From the beach to the stone rows in Carnac

The start of this walk is on Boulevard de la Plage, near the Hôtel Diana.

(S/E) From the car park, head down to the beach towards Port en Dro.

(1) Take Boulevard Nautique and then walk along Légenès Beach. As soon as possible, head down to Ty Bihan Beach. Take a flight of steps to reach Pointe Saint-Colomban.

(2) Turn north into a rocky passage before returning to the sand of Saint Colomban Beach. Return to the coastal path after a short slope.

(3) Turn right towards Chemin de Kerivor, then turn right onto the road coming from Pointe du Gourec. After about a hundred metres, leave the path leading to Saint-Colomban on your right. Take the small road running alongside Anse du Pô until you reach another junction.

(4) After two picnic tables, head towards a small car park on the left and follow the path to reach the small road to Mané er Groez. Continue to the junction with Rue du Pô. Turn left onto this street until the next road on the right, 20 metres further on.

(5) Leave Rue du Pô and take Chemin de Kergouillard to the roundabout where it crosses Rue Saint-Cornély.

(6) Go through the roundabout and head north-east along Chemin du Ménec. Turn left at the first junction towards the hamlet of Ménec. Look for a small car park near the Pressoir crêperie.

(7) At the far end of the car park, on the right, take the wooden boardwalk that runs alongside the Ménec alignments. You’ll come out onto a small road. Turn left for a few metres to rejoin the route on the right (Yellow Sign Route No. 2). After passing through some woodland, head back towards the menhirs. At the end of the path, turn left to head back towards the road of the stone alignments (D119). Cross it at the junction with the Route de Kerlescan.

(8) Follow this road, making use of the path on the left-hand side. You will reach the car park for the Kermario stone alignments.

(9) After the car park, rejoin the menhirs route. At the end of the path, turn right towards the Route de Kerlescan. Shortly after the Auberge chez Céline, take the path into the meadow.

(10) Walk past the menhirs and head back to the Old Kermaux Mill, which offers a magnificent view. Continue on to a pond. Turn left to go round it. Join the Chemin de Kermario. Continue along this forest path to a Y-junction. Turn right to reach the site known as the ‘quadrilatère’ (a rectangular alignment of small menhirs). It is an easy walk to the Géant du Manio, which stands majestically nearby.

(11) Return to the Quadrilatère and continue to a T-junction. Turn right, walk alongside the “Les Menhirs” equestrian centre until you cross a road (D196). Cross it and follow the sign for “Tumulus de Kercado”. Follow this path to the entrance of Kercado Castle. Cross the road leading to the castle and, a few metres further on, you will reach the entrance to the Tumulus de Kercado.

(12) On the left, then at the end of the car park, return to the Tumulus de Kercado.

(13) From the menhir atop the tumulus, facing north-west, head back down towards Chemin de Kerrous, heading south-east, passing the pretty Kerrous farm on the left, then a dovecote on the right. About fifty metres further on, look out for the start of a path on the right.

(14) Turn right and follow this path, lined with fields, which becomes a small tarmac road. Walk past the Carnac waste collection centre. At the junction, take the path running parallel to the road (Chemin de Montauban) and you will reach a roundabout.

(15) Cross the roundabout on the right, leaving Rue de l’Oppidum on your right and taking the path towards Cloucarnac. Follow it to the houses of the hamlet of Cloucarnac. Ignore the first street on the left and continue along Rue de Cloucarnac, which curves to the left. Keep an eye out for a small lane on the left. Take it and, after a short climb, the road becomes a track. Continue to the foot of the Tumulus Saint-Michel. Go round it and start the climb up a gravel path.

(16) Enjoy the view of Carnac and the orientation table at the western end of the tumulus. Descend via the path towards the hotel of the same name. Head towards the centre of Carnac via Chemin de la Balade Fleurie and then Rue du Tumulus. Pass the market square after a roundabout. Make your way to the clearly visible Saint-Cornély Church.

(17) Heading south, take Rue de la Poste then Avenue de la Poste to the Casino roundabout.

(18) At the roundabout, ignore Avenue de l’Atlantique and take Avenue des Druides. At a bend, turn right onto Avenue Milin to join Boulevard de la Plage. Continue to the car park (S/E).

• Good walking shoes. A few rocky sections after Pointe Saint-Colomban. (2)

• The seafront car park (like most car parks in Carnac) is subject to a charge from 15 June to 15 September. The rest of the year it is free.

Hike completed by the author on 26 February 2022.

• Carnac and its beaches.
• Port en Dro. (1).
• Pointe Saint-Colomban (2).
• L'Anse du Pô (oyster beds) (3) View of the nearby Quiberon Peninsula.
• The Ménec stone alignments from (7) to (8).
• The Kermario alignments from (9) to (10).
• The Old Kermaux Mill, which now serves as a viewpoint.
• The Quadrilatère du Manio (11).
• The Giant of Manio (11).
• Kercado Castle and Tumulus, from (12) to (13).
• The Saint-Michel Tumulus (16).
• Saint-Michel Chapel (16).
• Saint-Cornély Church (17).