Between the old railway line and wild valleys

An old railway line called the "carrot train", a dark coniferous forest, small winding roads, a wide view of the Bigouden coast and a long passage at the bottom of a wild valley where only the murmur of the stream disturbs the silence.

Details

152712
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.50 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 113 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 118 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 68 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 10 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Plozévet (29710)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.986398° / W 4.40141°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0419ET, 0519OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Access: Leave the D784 at Ty Ludu (Les Chocolats de Mélinda shop). Take the small road on the left coming from Quimper via Landudec and on the right coming from Audierne via Plozévet. The car park with picnic tables is about 1 km on the left before Kerlagadec.

Yellow markings on signposts

(S/E) From the car park, turn right and follow the old railway line for about 3 km (east then south). Cross the first road, continue straight ahead and ignore the first path on the left. Pass the Le Roux quarry on your right and you will reach the D2.

No markings

(1) Turn right for about 20 metres along a designated path, then cross the road carefully and take the path uphill on the left.

Yellow markings on signposts

(2) At the top, at the signpost, turn right and descend into a very dense coniferous forest. At the bottom, ignore the path that goes straight ahead and turn left to follow a wide uphill path. Continue down the path.

No markings

(3) At the bottom, turn left onto a vague grassy path that becomes clearer at an old, rather neglected wash house. Continue to the next crossroads, where you turn left onto a wide stony path. Follow it to the right and you will arrive at the Croas Vao crossroads.
Turn right onto the Lesneut road and arrive at the truncated calvary.

(4) From the calvary, cross the hamlet (beautiful buildings and restorations) and arrive at the village exit.
Turn left and follow the grassy path between the fields.

(5) Take thefirst grassy path that descends to the right and follow it until it meets a small road. Follow this road to the right into the valley, pass the entrance to the beautifully restored old Keriniel Mill and continue along this small uphill road until you reach the next three-way junction.

(7) Turn left towards Ty Bout, which is not marked on the IGN map but is indicated by a signpost. Follow this road through the fields (wide view of the Bigouden coast). Ignore a road on the right and, at the next three-way junction, turn right.

(8) Turn left at a property and go down the grassy path alongside a beautiful dry stone wall. On the property, you will see a hexagonal tower-shaped house. Pass Rusviscou farm on the right, then the entrance to Moulin Goff on the left.

Yellow markings on signposts

(9) Ignore the road that goes uphill and turn right to enter a wild valley.
Follow this path, which has a few tricky sections: rustic footbridges and loose logs. Let yourself be guided by the murmur of the stream hidden by the lush vegetation. The path climbs and ends at a disused road opposite the gable of a house.

(10) Turn left and follow a deserted road that descends and continues along a narrow path. Cross a rustic footbridge.

(11) Make a round trip to the left (100m) to see the split menhir of Pont Evet and return.
Continue to the left. The trail becomes less clear and leads to the road that provides access to a campsite. A blue arrow and a signpost invite you to turn right to join the D2.

(11) Cross the road (with caution) by making a left-right zigzag. Look for an old sign with a blue mark. Go around the Kerguivic area on the right.
Follow the path between a field on the left and woods on the right. Continue and, when you reach a large grassy area, turn right to return to the picnic area and car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 61 m - Car park before the hamlet of Kerlagadec.
  2. 1 : km 3.23 - alt. 15 m - Junction with the D2
  3. 2 : km 3.89 - alt. 33 m - On the right towards the coniferous forest
  4. 3 : km 4.5 - alt. 14 m - Grassy path on the left
  5. 4 : km 5.46 - alt. 37 m - Lesneut Calvary - Calvaire de Lesneut
  6. 5 : km 5.73 - alt. 36 m - Path on the right
  7. 6 : km 6.75 - alt. 42 m - On the left, signpost for Ty Bout.
  8. 7 : km 7.65 - alt. 48 m - On the left, at the two carved colonnades
  9. 8 : km 8.11 - alt. 17 m - On the right, entrance to the valley
  10. 9 : km 9.03 - alt. 53 m - Fork to the left on the abandoned road
  11. 10 : km 9.24 - alt. 47 m - Return trip to the Pont Evet Menhir
  12. 11 : km 9.78 - alt. 62 m - Crossing the D2
  13. S/E : km 10.5 - alt. 61 m - Car park before the hamlet of Kerlagadec.

Notes

Classified as moderate because the elevation gain seems to be underestimated.
The section in the valley between (9) and (11) is a series of small ascents and descents.
In addition, the ground is not easy to walk on in places: small rudimentary footbridges and loose logs.

Some sections of the valley can be tricky in winter.

