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Meet at the car park opposite Saint-Nolff Town Hall, Place Saint-Mayeul, on the church side, near the covered wash house on the Condat and the sign marking the start of the PR® "Vallée du Condat" trail, marked in yellow. The QR code on the sign links to its description. This information sheet includes details at the end on how to join this route if you wish (see the ‘alternative routes’ section).
Yellow markings on the Condat PR® route for guidance
(S/E) Start the walk on the footpath that runs alongside the Ruisseau du Condat downstream; leave it on your right; the town hall is visible on the left. Use the yellow markings of the Condat Valley route as your guide, not those of the Vannes-Lanvaux GRP®. Cross the D135 / Rue des Lavandières towards the Moulin de Gourvinec. The path passes successively by a leisure area, a playground and a football pitch. Walk past the Étang de Gourvinec on your left; at its far end, cross a small bridge to reach the D135. Continue straight on following the sign for the "Sentier du Condat" towards the mill’s courtyard below; note its layout and the mill’s dovecotes, then return to the D135 by going round the mill, on the side of its waterwheel.
(1) On the bridge, read the information panel about the mill. Head towards the level crossing, without crossing it, and take track C4 for about fifty metres, until you reach themotorhome area and a wildlife area; pass between the two and rejoin the path along the Condat; a first wooden bridge takes you to the right bank; the next one brings you back to the left bank; continue along the signposted path alongside the Condat, without taking the tarmac C4 road that runs alongside the railway line.
After passing the treatment plant’s ponds and a large pylon (SNCF network mast) on your left, cross a stony threshold on a small embankment at the edge of a small wooded area and walk through it. Then, after a low fence, turn right onto the C4. Follow this road on the right-hand side to the Foulon level crossing (level crossing no. 426).
(2) Cross the railway line and follow the road uphill to the right (C1). On the right-hand embankment, 110 m further on, before the blue sign for La Saret, you can see two small granite crosses, about 30 cm high.
Continue to the signposted Chemin du Val, which climbs to the left towards a lodge. Leave it on your right, taking the grassy path marked by a wooden sign reading "Chemin du Val". The path then enters the forest 200 m further on.
Yellow and red markings of the GRP® Vannes-Lanvaux
(3) At the junction of two fairly wide paths, leave the Vallée du Condat route (the ascending path) and take the descending sunken path (GRP®) on the right, marked in yellow and red, which leads onto the C1. (Note: this section is now flanked by a parallel path that has formed to its left, due to fairly long periods when it was blocked by fallen trees). Once on the C1, continue along the marked path, which climbs out of the forest for 20 m and then runs a short distance from the roadside. After the signpost for the turn-off to Lascouit, located on the right-hand side of the C1, continue along the path on the forest side, without going down onto the road. Stay on the path running alongside the road. Go through a very flimsy gate topped with a ‘private forest’ sign until you come to a wide path on the left; this path, facing 225° (azimuth), starts from the C1, after a flimsy gate whose opening is just wide enough for a pedestrian.
(4) You can check your position at this gate. Once you have done so, follow the path at 225° for 60 m. You will then reach an ascending path veering to the left, at approximately 110°. This point features tree plantations established in 2015; you will also often see a neatly stacked pile of logs here.
No signposting
Take the ascending path, at 110°, leaving the GRP® at this point and with no signposting. The path passes through an opening in a low wall designed for a single person. This passage is distinctive. Follow the path until it is blocked by branches. Take the path that has formed to the left, climbing gently up the hillside. Pass close to a long low wall covered in moss. Whilst the path is at 140°, and the altitude remains constant, look up to see a tree with a sign reading “private forest, ...” Take the path to the left, heading at 90° for about a hundred metres. Cross a wide track and continue for 40 m. You will then emerge onto the sunken path taken by the PR® du Condat, at a fairly high stone wall with a yellow marker. Before continuing straight on along the path that crosses the PR®, you can make a round trip by descending 30 metres along the PR® towards the checkpoint described below.
