From the village of Couëron to Lake Beaulieu and then to the Loire

Starting at the town hall square in Couëron, this circuit quickly leaves the village to reach Lake Beaulieu, offering some beautiful views of the town. After circling the lake and perhaps observing a few birds, it ends along the Loire, which you reach via footpaths. Here you will find Jean-Luc Courcoult's "La maison dans la Loire" (The House in the Loire) and the "Tour à Plomb" (Plumb Tower).
Suitable for all seasons, this route is particularly pleasant in the low winter light.

Details

189700
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.49 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 49 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 51 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 28 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Starting from Place de la Mairie (building behind you), turn left onto Rue Alexandre Olivier.
Continue past the roundabout, using the pavement on the right. Cross Boulevard de l'Europe, then leave Rue de la Pierre on your right and at the next roundabout, continue to follow the road on the right until you reach the railway bridge.

(1) Pass under the bridge, keeping to the right, and follow the road (D26) along the narrow path on your right. After about 300 metres, take the road on the right and follow it for about 1.5 kilometres to the lake car park.

(2) Enter the car park and follow the path opposite, slightly to the left.
At the fork, stay on the left path to reach the lake. Walk along the lake, starting on the left, and go all the way around it clockwise for about 2 km.

(3) At the end of the walk, ignore the footbridge on your right and continue along the path for a few dozen metres. Then take the path that climbs up to the left to the small car park. From here, you can enjoy a view over almost the entire lake.

(4) Take the path that starts on the right (leaving the car park on your right). Follow this path until you reach the D17 road that crosses Couëron.

(5) Take the road on the right, cross over the railway line and at the roundabout, turn right, then immediately right again. Pass under the railway line

(6) After the BMX track, take the path on the right.
Follow this path straight ahead until you reach the road at the D107 roundabout at the entrance to Couëron.

(7) Cross over and take the path on the left side of the road opposite and follow the Etier, then the Loire.

(8) Pass Jean-Luc Courcoult's house in the Loire, then the Tour à Plomb and its media library until you reach the Jérémie Huguet esplanade, with its bandstand and the old library, behind which is the small port of Couëron.

(9) At the bandstand, take Rue de Verdun, which leads back up to Place de la Mairie to complete the circuit (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 18 m - Town Hall Square
  2. 1 : km 1.38 - alt. 6 m - Railway bridge
  3. 2 : km 2.94 - alt. 6 m - Car park - Lac de Beaulieu
  4. 3 : km 5.41 - alt. 5 m - End of the tour - Lac de Beaulieu
  5. 4 : km 5.63 - alt. 18 m - Parking fork
  6. 5 : km 6.53 - alt. 14 m - D17 intersection
  7. 6 : km 7.04 - alt. 7 m - BMX track
  8. 7 : km 7.7 - alt. 5 m - D107 roundabout
  9. 8 : km 8.22 - alt. 5 m - Estacade (view of "The House in the Loire") - La Loire
  10. 9 : km 9.13 - alt. 5 m - Esplanade J. Huguet
  11. S/E : km 9.49 - alt. 18 m - Town Hall Square

Worth a visit

Beaulieu Lake
"La maison dans la Loire" by Jean-Luc Courcoult
Plumb Line

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Clydeachille
Clydeachille

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk around the lake with a bird observatory. This walk continues along the banks of the Loire. See the Plomb tower.

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Delbadibul
Delbadibul

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It's true that it's quite urban at first, but once you pass the train station, it's all nature. It's part of the nature trail created by the local council, so it's easy to follow and well signposted. Lake Beaulieu is very popular in Couëron, with lots of walkers every day, and it's interesting to visit at different times of year to watch the birds. In fact, in point 3, I suggest continuing a little further to the second observation hut, which overlooks the marsh. Then you have to turn back to resume the circuit from the car park. It's great to finish with the view of the Loire, La Tour à Plomb and La Maison dans l'Eau.

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plidenantes
plidenantes

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The first part, in town, is interesting because of the variety of houses. The rest of the route is necessary but not very interesting. The last part around Beaulieu Pond is very pleasant and surprising (there were lots of people there!). This part alone makes the hike worthwhile.

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Ornella
Ornella

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very good description. Route followed without any particular problems. Walk completed in less than 2 hours

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condroyer
condroyer

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

thank you very much

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Lambert Hélène
Lambert Hélène

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Satisfactory:

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LUCAS Cat
LUCAS Cat

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Thank you for this walk! When leaving the stream, it's a great way to still get a bit of nature. It was quite busy, but we chose to do this walk on a Sunday morning, so we came across quite a few joggers ;-) Otherwise, it's great for bird watching! Bring your binoculars! Cormorants, egrets, herons, grebes, coots... not to mention all the usual passerines.

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keri
keri

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

two years later, I revisited the area around Lake Beaulieu, this time by water. It was a beautiful landscape, frequented by families that weekend. The walk was extended by paths through the Erdurière, Moye and Carterie hedgerows.
Yes, it's not fair of me, but the rest was by car: not a pleasant trip from Couëron to the lake, with even more urbanisation... and worth seeing along the Loire from the port to the Plomb tower.

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thierrygrenot
thierrygrenot

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely, varied route (lake, forest, river) that is easy to walk.

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Phv
Phv

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

What is interesting at the moment (October 2018) is that the lake was emptied at the end of 2017 for the first time since its creation in order to inspect the drainage pipes, and cows can now be seen grazing on the meadows that have appeared on its dry bed. The lake should start to refill naturally with the rains this winter. This is therefore a unique opportunity. Furthermore, if you have a 1:25,000 IGN map and want to enhance this short hike, there are some very pretty side trails that pass through hamlets, such as the one that climbs northwest of the lake towards La Rouaudière, then turns west-southwest towards La Bazillère and returns to the lake via the path to the south. This little extra loop is clearly marked on the map in the PDF file for the hike.
All that remains is to return in spring 2019 to see the change in the landscape, assuming the water replenishment is successful, of course.

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keri
keri

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The exit from Couëron through the town towards the lake is not very pleasant; there are surely quieter streets. We mainly came for Lake Beaulieu, but unfortunately it is drained until 2019. It was just a tall meadow with no animals, not even the cows that were indicated as eco-grazing. The end of the walk along the banks of the Loire and the plumb line tower made the hike much more enjoyable.

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Alainw
Alainw

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful walk between the lake, where we spotted two grey herons, and the Loire with its charming banks.

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Alainw
Alainw

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The start of the hike is a bit noisy due to major construction work and traffic, but you quickly reach the countryside and its lakes. Today was the first beautiful, warm, sunny day, and we enjoyed it in this pretty countryside setting with its lakes. Whether it was luck or not, I don't know, but we saw two swans in different places. It was a lovely walk enjoyed by everyone.

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Lologueud
Lologueud
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant walk... however, rather than the advertised 2 hours 50 minutes, allow around 2 hours for the entire route.
Enjoy your walk!

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Corsica76
Corsica76

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I started from the Estuary car park, which always has space available.
It's easy to find the trail.

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