Rosconnec marsh route via the Sant-Dispar Chapel

''Access:'' Leave Dineault via Rue du Cap (east), with the water tower on your left. At Croas ar Guilly (crossroads) where three roads meet, take the second left towards Ménez Guen. Continue along this small road, passing Ménez Guen on your right and then Le Restou on your left.
Turn left at the next three-way junction (cross and sign for the chapel), then turn right at the first road towards the Loguispar farm.
The chapel car park is on the right, slightly below the road, just before the entrance to the farm.

Yellow markings (fairly regular but sometimes faded).

(S/E) From the car park, look out for a statue on the left, head towards the chapel and its calvary, then make your way to the fountain 50 metres further down.
Continue along the path which descends for about a hundred metres.

(1) Turn right into the woodland and cross the small wooden footbridge over a stream. Climb the path until it joins a small road. Follow this road to the right until the next junction before the entrance to Kerampage Farm (no sign). Note the lovely view over the rolling countryside

(2) Take a sharp left-hand bend (signposted Trévoazec) and follow this small, ascending road which passes under two power lines before reaching the entrance to the hamlet of Trévoazec (no sign).

(3) Leave the road and turn left onto a wooded sunken track, heading downhill towards the hamlet of Concily. When you reach a wider track, turn left towards the hamlet.

(4) Leave the road ahead, turn right between a house on the left and a shed on the right, and follow the farm track.

(5) At the crossroads, turn left and carry on straight ahead to the hamlet of Cosquinquis.

(6) First turn right then left to go round the hamlet and continue due north along an uphill path through the woodland towards the large hamlet of Rosconnec. On the opposite bank, you can see the bell tower of the Chapel of Saint-Sébastien in Saint-Ségal (the subject of another walk ). At the junction with a small road, follow it to the right towards Rosconnec. There is a viewpoint overlooking the meandering Aulne to the west.

(7) Go round the hamlet on the right and, at the bend in the road, follow the farm track opposite, which then turns left. Begin a long descent along a grassy farm track between fields and woodland. This track overlooks the river, which is hidden by the trees, and you can hear the hum of traffic on the Quimper–Brest expressway.

Go through the barrier near the information sign to get a view of the marsh, a landscape that changes with the tide.
At the headland near the expressway bridge, you can see where the La Douffine meets the Aulne, which flows into the sea at Brest harbour. We are now in the Rosconnec Marshes protected area. Retrace your steps and continue to the right, skirting the headland along the edge of the meadow and then along a wooded farm track to reach the hamlet of Kermoguen, which you go round on the right.

(8) On leaving the hamlet, take the small road that climbs to the right. Another viewpoint overlooking the river’s meanders. Pass under two power lines before and after Kervellec Farm (watch out for the dogs – they’re a bit snappy; one was off the lead when we passed through in July 2018). At the next three-way junction, take the hairpin bend under the power line and follow this road for about 200 metres towards Rozarnou (no sign).

No signposting.

(9) Ignore the signpost inviting you to enter the woods (we’ll come back to it later) and continue down the small road leading to the old Rozarnou Mill, now a lovely estate with its own pond and woodland. Carry on a little further to reach the banks of the Aulne, which is well worth a stop for its peace and quiet.

(10) Turn back to head uphill and rejoin the fork in the woods.

The yellow markings are clearly visible.

(9) Turn right into the Bois de Rozarnou, a private woodland where access is permitted (sign). Cross a footbridge and continue steadily uphill beneath the fir trees. The path runs alongside the stream that used to feed the old Rozarnou Mill. Cross a slightly damp section over some rather wobbly logs and, on your right, you’ll come to the footbridge you crossed on the way out.

(1) Turn right and follow the route you took on the way out to return to the chapel and the car park (S/E).

Please wear walking shoes.
Some sections may be muddy in winter.

Saint-Exuper Chapel
Sant-Dispar is associated with Saint Exuper of Toulouse, a 5th-century bishop who protected his people from barbarian invasions; the name means ‘without equal, the best’ in Breton.

The Douffine (or Doufine1) is a river in Finistère, a tributary of the Aulne downstream from Châteaulin, on the border between Saint-Ségal and Pont-de-Buis (whose powder magazine it flows through); the confluence is known locally as ‘la pointe du couple’. It rises at Brasparts, on the south-western side of Roc’h Cléguer.

The Rosconnec Marsh: Bretagne Vivante manages the 57 hectares of the Rosconnec coastal marsh nature reserve. The volunteers who look after it actively manage and maintain the site.
Between 2004 and 2009, these wetlands were purchased to help protect the aquatic reed warbler
These consist of three different habitats: meadows and ponds where animals can forage, and reed beds which serve as their refuge and roosting place.
To prevent the reeds from taking over the entire area, the meadows are naturally maintained by a herd of eight Nantes cows.

There are several vantage points offering views of the rolling countryside and the meandering Aulne.
At (10), on the banks of the Aulne, you can see a few sailing boats passing by.