal path until you reach the junction for the Notre-Dame d’Espérance Chapel.

(18) Head down to the right. Follow the coastal path and reach the car park at Plage des Moulins.

(19) Cross the car parks, straight ahead, and head back up the tarmac onto Chemin de la Corniche. This very narrow, steeply sloping street is more or less pedestrianised in places. On either side of the street are very large private properties. Stay on this narrow road until you reach a large yellow sphere high up, symbolising the sun.

(20) Leave the road and turn right onto a path leading to the sailing centre, which you should go round, as well as the dry dock area next to it. You’ll reach Port Es Leu, Saint-Quay’s dry dock, the starting point of the walk (S/E).

(18) Near the start, before climbing the steps to the coastal path, there are public toilets.

The route from Binic to Saint-Quay follows the^GR®34, which is very well signposted. Some sections are closed due to cliff collapses, but alternative signposting has been put in place by the FFRP and/or the local councils.

(11) This section on the embankment is more or less visible. It is marked as it is used but is not strictly speaking maintained

(15) After the Leisure Centre, there are toilets in the large Estran car park.

(19) Public toilets on Moulin Beach

The return route along the^GR®34is very rugged and involves climbing up and down numerous steps. To avoid or minimise this effort, you can use Breizhgo bus route 1, which has numerous stops along this route. But... the views are superb. You can also split the route into two sections by using the bus.

(18) You can make a detour to the Notre-Dame d’Espérance Chapel. You’ll need to climb up the cliff. You rejoin the coastal path a little further on.

Along the^GR®34, you pass lovely sandy beaches that are perfect for a swim. In the summer months, stopping off is highly recommended.