Saint-Laurent Chapel and Aulne Canal from Saint-Coulitz

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

First part of the village at Chapelle Saint Laurent: indeed, a lot of road, which is also quite wide and uphill.
From La Chapelle to the canal banks: water flows abundantly all along the downhill path; on the path that runs alongside the N165, there is a lot of noise, which is a shame because the path is nice.
Banks of the canal: very muddy and wet, which can be explained by the rain in previous weeks. In addition, four trees had fallen across the towpath (we managed to get past them all, but two of them were difficult).
In the last section, we preferred to go back up to the village via the marked path opposite the Toul Ar Rodo lock. This path is very pretty and breaks up the monotony of the canal banks.
I don't think this route should be taken after heavy rain, but it is not without interest.
As for the fallen trees, I reported three of them on Visorando and informed the Saint Coulitz Town Hall.

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Date of your route : Sep 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Disappointing because there is quite a lot of tarmac (a long hill at the start), a section through the forest which could be nice if it weren't parallel to the motorway (far too noisy), and then the towpath, which is completely unmaintained (guaranteed to get stung by huge nettles).
It's a shame because the chapel and the fountain are pleasant and interesting places.

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Date of your route : Apr 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The route along the canal is no longer pleasant, with numerous enormous poplar trees fallen across the path; you have to either go around them or climb over them, which is not always easy. !!

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Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
This hike was a wonderful discovery. However, I agree with several reviews about the monotony of the route along the canal, but that's inevitable when you're walking alongside a waterway, especially a canal.
I would like to suggest an alternative route to break up the monotony:
at Ty Ar Vengleuz, on the towpath, you can take a pretty path that goes up towards Saint Coulitz, called the Chemin des Carrières.

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Date of your route : May 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A peaceful and relaxing route, with irises in bloom at this time of year along the riverbank. Small change to point "6": start the path upstream via the dotted line as the field is fenced off with animals inside.

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Date of your route : Oct 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

long journey

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Date of your route : Mar 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful parish specific to Brittany, thank you for telling us about it. Just two additional tips:

• when you reach the Chapel of St Laurent, turn right towards the fountain and not right in front of the chapel.
• When you reach the Aulne, take the towpath and not the road that goes up towards St Coulitz.

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Date of your route : Aug 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk, although a bit noisy when crossing the dual carriageway. It's a shame that the little chapel near the spring is closed. The towpath is very pleasant and peaceful, with interesting locks to discover.
BE CAREFUL!!! Don't miss the little path on the left at the end of the walk, which is poorly signposted, otherwise you'll end up on a busy tarmac road on your way back to the starting point.

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Date of your route : May 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Easy route surrounded by nature. On the day of our hike, we were alone on this very pleasant, peaceful route. All we could hear were the sounds of nature (birds singing, etc.).

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Date of your route : Dec 23, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Thank you for this hike. Nice little spots to visit in nature. Description fairly well explained and marked on a precise map.

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Date of your route : Aug 15, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Rediscovering this route under the warm sun.
Impressed by the old trees (poplars, oaks, ash trees) that line the edge of the towpath.
To be repeated in autumn.
FLOCH

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Hello,
You received negative feedback from only one visitor, and only regarding the interest.
I've had some too, because it's always easier to criticise than to make suggestions.
Don't worry, my hiking group enjoyed this route and its diversity.
All the best on Visorando.

FLOCH

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Hello and thank you FLOCH for your kind appreciation.
Clearly, not everyone loved the route, but never mind! It's true that the hikes you post are much more interesting than this one, but it's always fun to try a new route and see the landscape in a different way... Besides, I'm glad that it can be useful to some hikers, and as I said, never mind if not everyone likes it.

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Hello,

The towpath on the opposite side of the canal is always more difficult to walk on because it is not maintained like the towpath.
A route along a canal also has its charm.

Perhaps you could suggest some less monotonous routes?

Thank you in advance for your help.

FLOCH

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Hello, it goes without saying that if you go hiking, it's because you enjoy nature, and I think that's true for all of us.
For this hike, I am left with the impression that it is monotonous, an impression that is exacerbated by the poor condition of the path along the canal.

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