Sainte-Marie circuit and its tumulus

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Circuit along the beaches and villas of Pornic, ending at the castle. Return via the Tumulus des Mousseux, then along the golf course. After passing through the town centre, a long grassy path takes us back to the Porteau Beach road.

Details

n°361706
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.44 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 65 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 63 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 39 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m
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Photos

Tumulus
L'Anse aux Lapins
La Noëveillard Beach
Passage by the beach

Description of the walk

Departure: Porteau Beach car park.

markings:GR®38white and red +PR® yellow

(S/E) Facing the beach, take the coastal path on the left and follow it eastwards. Walk along the seafront and pass several fisheries.

(1) Reach Plage des Sablons and continue south-east.

(2) At Montbeau Beach, villas block the coastal path, so turn left to reach Boulevard de L'Océan and follow it to the right (circuit route and markings). Continue along this boulevard, admiring the beautiful villas on both sides.
N.B. At low tide, it is possible but difficult to walk across the various beaches and rocky outcrops.

(3) Reach the seafront at Plage de la Noëveillard, the largest beach in Pornic, where the lighthouse is located. Continue along the marina on your right. Continue along Anse aux Lapins to reach the castle esplanade.

YellowPR® markings

(4) Facing the castle on your right, at the sign for "circuit Sainte-Marie", leave theGR®8, cross the avenue and take the one-way street opposite called Chemin des Mousseaux. Follow this uphill street, which borders a public garden on the left. At the first bend, look for the Jardin du Retz coat of arms and its Latin motto. Continue up the street, walking along the wall of the "Calypso" estate on your right.

(5) You will arrive at the tumulus, which is listed as a historic monument (information panel). At the Y-junction, continue straight ahead and then turn right.

(6) Follow the long, shaded avenue that runs alongside the golf course. It leads to Rue Notre-Dame at the École Saint-Joseph. Pass the town hall annex and turn left towards the centre of the village.

(7) Go around the church on the left and go up Rue du Maréchal Leclerc, continuing along Rue Victor Hugo. At the next crossroads, take Chemin de Bel Air, slightly to the left, which is a one-way street.

(8) It runs alongside the sports fields and continues along a long grassy lane for about 1 km. Follow it to the end.

(9) Turn left onto Route de la Maison Vigneux, then left onto the road that leads to the beach. On the last part of the descent, take the pavement on the right-hand side and you will arrive at the beach car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 6 m - Porteau Beach car park
  2. 1 : km 0.88 - alt. 18 m - Plage des Sablons
  3. 2 : km 1.64 - alt. 9 m - Montbeau Beach
  4. 3 : km 2.47 - alt. 13 m - Noëveillard Beach
  5. 4 : km 3.94 - alt. 10 m - Chemin des Mousseaux
  6. 5 : km 4.68 - alt. 39 m - Tumulus
  7. 6 : km 5.03 - alt. 36 m - Path along the golf course
  8. 7 : km 6.17 - alt. 19 m - Church of Sainte-Marie
  9. 8 : km 6.7 - alt. 35 m - Bel Air Trail
  10. 9 : km 7.69 - alt. 27 m - Route de la Maison Vigneux
  11. S/E : km 8.44 - alt. 6 m - Porteau Beach car park

Notes

Route accessible with trainers.
Toilets at the starting point car park, at Plage des Sablons beach and on the castle esplanade.
Swimming depending on the season.

Worth a visit

 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.

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Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 19 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 24746246

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Parking problem when leaving the castle car park as the blue zone is limited to 1½ hours.

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Olmes
Olmes

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We enjoyed this route, but we did it backwards because of our starting point

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Rurustl
Rurustl

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, peaceful family hike.
Discover peaceful spots around the town of Pornic and the burial mound.
Return along the coast, very pleasant.
A bit crowded when arriving in Pornic on the way back.

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gilou40
gilou40

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Do this at low tide to get as close to the water as possible, although at low tide the view of the harbour isn't the best... I think the castle area is prettier at high tide.
The return journey involves a lot of tarmac... except for the section near the golf course.

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vivierois
vivierois

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

we started at point 4 (being in Pornic) and found it straight away. We ended up along the coast but not by the sea because the tide was high (a shame). A very pleasant route from 9am onwards (given the heat)

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VIANNAIS
VIANNAIS

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

part 1 of the magnificent route along the coastline with superb beaches.
the second part involves more road travel and is less attractive.

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petitsmollets27
petitsmollets27

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

great hike!

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rtaji
rtaji

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Hello,
A very pleasant walk between the sea and nature.
Be sure to follow the YELLOW markings and don't hesitate to ask for directions.
Enjoy your walk!

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motoveve
motoveve

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route is very good, well marked, the coastline at Pornic is very pleasant, and along the inland section you can see some superb residences. The only downside is the 1 km grassy path, which tends to be quite wet in winter, so use the app to take an alternative route.

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Phv
Phv

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Walking along the coastal path at the beginning of the "lockdown easing", we noticed that many people were confusing the easing of lockdown with the disappearance of the coronavirus, with beaches looking very "static".
With good weather and low tide, it is possible to leave the path to walk along the beach and dip your feet in the water at any time. It is much quieter inland and the shaded path along the golf course is very pleasant when it is hot. The Tumulus is definitely worth a visit and there are lots of pretty villas along the route.Oh yes, there is currently some building work going on, which means you have to take a detour when you reach the castle, but it's easy and you still get the view of the estuary. All in all, it's a lovely walk, which makes you want to do the one that starts on the other side of the estuary, which is a little longer, with more fisheries and a variety of megaliths.

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nature85270
nature85270

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

Walk along the coastal path. Easy parking at the starting point. Path near the muddy golf course.

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Gildas MAHEO
Gildas MAHEO

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An interesting route. We discovered parts of Pornic we didn't know. We had to take a detour by road, as the last path was impassable. After five months of rain... It's worth taking a few detours down the dead-end roads, as the houses (mansions!) are superb.

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ma7jo6be
ma7jo6be

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing

I didn't like this hike. I thought I would be taking a coastal path for half of the route, but that wasn't the case! A large part of it is on a road undergoing construction work. In addition, most of the route is on tarmac roads, close to heavy traffic, and the section of actual path at the end of the route was impassable because it was completely flooded. we had to climb over a hedge and cross a cultivated field (which is not recommended) to get out of there! I don't understand why, as we haven't had any heavy rain recently! Fortunately, we met some friends with whom we did this route and had a good time together, but I won't be suggesting it to our hiking group.

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jenny493
jenny493

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

please note that some areas are inaccessible in wet weather. We had to turn back at one point because it was so flooded. Otherwise, it was a beautiful route, true to the description. Thank you!

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FabJac
FabJac

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Even though I didn't complete the entire hike, I'm glad that the hike was listed on Visorando. What's more, it was very well described and the map was very accurate.
Thank you very much

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