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Start from the car park next to the town hall in Huelgoat, in the centre of the village.
(S/E) Leave the car park by going down below the town hall, then take the path that joins the upper canal. A footbridge allows you to cross it and join the path on the opposite bank. After the footbridge, turn right, then follow the canal to Venelle de Carn ar Guillou, where there is another footbridge.
(1) Stay on the same side and follow the canal path to the left, which winds under the trees until you reach Rue du Docteur Jacq. Turn left and follow this fairly busy road until you reach a row of houses at the start of a right-hand bend, then cross to the other side to return to the canal bank.
(2) From this point, forget about the road and traffic and walk along a pleasant, very shady path that follows the canal closely. Ignore all the paths that branch off and just follow the waterway.
(3) Further on, the valley closes in while a stream gurgles below. The canal then makes a bend to go around the bottom of the thalweg and return almost to the point you just passed, on the other side of the stream. After this bend, the canal enters a straight section, at the end of which it loses its water.
(4) The water, which until then had been flowing peacefully, becomes still, and the headworks of the power plant located below come into view. Cross over to the other bank of what will become a dry ditch, which you continue to follow. As you go deeper into the valley, vegetation gradually invades the old canal while the two sides of the valley narrow.
(5) After passing some conifer plantations and going deep into the valley, the canal makes a hairpin turn as it crosses the stream that flows there. Return to the river by following the opposite slope along a long straight section where the canal regains its original characteristics, except for the water that once flowed through it. As the woods thin out, you come to the remains of the old silver-lead mine that made the region wealthy in centuries past.
(6) The canal path leads to the upper gallery of the mine. Pass through the opening and take one of the paths on the left that lead down to the old mine shaft. There are a few ruins and the remains of the pumping wheel. Cross the esplanade to reach the track that leads off on the other side. After two hairpin bends, you reach the lowest part of the old installations, in particular the old settling basins, of which a dam remains across the valley. Continue along the access road to the bridge over the Rivière d'Argent.
(7) Immediately after the bridge, turn left onto the path that winds between the road and the river. This tree-lined passage climbs up various points of the river, some more remarkable than others, including the Miroir aux Fées (Fairy Mirror), before ending at a huge rock formation where the water rushes in. Climb up to reach the Gouffre (Chasm).
(8) After taking the time to explore this site, and possibly the viewpoint overlooking it, climb back up to the road via the metal staircase. At the top of the staircase, turn left and follow the road for about 250 m. The shoulder is wide and partially secured, but be careful when approaching a large left-hand bend. At the start of the bend, take the path on the left. It goes around a wooded hill and returns to the road a little further on. Turn left again and follow the road for about 150 m. At a new left-hand bend, leave the road on the right and join the Pont Rouge.
(9) An old river crossing, the Pont Rouge is a series of flat slabs laid on top of other stones, the origin of which is difficult to date. Do not cross the bridge and continue along the same bank. You will then come to a landscape where the rock blocks become more and more numerous, piled up like giants.
(10) The lower part of the chaos, the Ménage de la Vierge (Virgin's Household) is a collection of multiple boulders in shapes that are more or less domestic (you need to use your imagination), some of which are quite breathtaking in size and yet seem to levitate above the others. Leaving the Trembling Stone on your right, follow the path up to the edge of the Devil's Cave, another pile of rocks where the river disappears.
You will need to take another narrow path that winds its way between other impressive boulders to reach the mill and the dam of the Huelgoat pond. Once there, turn left and walk up the main street towards the church. When you see it, turn left again towards the town hall and the car park where you started (S/E).
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