Cancale and its surroundings

Loop between land and sea around Cancale via St Coulomb, following theGR®34andGR®34Atrails.

Details

84092
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 22.82 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 315 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 307 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 54 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 6 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Cancale (35260)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.689772° / W 1.846598°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1116ET, 1215OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the Port Briac car park.

(1) Head north, take the long staircase opposite to go down to Port Pican. Head north and take theGR®34hiking trail marked in white and red. Follow the coast, pass Port Mer and reach the Pointe du Grouin and its semaphore after 3 km.

(2) Head towards the west coast, passing the beaches of La Saussaie and Le Verger. After going around Pointe du Nid, you will see Fort Duguesclin. Go down to the car park, then take the D201 road along the beach for 200 metres.

(3) Leave theGR®34and turn left onto the road towards St Coulomb and theGR®34A. After 100 metres, turn left and join Rue de Hurlevent.

(4) Head right towards Chemin du Moulin Esnoux. Pass it, follow the stream and cross it via the footbridge.

(5) At the poplar grove, take the shaded path on the left and follow it until you reach the fields. Take the path on the right and follow it until you reach a stone house. Go around the house on the right and then on the left.
Reach and cross the D355 road.

(6) After 100 metres, take the farm track on the left. Leave the hamlet of L'Hercule on your left. Wind your way through the fields to reach the road. Turn left towards La Langotière, then right towards the Vieuville farm.

(7) At the exit of the hamlet, take the winding farm track opposite. At the end, turn left and go straight ahead at the next crossroads towards La Chapelle.

(8) When you reach the houses, turn right and cross the D76 road towards Le Moulin via the Route du Tram. Join the Chemin de la Corniche and after 50 metres, turn right onto the grassy path from where you can see Mont St Michel.

(9) Continue behind the mill, in the hamlet of Vaulerault, straight ahead, leaving the houses on your left. After 200 metres and before the castle, follow the boundary wall on your left and you will find the bay and theGR® trail on your left as you climb, with a view of Cancale and the oyster beds.

(10) Go up to the left to reach the coastal road. Go down the road, pass the Ferme Marine, join the path along the log barriers to the Kennedy, Duguay Trouin and Administrateur en Chef Thomas quays and reach the lighthouse. Continue to the left until you reach the square, take the pedestrian path on the left, and at roof level, take the path on the right under the war memorial. At the concrete steps, immediately turn right onto the path overlooking the houses. At the top of the stone steps, take the tarmac road on the right, which offers an unobstructed view of the bay, and continue along the coastal path on the left. At the next paved section, go down the path on the right and then opposite towards the Grève de l'Abri des Flots quay. Take the steps opposite and follow the stone wall. Cross the long stone staircase.

(11) Go down the steps facing the sea to reach the Pointe de la Chaîne. Go up the rocky path keeping to the right, continue along the coastal path, go down towards Port Briac, take the long steps opposite to go back down to Port Pican and return to the car park.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 9 m
  2. 1 : km 3.65 - alt. 35 m
  3. 2 : km 9.76 - alt. 8 m
  4. 3 : km 10.6 - alt. 22 m
  5. 4 : km 11.75 - alt. 14 m
  6. 5 : km 12.6 - alt. 39 m
  7. 6 : km 14.47 - alt. 49 m
  8. 7 : km 15.39 - alt. 52 m
  9. 8 : km 16.17 - alt. 29 m
  10. 9 : km 17.01 - alt. 19 m
  11. 10 : km 20.9 - alt. 25 m
  12. S/E : km 22.82 - alt. 8 m

Notes

Parking at Port Pican is subject to charges during the summer.
The coastal path is slippery in wet weather; wear shoes with good grip.

Worth a visit

Orientation table at Pointe du Grouin.
Ile des Landes to the east of Pointe du Grouin.
Fort Duguesclin after Pointe du Nid (the singer Léo Ferré lived here in the 1960s).
View of Mont St Michel from the Corniche path in Cancale.
Orientation table at the Cancale lighthouse.
Seafood market at the lighthouse.
Le Châtelier Island and its rock in Cancale, and Île des Rimains and its fort at the tip of the Chaîne.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 43 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
User 26606381

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike, especially along the coast, but the end through the fields is not unpleasant.
Remember to bring plenty of water.
PDF to be used with the GPX file as the description is sometimes unclear and the signposting (outside the GR) is very poor.

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User 2926535

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hikes

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Pchretien
Pchretien

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

superb walk with beautiful scenery.

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dechambre
dechambre

After St-Malo, I'll see you in Cancale.
Thank you, Cyril Drion, for walking and commenting on this route.
Happy hiking in Brittany, Burgundy and elsewhere - we're practically neighbours.

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Cyril Drion
Cyril Drion

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A great view of the whole course!

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Halna
Halna

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It is advertised as a 9.5 km round trip, whereas from the Pointe du Grouin to Cancale we clocked up 11 km.

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myradon72
myradon72

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk. Superb views all along the coast to the return car park.
From the start in Port Picain to WPT 2, there are a number of local itineraries to choose from. Keep an eye on the map and the VISORANDO description, which is very well explained. Then from WPT 2 to the car park, no worries about orientation.
It's a hike that we like to show our friends and that we do at least once a year before going to taste oysters directly from the producers in the port of Cancale.

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dechambre
dechambre

Hello WaitandSea,
Thank you for your comments about this walk.
There are indeed many starting points.
Happy hiking in Brittany and elsewhere!

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WaitandSea
WaitandSea

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A great day hike, with plenty of car parks to choose from.
For my part, we set off from Plage du Verger and walked clockwise round the island.
The stretch between Pointe du Groin and Cancale is quite busy. At low tide, the tractors are at work and their engines are quite noisy...
At the pointe des Daules, it's worth getting off the GR to visit the guardhouse.

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dechambre
dechambre

Hello Mick88
Thank you for posting your comments.
I may have the opportunity to do this walk again in August, almost 10 years after it was published.
I wish you all the best on your hikes!

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Mick88
Mick88

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A wonderful walk to discover Cancale and the surrounding area. Magnificent scenery from the GR. The inland section is pleasant.
I followed the GPS track. The difference in altitude is 546 m.
Thank you for this wonderful tour.

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dechambre
dechambre

Hello herve35000

Thank you for your comments and congratulations on the option of leaving so that you can be at the right place at the right time.
Personally, I'm a big consumer of Cancale oysters.
As for swimming, I'm a bit more shy...
Happy hiking in Brittany and elsewhere.

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herve35000
herve35000

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk, except for 1 km on the road before reaching Cancale. This is due to a deviation from the GR34 and the itinerary on Visiorando is up to date (well done!).
A bit crowded around Cancale and the Pointe du Grouin; the opposite would be surprising!
We set off from Anse Duguesclin at around 9.30am, arriving at the port of Cancale at midday with a tasting of oysters (and the drink that goes with them!). Then a final swim in the cove...
Many thanks to the authors,

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LEHUCHER Karl
LEHUCHER Karl

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I think the start should be from the port of Cancale (between points 10 and 11).
The 1st part of the route, from the port of Cancale to the Du Guesclin fort (point 3) is extremely pleasant.
The return journey (from point 3 to 10) is much more monotonous and of no visual interest.
A few descriptions need to be more precise:
- on leaving the port of Cancale: we didn't see the path to take at first (we retraced our steps)
- after Moulin Enoux (point 5): we made a mistake
Be careful at these 2 points on the route

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Simouhé
Simouhé

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this route from Pointe du Groin and had a wonderful day passing through some charming and varied places.
We recommend this route

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