From the Chapel of Guénily along the banks of the Aulne and through the countryside

Access: At the Pouillot junction on the N165 (Quimper-Brest expressway), head towards Pleyben via the N164. Take the exit for Pont-Coblant C10; at the stop sign, turn left (signposted Pleyben). Cross the N164 and at the roundabout, turn left to reach the chapel. Parking is available on grassy areas near the chapel.

(S/E) Enter the fenced area of land, which allows you to walk around the chapel, then return along the approach road (heading east) until you reach a gas installation (signpost 222).

(1) Turn right onto a country lane and go through the tunnel under the N164. At the exit, turn left onto a small road.

(2) Follow this road; on the right-hand side, as it descends, leave Verouri on your left and arrive opposite the entrance porch of Maner Coz (Old Manor). Continue along the road that goes round this former Tréziguidy Manor (old walls) and go straight down.

Yellow markings

(3) At the ‘dead end’ sign, turn left and head towards the banks of the channelled Aulne (picnic table with shelter). Note, on the right, a memorial stone commemorating the shipwreck that occurred here in 1693 (web link in the ‘Places to see’ section).

(4) Turn left and follow the towpath for about 2.5 km. Note, on the opposite bank, the invasion of the riverbanks by Himalayan balsam.

Off the marked route

(5) At a small stone bridge, continue straight ahead despite the Yellow Cross, pass the Koad Pont lock and, shortly afterwards, look out for a yellow-marked path on the left.

Yellow markings

(6) Turn onto this path to leave the canal, then turn left again at the first junction. Follow this path, which can be a bit muddy in winter, until you reach another junction. Ignore the path marked ‘Pont Coblant route’ to the right and continue straight ahead (sign for the Maner Koz link). Continue straight on until you reach a small footbridge over a stream. On the left, there is a good spot for a break (information board about the locks and picnic tables).

(7) Look out for the “Route de Maner Koz” sign and follow the yellow markings. Start a steep climb up the small road; at the top, turn right and follow the path downhill.
Despite the Yellow Cross, turn left near a ruined house, then right to rejoin the small road for about ten metres.

(8) At the signpost, turn left onto a grassy path that runs alongside a poplar grove on your left. Note, on the right, an old mill currently being renovated (2017). Its metal wheel has been restored by students from the LEP in Pleyben. Follow this wide, shaded path uphill and, at the road near a group of houses (Pennavern-Tréziguidy on the map), turn left. Follow this steep, narrow road which leads to a plateau before the N164 (vast panorama of the Montagnes Noires).
Cross the bridge over the N164 and continue straight on.

Off the marked trail

(9) Let the signposted route head off to the right and continue climbing straight ahead (on the right, a view of the beautiful bell tower of Pleyben). Pass the ruined farmhouse at Kergogant and, at the T-junction, turn left.

Yellow markings

(10) At the signpost for the “Route de Maner Koz”, slightly hidden in the vegetation on the left, follow a wide, grassy, well-shaded path straight ahead, which descends towards a small stream. Head back up towards the hamlet of Kerioret (beautifully renovated) and follow the path, which is now gravel-surfaced. Pass under a power line and reach a main road.

(11) Turn left and follow this road downhill to the Croaz Ru roundabout.

No signposting

(12) Turn right (sign for Chapelle de Guénily, obscured by vegetation on the right) and continue due west.

(1) Pass the gas installation and reach the hamlet of Guénily and its chapel (S/E).

A route alternating between quiet country lanes, stony or grassy rural paths and a 2.5 km stretch along the towpath of the Nantes-Brest Canal.
Plenty of picnic tables.
Suitable for mountain bikes.

Chapel of Guénily or Guern-Ilis-Penity: dedicated to Our Lady of Good Help; according to tradition, it was built following a vow made by the Lord of Trésiguidy during his captivity in the Crusades. The date, 1689, inscribed on the gable of the apse, attests to its reconstruction at that time. Sold as national property on 25 Thermidor Year IV, it was bought back by a group of residents on 28 April 1804 and donated by them to the local council.

Stele commemorating the shipwreck of 1693

Maner Koz: This former manor house in Tréziguidy overlooks a circular bend in the River Aulne from a 70-metre cliff in an exceptional setting commanding the river, which was of great importance at a time when waterways were the primary routes for penetrating inland, such as during the Viking invasions. This former stronghold was inhabited from the 11th century at the latest, and perhaps as early as the 9th century, by the powerful feudal family of Trésiguidy.
Several members of this illustrious family took part in the Crusades. A vow made whilst in captivity is said to be the origin of the chapel at Guénily, where a stained-glass window depicts this event.
Dismantled in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Trésiguidy manor house is now nothing more than a simple farmhouse known as Manez Coz, which nevertheless retains many elements of its former splendour.

Panoramic views of the Montagnes Noires, Brittany’s second-oldest mountain range.