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Park in Tréhorenteuc and take the track that leads to the Val sans Retour (signposted).
(S/E) Leave the village via Rue du Pâtis to the south and turn right when you reach the road. Take the path almost opposite, which leads to Val Sans Retour. In summer, this path can be very busy, so leave it shortly after the left-hand bend, as soon as you reach the forest canopy.
(1) Turn right onto the small path that leads out of the valley, climbing up its southern slope. After a climb under the trees, you will reach some moorland, which you cross to reach a forest track.
(2) Turn left and follow the forest track until you reach the Croix Lucas. This track runs along the lower slopes of the forest and offers magnificent views over the Ploërmel countryside.
Please note that to reach the cross directly, you must leave the forest track by turning right about 100 metres before it joins the Touche-Guérin road.
(3) At the cross, cross the road to re-enter the woods and follow the red and white markings ofthe GR®37. It criss-crosses this part of the forest along long, straight paths.
Turn left once and right once to begin the descent towards Lidrio. As you descend, the forest becomes increasingly sparse, before you reach the farmland just outside the village. Cross the hamlet to reach the D312.
(4) At the road, turn right and follow it carefully for about 600 metres. Pass the outbuildings of Trécesson, then turn left to reach the castle.
(5) Walk past the château, taking the time to admire it from the dyke surrounding the lake. Continue up the main road lined with imposing trees that climbs the slope.
(6) After a few bends, it approaches the Coëtquidan military camp, where you follow the perimeter fence until you reach the D312, approaching the hamlet and the Chapel of Saint-Jean. Cross the departmental road and reach the entrance to the private property that makes up the hamlet.
(7) At the end, you can see the Chapel of Saint-Jean, but you cannot approach it. Please note that the map shows a road crossing the hamlet, but it does not exist.
Return to the road by turning right and follow it for about 200 metres before turning left into the woods. Shortly afterwards, turn right, heading north, and walk up through the woods along a straight path until you reach the Touche Guérin road. Turn left, then leave the road on the right after about 100 metres. After crossing a stream, join another small road and follow it to the left. At the next crossroads, take the road on the right, passing a first path on the left to reach a second path about 200 metres further on.
(8) Turn left towards the west onto this path. After a few hundred metres along a straight, descending farm track, you will reach the edge of the forest. This is where the Forest of Brocéliande truly begins and the descent to the Val Sans Retour (Valley of No Return) begins.
The path enters the forest, turning to the right, and quickly reaches the edge of a stream. Follow it beyond the Miroir aux Fées, one of the artificial reservoirs that dot the bottom of the valley.
(9) Head straight ahead. Leave the path that climbs up to the Maison de Viviane on your left, as well as all the other paths that branch off from the edge of the stream.
(10) The Miroir aux Fées is a reservoir held in place by a dam. Cross it to reach the other side of the valley and the Arbre d'Or (Golden Tree). Nearby, to the right of the tree, a path climbs up the rocky slope to overlook the reservoir. Continue straight ahead to a flat area where the path meets a track that runs along the top of the hill, among the rocky ridges. Turn left to find a forest track that leads back to the village of Tréhorenteuc.
(11) At the road, turn right and pass in front of a striking old building, which the map describes as a "castle", although this seems somewhat exaggerated!
Continuing along the road, you will reach the heart of the village and a few shops where you can take a break. Turn left to reach the chapel (worth visiting inside) (S/E).
After quite a few adventures, we made it back to our car. That's just how it goes...
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