Worth a visit

Old railway line dating from 1912: this train took 114 minutes to cover the 35 km between Pont-l'Abbé and Pont-Croix at an average speed of around 18 km/h.

Croas Vao Calvary: this 4.50-metre-high cross of Saint Matthew dates from the 16th century. It was rebuilt on a cubic mace and has a twin crucifix.

Truncated Calvary of Lesneut: The date 1306, engraved in Roman numerals on the base of the pietà, makes this calvary the oldest in the department, and perhaps even in Brittany.

Panorama of Audierne Bay.

Menhir of Pont Evet (known as La Pierre Cassée). This menhir, called "the broken stone", was split by erosion or lightning. Tradition has it that two lovers caught in an inappropriate position were turned into stone statues.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Thank you for your feedback.
I did not include the chapel in this route because several of my routes in Plozévet already pass by this chapel.
Kind regards

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Paml68
Paml68

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I hardly met anyone. A beautiful, varied hike with lovely views of Audierne Bay, although perhaps a little too much walking on tarmac roads. It's a shame not to push on to the little chapel of Saint Demet, which is usually open in July/August with art exhibitions. The last part of the walk to the menhir was more challenging due to the rain in the previous days and the trees in the middle of the path (remnants of the November storm?). The menhir is very beautiful but surrounded by brambles. Shorts are not recommended for accessing it. It is an easy and accessible walk.

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gwenromdo
gwenromdo
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great route with most of it in the woods, so well sheltered from direct sunlight... luckily we had that on the day of our hike, which is not the case today. Not many people around, so it was completely peaceful.
As you can't have your cake and eat it, there were still a few less pleasant sections on tarmac roads, but never for very long.

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le goff brigitte
le goff brigitte

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
I really liked the variation on the guidebook route for the ST DEMET circuit via the mill
Keriniel
and I crossed the Pouldreuzic Plozévet departmental road via the new route.

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

I understand better now.
For now, I prefer to stick with my old route until I've tried the alternative.
In both cases, there is still the crossing of the D2, which is the tricky part.
I will just add "No markings" for this section.
Best regards

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LecozDjipi
LecozDjipi
• Edited:

Allow me to emphasise that, for safety reasons, the PR has recently been diverted to the left of the D2 at this point. After about twenty metres, it crosses the D2, turns left onto a slightly uphill path towards the Fontaine de Pistigou, but without reaching it, as it turns right onto a fairly steep path that joins a farm track, which you must follow to the right to reach the wide path you describe at the Meilh Brénizennec bridge.

New PR markings have been put in place. See the Saint-Démet route in Plozévet.

Best regards.
JP

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Hello,

There is no mistake, as the route I indicated does not pass by the Pistigou Fountain but goes directly up the wide path.
Kind regards

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LecozDjipi
LecozDjipi

Hello

It seems to me that there is an error in the modification made to the route. After the point (1), you should not turn right onto the D2 but left. The slightly uphill path leads to the Pistigou Fountain and the discreet, fairly steep path is halfway between the D2 and the fountain.
As a result, the route is inaccurate on the IGN map.

Thank you for moderating my route in Plozévet.

Best regards.
JP

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Thank you for your message.
I have amended my description to take your comments into account.

NB: I have just started moderating your tour of the chapels around Plozévet.
It's a beautiful route.

Best regards

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LecozDjipi
LecozDjipi

Hello

This message is to inform you that at point (1), the route and associated markings have been modified to avoid running alongside the D2 for more than a hundred metres.
This section can be described as follows:

Follow the D2 on the left for about twenty metres via a designated passage, then cross it carefully and take a slightly uphill path on the left. Continue for about a hundred metres, then turn right onto a fairly steep, inconspicuous path. Climb this path through the woods until it intersects with a farm track. Follow it to the right.

This new route is much safer, especially for groups.

Best regards.

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Chantal&Olivier
Chantal&Olivier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Original despite a bit too much tarmac

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Hello and thank you for your review.
There are many beautiful spots to discover along the southern coast of Finistère, some of which offer views of the sea.
All the best with Visorando.

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Garoliv33
Garoliv33

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the heart of nature. In good weather, there are few tricky sections, but it is probably more difficult in rainy weather. Thank you for introducing us to places that are generally overlooked by tourists, who are more attracted to the coast.

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Good evening,
Thank you for your comments.
Indeed, since my first draft, some things have changed.
I will need to update the description.

This afternoon, I was struck by the buildings in the hamlet of Lesneut and other places.
This is something I will emphasise.

All the best with Visorando.

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bpja
bpja

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant hike through the countryside and wooded valleys. For No. 1 At the summit, note that the two old marker posts on the left without markings no longer exist. Recent markings are present on this route.

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