Circular loop of Saint-Jouan and La Chapelle du Val ès Bouillis

Departure from Rue du Val du Moulin, in Saint-Jouan-des-Guérets. Parking nearby.

(S/E) Take Rue du Val du Moulin heading south. The street branches off to the left and continues as Rue du Jubilé.

Yellowmarkings

(1) At the end of this street, turn right twice and go down Rue du Moulin Quinard.

(2) At the beach, take the track on the right. Follow the beach and pass Pointe du Grouin. Then stay along the coastline until the second crossroads after Chalet des Grèves.

(3) Continue until you reach another fork.

(4) At the intersection, continue left along the beach. Go around Pointe de la Roche du Port and continue for about 1,500 metres to Saint-Elier.

Yellow and blue markings

(5) Take the path on the right, which climbs towards Route de Val ès Bouillis. At the road, turn right. The chapel is on the right.

(6) Retrace your steps for about 150 m and take the path that descends to the right. Follow the stream and pass the fountain to reach the beach and a fork in the path that you passed on the way there.

(4) Take the path to the left, in the opposite direction to the outward journey, until you reach the next crossroads, which you also passed on the way out.

(3) Turn left to go up the path. Pass the old farm on your left and join the road. It turns right after 100 metres.

(7) At the sports fields, take the path on the left between the two fences, which leads to Allée Pierre Lebuffe. Take Rue de la Croix au Merles on the right to return to the starting point, continuing straight ahead. (S/E)

Check the water level in the Rance (https://www.edf.fr/usine-maremotrice-rance/marees-en-rance): above 11 m, it is no longer possible to pass between markers (3) and (4).

The Clarisse Fountain and Wash House
The wash house has been restored by the local council. The fountain was still in use by the inhabitants of Val-ès-Bouillis before
the village was connected to the drinking water supply.

Quinard Tidal Mill
Not open to visitors due to danger of collapse.
Built in the 19th century, this mill used tidal power. A 4.5-hectare water reservoir filled up with each tide. The water was held back by a dyke and surrounded the tide mill. It was the largest of the Rance mills: eight workers worked there in its heyday. At the time, boats would dock at high tide to load the flour production and transport it to Dinan or the English Channel to serve the coastal towns. In 1898, a new building was constructed to house a steam engine to replace the tidal power. It ceased operation in 1925.

The castles of La Ville-ès-Oiseaux and Saint-Elier
The castle of La Ville-ès-Oiseaux is one of the three oldest properties recorded in Saint-Jouan where a lord resided. It was once occupied by the Magon de la Vieuville family, one of the branches of the great Saint-Malo family at the height of the city's prosperity as a pirate stronghold. The Château de Saint-Elier, built in the 18th century, belonged to a family of wealthy shipowners: the Magon de Saint-Elier. The manor house still has a dovecote.