Cens, Erdre and Gesvres, three streams of Nantes

de fr

An easy hike along three streams: le Cens, l'Erdre, and le Gesvres. Nature within the town of Nantes.

Details

n°218270
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 19 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 19 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 26 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 5 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Nantes (44200|44300|44000|44)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.243313° / W 1.55524°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1223SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather
    Discover Visorando Premium
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

ascent along the Gesvres
Quai de la Jonelière
arriving at Quai du Halleray
jetty

Description of the walk

Start from Petit Port Ice-rink (car park just opposite, tram nearby).

(S/F) Opposite the ice-rink, head left on Chemin de la Censive. Turn right at the first fork.

(1) Head left along "le Cens" stream until you reach the junction with "l'Erdre" stream.

(2) Where "le Cens" flows into "l'Erdre", go left along "l'Erdre" bank following the GR3 towards "la Jonelière".

(3) Before reaching the railway viaduct, leave the GR and head onto Chemin de la Pierre Percée. Take the path along "le Gesvres" stream until "Le Boulevard Martin Luther King". Cross the road, heading along the right-hand side to the north until you reach the ring road.

(4) Head back due south on a trail. The trail heads of to the right passing in front of a lake.

(5) Turn off to the left reaching Rue Stéphane Leduc to the right.

(6) Cross the tramway tracks and keep going on the other side. At the roundabout, turn right, then left across the racetrack.

(7) At the exit, head left at Boulevard des Tribunes roundabout leading to the ice-rink (S/F).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 7 m - Petit-Port skating rink
  2. 1 : km 0.14 - alt. 6 m - To the left, along the - Cens (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 0.56 - alt. 5 m - Confluence - Erdre (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 1.11 - alt. 7 m - University. Along the Erdre, which is also the - Canal de Nantes à Brest
  5. 4 : km 2.05 - alt. 7 m - To the left, along the - Gesvres (rivière)
  6. 5 : km 3.71 - alt. 12 m - Close to the ring road
  7. 6 : km 4.47 - alt. 16 m - Towards Rue Stéphane Leduc
  8. 7 : km 4.75 - alt. 26 m - Passage of the tramway
  9. 8 : km 5.94 - alt. 24 m - Left at the Boulevard des Tribunes roundabout
  10. S/E : km 6.46 - alt. 7 m - Petit-Port skating rink

Worth a visit

Castle located on the edge of "l'Erdre" stream.
La Jonelière: Opportunity to visit the houseboats. This was a leisure area for Nantes residents at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century,
The railway viaduct.
Nearby: The Nantes football club "Jonelière " sports centre.
The racetracks.

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.

Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 26 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
DOMYRANDO
DOMYRANDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy walk along various rivers, well shaded. Just follow the directions when passing through urban areas (very few) and it's easy to shorten or lengthen the route if necessary. Some people in our group from Nantes were not familiar with these walks. The yellow markings are a good guide. Worth doing even for locals. For information, we started from the Parc de la Gobinière and had a picnic near the castle on the way back. SUPER

Machine-translated

kaolak
kaolak

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lot of people at the beginning of the tour.
Very nice tour

Machine-translated

CatBou333
CatBou333

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Being from Nantes, I discovered some wonderful paths on this pleasant walk. Worth doing and doing again.

Machine-translated

Duret
Duret

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

There's a gap in the description at point 4: we didn't see the lake, we must not have been on the right path, but we soon found it again.
It would have been a good idea to specify that you should follow the yellow path.
All in all, a lovely green walk, without feeling too much like a city...

Machine-translated

Jujuliette
Jujuliette

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice route. We just had a doubt when we reached the Gevres. You have to turn left to find it after the ring road and follow it on "your" left, so stay on the same side (as described at the end of point (3)). In the end, we didn't make a mistake, we just wondered about it. We also didn't use point (4), and didn't see the water!
In short, no problem, it was just for the accuracy of the description, and a nice walk!

Machine-translated

TVCG
TVCG

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 : Yes

A very pleasant circuit along the water and a wooded route. However, crossing the racecourse is not permitted on horse-racing days.

Machine-translated

Coimbra25
Coimbra25
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing

I've been there before, and I took 2 friends who enjoyed it.

Machine-translated

pgcorrelabat
pgcorrelabat

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A fun and very accessible walk that lets you get out into nature while still being in the city. Yellow signposted trail.

Machine-translated

Bernard 10
Bernard 10

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Passing through Nantes, we were looking for a little hike. And this one deserved our full attention. A real change of scenery, even though we're just outside Nantes. Very pleasant. Why not do it with children, without any difficulties. You can rely on the yellow signposting from start to finish, which is very well done and precise.

Machine-translated

henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

The description was quite clear for us, except at the ring road junction, where we had a bit of trouble finding our way back. The route is not very clear.