(5) Look out for the “Kervel” sign in front of the ruins of a building. Another sign, in the trees, reads “Association sylvicole nolféenne”. Then head back up the PR® to the high stone wall mentioned earlier.
Continue walking by taking the small path to the left of the sunken track, opposite the path you have already taken, towards the Bel Orient sports ground. The path runs alongside a low fence for 380 m, which you should keep on your right. The fence then makes its first right-angled bend. Follow it and, after another bend, walk alongside it to the stadium. Once you can see it, head towards the buildings without crossing the sports fields. When you reach the buildings, turn right towards the stadium entrance, walking alongside the boules courts on the left to exit the stadium.
At the “local information” sign, turn right onto the main road (D135), walk alongside the high fences of the grounds and continue to the speed bump with a pedestrian crossing at the junction with the road leading to the Chapelle Saint-Colomban. Take this road. After houses numbered 17 and 24, note a road on the right
Yellow markings for the PR® de la Vallée du Condat
(6) This junction marks the start of the Condat Valley route. Continue along the Route de Saint-Colombier. Walk around the chapel and its calvary with banner; note the presence of a lech.
Leave the chapel grounds and resume the walk on the tarmac road. Pass a path on the right with a wooden sign for the Chemin de Saint-Colombier. Pass several properties, one of which has an araucaria (the ‘monkey’s despair’). After house no. 29, note the wooden sign ‘Chemin des 6 heures’. Follow the PR® markings along a wide, pleasant path. Pass two signposted junctions.
No markings
(7) At the third junction (Y-junction), leave the path by turning left onto a track which leads, 150 m further on, to a cultivated field. Turn right and continue along the unploughed section. Join the tarmac access road to the ADM company buildings (the entrance gate is 40 m on the right).
Once on the tarmac road, turn left and follow the double perimeter fence, one of which is a long protective wire fence under CCTV surveillance. Follow the tarmac road up to the Stop sign at the Bois du Val junction.
(8) Turn right onto the D135. 50 m further on, take the path next to a house, between two signs, one indicating a speed bump, the other the entrance to the ADM site. Stay on this forest path which runs above the D135. The path crosses a 20 m clearing that looks like an old quarry. As the path begins to move away from the road and widens, take a small descending path at a bend in the track. It is characterised by a direct view of the road and is the only passage in this direction. If you miss the path by going too far, you will see buildings behind a wire-mesh fence. Go back to find the descending path, which runs alongside the road at a distance of no more than 40 metres.
(9) The path, 15 m from a continuous low transverse wall, meets a path leading from the D135, 30 m away. Head down towards the road but, before reaching it, take the path on the right that runs alongside it. After 200 m, take the path on the right that climbs back up towards the forest. It runs alongside an old wall for 250 m. The path turns left towards Bodenno, climbing steadily. You reach a high point on the route (altitude 126 m). At this level, towards the valley, the slope is steep; to the right, there is also a dip separating the path from the ridge. A large radio mast is installed there but is hidden by vegetation. The path descends and joins the track that continues the tarmac road to Bodenno.
(10) Walk past the old Bodenno farm, now taken over by the company “Armor Bois Construction”. Continue along the hillside path and reach a low wall. Turn left onto a sloping section, emerging onto a wide, straight, level sunken track heading towards the town centre. Turn right and head into the town centre, between two blocks of flats. Turn left onto Rue du Vieux Couvent, note the large wayside cross, cross the railway line and reach the town hall car park (S/E).
Thank you.
A huge disappointment. The route was well explained at the start, but unfortunately we couldn't continue the hike and had to turn back because the section (from 4 or 5) wasn't well explained in terms of the private forest. It was impossible to understand, even with the best will in the world (markings, no markings, nothing matched what we saw before us). I do not recommend following this route. Instead, find another route on another website if you want to follow the entire trail.
Visorando Member
Easy 
