From Plougonven to the two menhirs via the Bois de Gaspern

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A gateway into Finistère via the Monts d’Arrée: the small medieval town of Plougonven, with its parish enclosure, lies close to the Gaspern forest. At the southern end of this route, two menhirs stand alone in a field.

Details

n°251666
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.48 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 732 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 735 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 945 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 404 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Plougonven (29640)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.520963° / W 3.71225°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0616OT
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Description of the walk

The route starts at the car park by the Post Office and Town Hall.

(S/E) With your back to the post office, head left and, at the first junction, turn left. Continue along this road until you reach the D9. Cross it and continue straight ahead.

(1) Take the path on the right and follow it. Cross the Route de L'Isle and continue straight ahead.

(2) Take the path on the left. At the houses, continue straight ahead and follow the same path, leaving the turn-off to Kerbriant on your left.

(3) Turn left onto a straight path and, at the road, turn right. Continue straight ahead at the crossroads. Pass the hamlet of Cosquer on your right and continue straight ahead.

(4) Take the path on the left, then turn right at the end of it.

(5) Turn left and continue straight on (the path climbs quite steeply for 800 m).

(6) When you reach the road, continue straight ahead. Walk past the hamlet of Kerglaz and, at the end, continue to the left. At the junction, turn right and you will immediately come to a crossroads: continue straight ahead (south).

(7) Pass near the source of the Jarlot, continue towards the two menhirs.

(8) The first is close to the road, the second is in the meadow just over 50 metres away. Take the D111 southwards. At the first junction, take the path on the left. Continue along the path to the water source.

(9) Turn left, then, on the road, turn right towards Le Quilliou, which you cross.

(10) Take the path on the left.

(11) Continue along the path on the right. When you reach the road, turn left.

(12) Leave the road and take the path on the right. Continue along this path when it takes a sharp left-hand bend towards Gaspern Braz.

(13) Turn left. At the three-way junction (elevation 197), follow the road to the right.

(14) Turn right, then turn left to cross Kerhervé. At a sharp left-hand bend, as the path approaches a bridge, ignore the path branching off to the right which leads to the Manoir de Mézedern (private property, off-limits to walkers), and continue to the left to rejoin the road.

(15) Follow it to the right and reach the junction with the D9.

(16) Cross with care and continue straight on to the car park by the Post Office and the Town Hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 568 ft - Car park in front of the town hall
  2. 1 : mi 0.48 - alt. 466 ft - Garz ar Bélec
  3. 2 : mi 1.03 - alt. 420 ft - Before Kéralivet, take the path on the left
  4. 3 : mi 1.72 - alt. 525 ft - Take the path on the left
  5. 4 : mi 2.52 - alt. 568 ft - Before Kériou, take the path on the left
  6. 5 : mi 2.99 - alt. 623 ft - Take the path on the left
  7. 6 : mi 3.69 - alt. 909 ft - Continue straight ahead
  8. 7 : mi 4.31 - alt. 755 ft - Source of the - Jarlot (rivière)
  9. 8 : mi 4.42 - alt. 784 ft - On the left: the two menhirs
  10. 9 : mi 5.25 - alt. 722 ft - Continue to the left
  11. 10 : mi 5.6 - alt. 807 ft - In Le Quilliou, turn left
  12. 11 : mi 5.92 - alt. 837 ft - Take the path on the right
  13. 12 : mi 6.59 - alt. 738 ft - Continue to the right
  14. 13 : mi 7.11 - alt. 673 ft - In Gaspern, turn left
  15. 14 : mi 7.85 - alt. 564 ft - In front of the wayside shrine, turn right
  16. 15 : mi 8.9 - alt. 443 ft - Crossroads
  17. 16 : mi 9.24 - alt. 499 ft - Crossroads with a wayside cross
  18. S/E : mi 9.48 - alt. 568 ft - Car park in front of the town hall

Notes

Caution! Difficult section between (5) and (6); the mobile app with the GPS track may be useful.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

3.8 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
3.8 / 5
Denis26
Denis26 ★

Thank you for your comments; I’ve just amended the route to avoid private property.

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feberand8544
feberand8544

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 12, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We walked this route on Sunday 12 April, and unfortunately the rain joined us for a good half an hour
But with our Gore-Tex jackets and umbrellas, we got through it without any major issues.
Whilst the route is generally easy to follow thanks to the GPX track, there are nevertheless two important points to note:
1 / As mentioned in the very first comment dated 21 May 2018 – six years ago now – the route is
difficult to follow precisely between points 5 and 6. I even think the difficulties have got worse over the last six years.
In fact, we managed to get through it without panicking thanks to the track we had on our app, which served as a guide
, but we didn’t hesitate to veer quite sharply to the right or left to avoid the vegetation. At
At certain points there isn’t really a path anymore, but you eventually find your way back onto it, as it winds its way through to end up between two meadows marked out by electric wires. Between the two rows of wires, a 60cm-wide passage… just wide enough.
2 / By forbidding people to pass through their property, the owners of the Mézerden manor have set a precedent in the neighbourhood.
For when you take the road on the right after point 15, you arrive at the crossroads of paths where it is no longer
possible to turn right to go to Pradou. As there is only one possible exit, we turn left towards
Garz ar Bélec, which takes us back along the route we took on the way out to the route’s starting point. This means
the entire end of the route that has been altered, and points 16 and 17 are no longer relevant.
The author should therefore amend their description to take account of this substantial change at the end.

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jeanluc.gauquelin
jeanluc.gauquelin

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

it is not possible to walk alongside Mezerden Manor, and despite our research, the path that crosses the stream at point 15 has proved fruitless: there is no second path, and the first joins the road at Pontonars.
The highlight of the circuit is the two magnificent menhirs.

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chanbo
chanbo

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

not very detailed description of the sites

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pqn
pqn

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

it is no longer possible to pass by the MEZERDEN manor house. The path is fenced off, no trespassing, private property.

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eric56100
eric56100
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

walk taken on 20 May 2018
please note that the path between markers 5 and 6 is now blocked. (Branches and brambles have been placed across the path at the top of the climb, and there are numerous private property signs along the path, apparently due to the replanting of a plot of land... ) I couldn't find a way around this obstacle and had to climb over the branches blocking the path and ignore the private property signs (for about 100 metres) before finding a path with no signs prohibiting access...

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