The term "map route" refers to the conformity of the route as shown on the map with the reality on the ground.
Did the route cause any problems? If so, what can be done about it?
You followed the route with a GPS,
Did you find any deviations from the route?

Sincerely

Machine-translated

Escapism
Escapism

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The description was clear enough for us, except at the ring road junction, where we had a bit of trouble finding our way back. The route is not very clear.
Superb walk otherwise, it was fun.
Well done to you all.

Machine-translated

Yvon44980
Yvon44980

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A walk to discover natural sites in the heart of the city!

Machine-translated

roievil
roievil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Thank you for sharing this very pleasant route with us. Just before arriving at number 4, we foolishly followed the signs for the little port and took the boulevard Martin Luther King in the wrong direction - not a good idea!

Machine-translated

sarah44470
sarah44470

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The path is easy to walk with a pushchair and well signposted.
Several places to take a break (bench + table) throughout the walk.
From passage number 3 to number 5 not very nice and a bit of a hall.
Good memory on the race course: I gave my 2 1/2-month-old daughter a bottle on the course (unusual).

Machine-translated

Cwappy
Cwappy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A great little circuit that manages to avoid almost all residential areas!

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Between Cens, Gesvres and Erdre for a visit to stream

Visorando member
Entre Cens, Gesvres et Erdre pour une visite de Nantes
↔11.53 km ↗+41 m ↘-41 m ◔3h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Nantes (Loire-Atlantique)
Semi-urban hike along three rivers that wind through Stream: the Cens, the Gesvres and the Erdre. The crossing over the Beaujoire bridge may be uncomfortable for people who are afraid of heights or have vertigo (especially on the stairs).

Walking Cens, Chézine, Erdre and Loire for a great discovery of Nantes

Visorando member
Cens, Chézine, Erdre et Loire pour une grande découverte de Nantes
↔30.08 km ↗+112 m ↘-112 m ◔5 hrs ▲Very difficult
⚑Departure from Nantes (Loire-Atlantique)
This large circular hike will allow you to discover Nantes by following four of its streams. The vast majority of this hike takes place in the woods, along the water's edge, and passes through several parks that are well known to Nantes residents. In the urban section, you will discover the city's historical treasures, its castle, its cathedral, and some of the most iconic sites of Nantes culture.

Walking Strolling through the centre of Nantes

Visorando member
Flâneries dans le centre de Nantes
↔11.85 km ↗+71 m ↘-66 m ◔3h 35 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Nantes (Loire-Atlantique)
Stream: discover the city's historical, architectural and cultural heritage (and even its gastronomic heritage, with its small and large restaurants).

Walking Discovering Nantes

Visorando member
A la découverte de Nantes
↔19.05 km ↗+63 m ↘-62 m ◔5h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Nantes (Loire-Atlantique)
This is a walk that will allow you to discover our beautiful city of Nantes, its remarkable sites, monuments, narrow streets and "secret" passages. You will also have the pleasure of taking a "real" 20-minute cruise on the Loire to see a superb colourful village.

Walking The Couëts circular in Pont-Rousseau

Visorando member
Boucle des Couëts à Pont-Rousseau
↔12.92 km ↗+23 m ↘-22 m ◔3h 45 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Rezé (Loire-Atlantique)
The banks of the Loire River by the former islands of Haute-île, Trentemoult, etc. The rear of Les Couëts, the Moulin du Petit Rocher, the crossing of Les Couëts along the tramway. Finally, the Jaguère Valley and the former bed of the Seil River.

Walking Greenery between Treillières and La Chapelle-sur-Erdre

Visorando member
Verdure entre Treillières et La Chapelle-sur-Erdre
↔10.07 km ↗+60 m ↘-66 m ◔3h 05 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Treillières (Loire-Atlantique)
Starting from Les Closes du Verger, you will discover a beautiful green area nestled between Treillières and La Chapelle-sur-Erdre. Through fields and forest paths, this is a lovely way to discover nature on the outskirts of Nantes.

Walking Circuit along the banks of the Erdre in Carquefou

Visorando member
Circuit des bords de l'Erdre à Carquefou
↔8.54 km ↗+30 m ↘-30 m ◔2h 30 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Nantes (Loire-Atlantique)
This beautiful walk begins with a visit to Chantrerie Park and its remarkable trees. A short detour behind some more or less heavily built-up areas will take you to Étang Hervé and then Port Breton. The return journey will then take you along the Erdre.

Walking Jaguère and the banks of the Loire

Visorando member
Jaguère et bord de Loire
↔7.11 km ↗+22 m ↘-22 m ◔2h 05 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Bouguenais (Loire-Atlantique)
This pleasant walk starts from the Yves Laurent promenade, runs along the Loire and passes through a small, pleasant park with a pond (Clos Saint-Julien).

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.