Route des Vertus in Berric

(S/E) Starting from the church square in Berric, take Rue de Kerfranc at the end of the building and walk along a small road that serves the recent housing developments north of the village until you reach the old Kerfranc farmhouse.

(1) Leave the road on the left and take a magnificent path lined with tree-lined embankments. The high canopy of vegetation closes in over the narrow passage until you come to another small road. Turn right and follow this road for about 500 metres.

(2) At the hamlet of Bois Roger, turn left onto a beautiful, wide path. This path climbs gently through woods and hedgerows until it reaches the houses of Lande de Bray. Turn right when you reach the first house, then right again when you come to the road that serves them.

(3) Follow this road for about 150 metres, then turn left onto the first path after an isolated farmhouse. The path goes around the property, passes just past the gable end of this house and climbs up through the moorland. When you reach the highest point, you will join the^GRP® Vannes Lanvaux, which you will then follow for several kilometres. Turn right twice to come out onto a new road.

(4) Turn right at the foot of the telephone antenna and descend towards a long livestock building on the right-hand side of the road. Turn left at the next crossroads. The small road quickly turns into a farm track, then when it branches off to the left to serve a large agricultural plot, follow the track on the right that descends to the right and at the bottom of the thalweg until you reach a wooded area. Running along the edge of the woods, the path follows a slope just above the wet bottom of the valley for about 500 metres. As the valley widens towards the confluence with the Plat d'Or stream, cut across the wetland, then turn right again to return on the opposite side. Follow the edge for about 150 m before starting to climb the slope, following a high country hedge. After a final right turn, you will come out opposite the isolated house of Coëtrin.

(5) Follow the road to the left that leads to the hamlet, go around a large agricultural plot with a long right turn, before reaching the first buildings of the village of Bray. Turn left just before entering the village and head towards the hamlet of Goh Vray. As you approach the first house in the hamlet, leave the road on the right and go down the steps to the Vertus fountain.

(6) Walk to the fountain so as not to miss this pretty country monument, then return to the foot of the steps and head right just below the road, more or less following the stream that flows from the fountain. At one point, cross the stream to reach the other side of the valley, which you climb up via a beautiful path lined with tall chestnut trees. At the highest point, you will come out onto a farm plot where the path seems to disappear. In fact, you need to follow the edge on the left of the plot. Further down, a right-hand bend takes the path across the hillside towards the first houses of the village of Les Vertus and the magnificent chapel that stands in its centre. Walk around it to admire it in its entirety and discover the beautiful architectural heritage that surrounds it.

(7) Leave the village via the road that connects it to the D7. When you reach the D7, turn right, cross the road coming from Bois Roger, then head towards the steps that have been built into the opposite embankment. These steps lead to the back of the hedge bordering the departmental road, where a path has been built, allowing you to follow it in complete safety. Turn right when you reach a path that leaves the road and heads into the countryside. Follow it for about a hundred metres before reaching an orchard. At the corner of the orchard, leave the path straight ahead and turn left to follow a hedge that leads back to an isolated house. Turn left again when you reach the property, then cross the D7 and continue straight ahead towards the Moulin du Bois. You will reach the entrance to the property about 300 metres further on, but ignore it and turn right. Follow another hedge for 200 m before turning left. Shortly afterwards, the path turns into a stairway that cuts across the slope until it reaches the bottom of the valley. On the left, you can see the colourful buildings of the Moulin du Bois property.

(8) At the bottom of the slope, follow the stream running along the bottom of the valley to the right. Shortly afterwards, the path veers away from the stream and winds its way through woods and wet meadows, gently climbing up a wide, wooded valley. After crossing the stream, the path climbs to the left before opening onto a wide path with beautiful vegetation. Turn right to reach the outskirts of the Ville-au-Vent crossroads.

(9) Turn left and follow the Noyal road up to the three-way junction that leads to the village of Poulhan.

(10) About 50 metres further on, turn right onto the pretty path that leads back to the village. Follow this path until you reach a road, which you should follow up to the next crossroads. Turn left, go down the road until you pass the last building, then turn right to pass under the sports field and come out at the Berric multi-purpose hall.

(11) Cross the field to reach Rue du Verger, where you turn right. After passing the cemetery, you will reach the new shops at the entrance to the village, then 100 metres further on, the church square where you started (S/E).

Notre-Dame-des-Vertus Chapel.

Notre-Dame-des-Vertus fountain.