Brière walks

This route connects the three main areas of the municipality: Mesquer, Quimiac and Kercabellec. It allows you to discover the diversity of the area, first the marshes, then the countryside and the sea, which is particularly present around the Pointe de Mesquer.

La Brière, France's second largest freshwater marsh, is a secret land hidden behind the surrounding hedgerows. The suggested route allows you to explore it from the land bordering it to the west and even catch a glimpse of it from the Sandun hill, which rises to a height of 28 metres. A real mountain in this flat country!But be careful, marshes are best explored when the water level allows it.Circuit temporarily closed

The hike begins with three beaches and ends at Pointe de Merquel, which marks the entrance to the Bassin du Mès, famous for its salt marshes, mussels and oysters. The landscapes are magical, whether on the sea or marsh side.

Mesquer has a coastline opening onto the Bay of Vilaine and the open sea, but around Kercabellec, a small port between the village and Quimiac, there is a much more secret route between the marshes and the Merquel and Rostu tidal flats. Immerse yourself in this unique landscape where salt and shellfish farming are closely intertwined.

The Château de Ranrouët is a medieval gem nestled on the edge of the marshes. Here, there is no fortified rock, but a slight elevation in the greenery. The marshes that surround it provided protection, and the proposed route winds through the surrounding countryside where land and water constantly mix.

Walk around the ramparts of Guérande to finish in the heart of the medieval town. The walk starts at the Gaudinais car park, around the ramparts, then follows a path that joins a short section ofthe GR® 34.

Walk along the edge of the Grande Brière. As you circle the village, you will discover meadows sometimes flooded by the rising spring waters, separated by the canals you will be walking alongside. In Rozé, you can climb up to a viewpoint to enjoy a view of the entire Grande Brière.

This hike is located in Mesquer, in the hamlet of Rostu. The Bassin du Mès is an area where salt marshes have been created for centuries and were once highly developed. They are fed with seawater by channels leading from the "Merquel - Rostu - Pen-Bé" traicts, which are an enclave of the sea between the Pointe de Pen-Bé and the Pointe de Merquel. Oyster and mussel farming have also developed in this area. There are some beautiful views to be discovered.

This hike allows you to discover the different faces of Brière: its marshes, its thatched cottages, its flora and fauna. Lots of paths, a few roads, all lined with oak trees, pines, gorse, willows and chestnut trees. Superb!

The Mès, a small coastal river in the north of the Guérande peninsula, flows through a low, wide valley consisting mainly of marshes, draining the water into the ocean. The proposed route allows you to discover the upper part of these marshes and cross them via the Gras bridge, an ancient stone footbridge. This route should only be attempted when the water level in the marshes allows the paths surrounding them to be used.

The Pointe de Pen Bé juts out like a ship between Pont Mahé Bay and the Pen Bé and Rostu straits. While its maritime location is undeniable at high tide, it changes completely at low tide, as the sea then deserted the coastal areas. Whether at high or low tide, this is a route that is worth exploring at any time, as the landscape is so changeable.

To the west of the Brière Regional Nature Park, the Brière coast stretches from Pont Mahé beach to the Pen Bé strait. It offers a varied landscape of beaches, shorelines, wild coastlines, moors and salt marshes. A return trip connects to this route for a foray into Morbihan to Pointe du Bile.

A walk through a varied landscape where the marshes tell the story of their distant origins, shaped by the earth and the ocean, with low, undulating vegetation carved out by small streams, and their domestication by man, with salt marshes and oyster beds, not to mention the iconic cabanes à carrelet (fishing huts).

This route forms a circular loop between Pont Mahé Bay and Pen Bé Bay.

Farming in the marshes has always relied on mowing and grazing the meadows when they were no longer covered in water. Cows prefer dry land to the aquatic environment, and providing them with winter refuge areas is key to ensuring the continuation of this farming practice. This route invites you to discover the pastures of La Chapelle des Marais.

Remnants of a time when much of what enabled the people of Bréca to make a living was extracted from the marsh, thatched cottages are still very much in evidence around Saint-Lyphard. There are said to be no fewer than 500 of them. To discover this exceptional heritage, why not hop on your bike and explore the narrow roads and farm tracks that criss-cross the Saint-Lyphard area? A complete change of scenery is guaranteed!

Passing through clay extraction sites and former pottery villages, this route pays tribute to one of Herbignac’s traditional trades, which continued until the mid-20th century.

On your way to and from Pontchâteau town centre, discover the Brière marshes. With a bit of luck (in season), you may spot a nest of storks.

Discover the islands of Saint-Joachim and some of the islands of Saint-Malo-de-Guersac by bike, with some beautiful views of the Brière marshes.

This small village of 18 thatched-roof houses was acquired in the 1970s by the Brière Regional Nature Park with the intention of renovating it and turning it into a showcase of traditional Brière housing. Kerhinet is a village situated to the south-west of the municipality of Saint-Lyphard, on the western side of the marshes. The village is open to visitors free of charge. You can enjoy a drink or an ice cream on site. There is a picnic area as well as free, designated parking.

From the ring of ramparts encircling the walled town, the suggested route heads westwards, following the hillside overlooking the salt marshes. Once isolated on the hillside, several small manor houses dot the route: Colveux, Chateaumady and Drezeux. Whilst the first is now joined by suburban housing estates, the protection afforded by the hillside has allowed the other two to retain their seclusion and their unobstructed views of the salt marshes.