Pas d'Héric lock circuit

Set off to explore the Stream-Brest Canal, its "Rigole Alimentaire" and the surrounding countryside.

Details

20540
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.02 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 28 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 28 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 45 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 17 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park near the canal at Cramezeul.
The route you will be taking is marked in yellow in both directions.

(S/E) From the car park, join the towpath on the right, heading towards the Pas d'Héric lock, and continue straight ahead for about 800 metres.

(1) Just before the bridge over the canal in front of you, turn right and follow the canal until you reach the next bridge.
(2) When you reach the bridge, cross it and turn right immediately. At the next intersection, turn left and follow the path in front of you.

(3) At the end of the road, turn left onto the road, then take the second right onto another road. Continue straight ahead for just over a kilometre. You will cross a gravel road and then a paved road.

(4) Before reaching a new road at the end of this path, turn right onto the small sunken path and head towards the village of Le Hardas.

(5) At the end of the road, turn left and continue straight ahead for about 300 metres. Then take the sunken lane on your right and continue straight ahead. You will then rejoin the "Rigole Alimentaire".

(6) At the culvert, turn right and follow it for about 400 metres. You will then cross a road.

(7) When you reach the next road, join the stream opposite by taking the path on the left and continue straight ahead.

(8) At the next road, continue along the ditch in front of you. When you reach the next bridge, go up the road on the left.

(9) Once on the road, go straight ahead and return to the car park at the starting point, turning right before the bridge that crosses the canal (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 17 m - Cramezeul car park. - Canal de Nantes à Brest
  2. 1 : km 1.17 - alt. 21 m - Leave the canal
  3. 2 : km 1.71 - alt. 21 m - Bridge
  4. 3 : km 2.07 - alt. 32 m - Le Pâtis Marion
  5. 4 : km 4.02 - alt. 40 m - Intersection
  6. 5 : km 4.26 - alt. 32 m - Le Hardas
  7. 6 : km 5.3 - alt. 21 m - Food channel
  8. 7 : km 5.74 - alt. 22 m - Continue along the canal
  9. 8 : km 7.26 - alt. 22 m - Continue along the canal
  10. 9 : km 7.76 - alt. 24 m - Bridge
  11. S/E : km 8.02 - alt. 17 m - Cramezeul car park - Canal de Nantes à Brest

Notes

Public parking at the start. The La Cueilleuse lock keeper's house in Cramezeul offers a terrace and light refreshments

Worth a visit

As you walk along the towpath, you will pass the Pas d'Héric lock and then take the Rigole d'alimentation.
This is where the channel, also known as "Le Petit Canal", flows into the Nantes-Brest Canal to maintain a constant water level for navigation in all seasons.
The section of the canal between Pas d'Héric and Bout de Bois is the highest watercourse of the canal. The channel that flows into it supplies water to the other watercourses of the canal, which descend towards the Erdre valley on one side and the Vilaine valley on the other.

Discover two other locks near the starting point: La Haie-Pacoret and La Rabinière.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
LECOURTJ
LECOURTJ

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A relatively short but very pleasant route, shaded and green throughout. Problem: the path along the ditch after the start has been churned up by "motor sports" , motorcycles and other two-wheeled vehicles with large tyres have turned it into a motocross track. It becomes impassable after rain, and there is a significant risk of slipping into the ditch. But once you turn off onto the other paths on the circuit, it's the tractors that make the path unpredictable: large puddles with bindweed often block the way. Fortunately, having read the previous reviews, we had brought boots. Conclusion: best done in dry weather, as the landscape is really beautiful.

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ERDRE CANAL FORET
ERDRE CANAL FORET

@kaolak Thank you for your review and we are delighted that you enjoyed the walk!
Please feel free to drop by the tourist office for more itinerary suggestions

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kaolak
kaolak

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike

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vero44130
vero44130

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk, but best done in summer, I think.
The sunken path is very muddy, even impassable in places.
A few bikes but not many people.

Must be very pleasant in warm weather as it is shaded

Worth doing again

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Bienvenida
Bienvenida

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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DLY5410
DLY5410

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

.

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ERDRE CANAL FORET
ERDRE CANAL FORET

Thank you for your review. Indeed, the Cramezeul lock is a pleasant place to stop and is a wonderful project that was created to bring life to our lock houses

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yed
yed

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy and pleasant route between the canal, a watercourse and sunken paths. Just follow the yellow markings.
Only the section along the canal is busy (and even then, it's very quiet for a Sunday afternoon in July)
We added 2 x 500 m at the end of the route for a very pleasant break at La Cueilleuse at the Cramezeul lock, which serves drinks (including craft beers brewed in Héric) and light refreshments.
https://www.facebook.com/lacueilleuse.ec...

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ND RANDO
ND RANDO

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

well-marked, pleasant and easy route.

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chaP
chaP

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

we went for a walk on a Sunday afternoon. We didn't see many people! Peace and quiet, nature and beautiful open spaces! A very pleasant walk with our three dogs. There were a few sections on roads, but they were quiet.
perfect description of the walk, very well signposted.

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Crandonnée
Crandonnée

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route along small forest paths, through undergrowth and alongside a small canal.
There is a short stretch of paved road (about 200 m), but it's fine.

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Dorothea Lépinay
Dorothea Lépinay

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It's a very pleasant and varied walk. You walk along the canal and through the countryside, in the sun and shade.

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elliottthau
elliottthau

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, well-marked trail along the Stream-Brest canal or the food canal in its final phase.
Beautiful countryside and well-shaded path.

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BEGUE33
BEGUE33

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant route with shaded areas along most of the walk. Completed in 1 hour 30 minutes instead of 2 hours 20 minutes

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bello44
bello44

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Some paths are impassable in winter (when it has rained heavily). There are places where we had to walk through fields (there were holes filled with water and it was impossible to cross without boots!)
otherwise, this walk is easy, pleasant, and there is little tarmac.
Best done in summer

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