Towpath and undergrowth along the Pont-l'Abbé River

Start at Quai Saint-Laurent, on the right bank of the Rivière de Pont-l’Abbé, near the Church of Notre-Dame des Carmes.

^GR®® markings (white and red)

(S/E) With your back to the Pont Habité, walk past the Church of Notre-Dame des Carmes (note on the right the Monument aux Bigoudens, the curious bell tower of the Church of Notre-Dame des Carmes shaped like Darth Vader’s helmet, and the decapitated bell tower of Lambour Church on the opposite bank) and reach the towpath.
Continue along the Rivière de Pont l’Abbé (withbeautiful mansions and old mills on the opposite bank), cross three small creeks via dykes and head onto an old jetty (offering lovely views of the river and Île Tudy, whose bell tower can be seen in the distance).

(1) Retrace your steps and turn left, just before the ruins of a house (the Maison Blanche, which once housed the coastguard who monitored the oyster beds in the estuary) to rejoin the GR®^®. Continue along the^GR®® beside the Pont-L’Abbé River (note the Penglaouic water-submerged menhir on the left), cross a stream via a footbridge and reach a small road.

No signposting

(2) Turn right onto a path through the woodland, ignore a path on the right and reach a junction of paths.

^PR®® signposting (yellow)

Turn left to join the^PR®® ‘Le Chemin de Halage’. Follow it to reach a car park, then a small road near the Rosquerno equestrian centre.

(3) Cross the road and continue along the^PR®® which runs alongside the riding centre on the right. Ignore a path on the right to reach a T-junction with another PR®^®.
Turn right to follow the^PR®® ‘Le Chemin de Halage’, ignore the paths on the right, cross a wetland area via a footbridge and reach a junction of paths.

Unmarked

(4) Leave the^PR®® by continuing straight ahead, slightly to the left. Carry on along a wide lane, keeping an imposing boundary wall on your right; ignore a lane on the left to reach the Manoir de Trévannec and a beautiful complex of historic buildings. Walk past the manor house (note a fountain and a dovecote on the right) and emerge onto a road near the first houses of Pont-l’Abbé.

(5) Follow this road, ignore a road on the right, then turn left into the cul-de-sac known as Chemin du Guerdy. Continue along this small road, which turns into a footpath. Pass the Collège Saint-Gabriel on your left, walk past a playground to reach Rue du Penquer.

(6) Turn left, pass a nursery school, turn right and reach Avenue de Kerarthur. Cross it, then turn left onto a footpath behind the open-air theatre to reach Rue Jules Ferry.
Follow it to the left, turn right onto Place des Carmes, then turn right twice to return to the starting point (S/E).

Between (2) and (5), the paths can be very muddy and may even be barely passable in winter or after heavy rain. High-top walking boots are strongly recommended.
The towpath can be busy in the summer months. It is considerably quieter along the rest of the route.
Market at Place de la République every Thursday morning in Pont-l’Abbé. It is the largest in the Pays Bigouden.
There are numerous information boards along the towpath.
Alternative starting point at the Rosquerno equestrian centre.
Picnic tables and toilets at the start point near the Church of Notre-Dame des Carmes.

The churches of Notre-Dame des Carmes and Saint-Jacques de Lambour. They are usually open and well worth a visit.
The Château des Barons du Pont, which houses Pont-l’Abbé Town Hall and the Bigouden Museum.
Inhabited bridge.
Monument to the Bigoudens.
Trévannec Manor (private).
The ‘wet’ menhir at Penglaouic.
Beautiful views over the Pont-l’Abbé River and its small islands.
Old Rosquerno jetty.