From La Baule to Le Croisic, returning through the salt marshes

The route starts at Place de la Victoire in La Baule.

Helmets and high-visibility vests are compulsory!

(S/E) Cycle westwards along Avenue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny for about 700 metres.

(1) Turn left towards the south onto Avenue de la Concorde to reach the seafront. At the roundabout, turn left towards the west and cycle as far as the Casino, a distinctive building on your right.
Go round the Casino, heading north (Avenue Marie Louise), and turn left at the first junction onto Avenue Heurteau. Continue straight on for about 800 m.

(2) Turn right onto Avenue de la Clairière, then, three streets further on, turn left heading west onto Avenue de Lattre de Tassigny.

(3) At the next roundabout, turn right onto Boulevard Guy de Champsavin and cross the bridge over the new port of Le Pouliguen.

(4) At the Libération roundabout, turn left onto Rue de la Crique to return to Le Pouliguen harbour.
Follow the harbour quays southwards (caution: shared-use areas where pedestrians have priority) until you reach the beach roundabout.

(5) At the roundabout, turn right heading due south onto Rue du Maréchal Foch, towards La Grande Côte. Pass the park on your right and follow the streets, which generally run southwards, still heading towards La Grande Côte.

(6) At Pointe de Penchâteau, follow the cycle path along Boulevard du Labego (Route de la Grande Côte) until you reach the main road, Boulevard de l’Atlantique, 3.5 km further on.

(7) Turn left towards the west onto Route de la Govelle (D45), heading towards “Batz-sur-Mer” and “Le Croisic”; follow the signs for “Le Croisic”.

(8) At the roundabout marking the entrance to Batz-sur-Mer, turn left towards “Le Croisic”. There is a series of cycle lanes, followed by a fairly short cycle path.

(9) Look out for the junction at Rue de la Plage, where signs point towards “Centre ville”, “Place de l’Église” and “Office du Tourisme”, and continue straight ahead.

(10) At the roundabout marking the edge of Batz-sur-Mer, cycle on the left-hand side of the road along the designated but sandy “Vélocéan” cycle path. The D245 is a fast road; do not take it.

(11) At this roundabout, turn left towards the west and carry on, following signs for “La Côte Sauvage”, “Océarium” and Avenue Henri Becquerel. This avenue changes its name several times; as you follow the coast, you’ll pass the Pointe du Croisic before reaching Le Croisic in the west. Go round Mont Lénigo on the left, ignore the turn-off towards the Croisic fish market, then at the roundabout, carry straight on and follow the harbour.

(12) At the roundabout, carry straight on, ignore the bridge on the left and head for the old building that used to house the fish market.

(13) Walk round the building, then return to the previous roundabout.

(12) Once back, turn left and cross Place Donatien Lèpre. At the end of the square, turn left onto Rue de l’Église heading east, then take Rue Saint Yves opposite and follow it to the end.

(14) First turn right then left onto Rue du Traict, then veer right and follow the D245 – the main road out of Le Croisic – with care.

(11) Back at the roundabout, take the “Vélocéan” cycle path again, heading in the opposite direction to your outward journey.

(10) At the roundabout, continue to the right towards “Batz-sur-Mer via the coast”. Ride for about 1.3 km, passing the Batz-sur-Mer cemetery on your left, then the tennis courts. Just after these landmarks, you’ll come to the junction with Rue de la Plage, which you passed on the way there.

(9) Turn left onto this street, towards “Centre ville”, “Musée des Marais Salants” and “Place de l’Église”.
Head north along Rue de la Plage until you reach the main road, the D245 (heavy traffic coming from the left).

(15) Turn right, continue for about 80 metres, then turn left onto Rue du Grand Chemin. Cross the second carriageway of the D245 (heavy traffic on the right) and continue straight ahead along Rue de Kerbouchard until you reach a ‘No Entry’ sign just after the Musée des Marais Salants.

(16) Turn left onto Rue du Traict, which faces north and is a one-way street.

(17) Pass under the railway bridge (height restriction 2 metres – watch your head!) and turn right towards the east onto Route de Berigo, then follow the Prad Velon Industrial Estate until you reach the next junction.

(18) Turn left towards the north, take Route des Marais and cross the salt marshes. Take care on this busy road used by locals; traffic can be a bit fast at times.

(19) At the stop sign at the junction with the D92 (Route de la Turballe), carry on straight ahead along this road, heading east towards “La Baule”.

(20) At the roundabout on the Route de Guérande, continue straight ahead to pass through the village of Saillé. A one-way system in Saillé means you’ll have to take a short circular detour via the south.

(21) Turn right towards the east, heading for the Maison des Paludiers. Pass through Mouzac and ignore the signs for Guérande.

(22) Once past Mouzac, at the next roundabout, carry straight on towards Careil (towards Careil Castle). Further up, you’ll see Careil Castle on your left and, barely 200 metres after that, the road passes through a small dip that brings it level with the cycle path.

(23) At the corner of the woodland on your left, you’ll come across a cycle path. Turn right onto it and cycle south along this lovely path to La Baule. At the end of the path, turn right and head for the roundabout.

(24) Continue left towards the south, cross the road bridge over the railway line and return to Place de la Victoire (S/E).

You can, of course, start from any point on the route depending on where you’re staying.
An e-bike really comes into its own on this flat but sometimes windy ride.

An e-bike makes this ride very enjoyable; the wind is constant along the coast and can blow across the salt marshes, making this route challenging.
We used up the battery completely on the highest assistance settings. The most experienced cyclists still had half a battery left.

Much of the route is on cycle paths or cycle lanes, offering good protection for cyclists.
A high-visibility vest is compulsory outside built-up areas, and wearing a helmet is strongly recommended for safety.

Car traffic in the salt marshes can be quite heavy at times.
During the summer season, the route is very busy.

Visit Le Croisic and then its Océarium (allow 3 hours).
Later, visit Guérande, La Turballe and the Brière Regional Park...
These are the must-see attractions in this beautiful region.

Visit the large blockhouse, between (8) and (10), before reaching the hamlet known as “La Dilane”.

Batz-sur-Mer: the Salt Marshes Museum and the Batz-sur-Mer bell tower, which is open to visitors. From the top, you’ll have a panoramic view of the salt marshes stretching all the way to Guérande (at least!)

And plenty more to discover in this region, which is a real tourist gem.

Definition: The Traict is a mixture of sand and water. This wetland allows salt water to penetrate deep into the land and, in particular, to feed the Guérande salt marshes. At low tide, it empties almost completely, leaving only two navigable channels. (source unknown)