Between lakes and forest in Pleven

You will follow a very varied route, taking in a reservoir, a castle mound and the medieval Château de la Hunaudaye. Most of this hike takes place in woodland or fields.

Details

1905706
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.20 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 145 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 154 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 106 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 22 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Pléven (22130)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.48994° / W 2.319025°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1016ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park on Rue François Mitterrand in front of the church.

(S/E) Turn right onto the D68 towards the bridge over the Argenon reservoir.

(1) Before the bridge, at the bottom of the descent, turn left to reach the boat launch. Turn right onto the dirt track to pass under the D68 bridge. Walk along the reservoir. At the three intersections you encounter, always turn left. Pass at the foot of the castle mound.

(2) Leave the lake and head up the opposite slope to the village of Saint-Jean. Approach it from the left. At the end of the grassy path, turn right and cross the village to reach the Château de la Hunaudaye.

(3) Go around the castle on the left, passing behind the barrier to the Route de la Pefferie.

(4) At the crossroads, turn right, cross the village of La Pefferie and continue to the D16.

(5) Turn right for 100 metres, cross the D28 and enter the woods via the forest path.

(6) At the edge of the woods, take the grassy path on the right until you reach the D16.

(7) At the crossroads with the departmental road, turn right, then after walking about 150m, cross the road and take the path on the left.

(8) Continue, passing by a pond and crossing the D68. Continue to the hamlet of La Perrière.

(9) Follow the road to the right towards Pleven. Before the "Pleven" sign, turn left across a grassy area onto the path that leads to a stream. Follow the stream to a road, which you follow for a few metres.

(10) Continue along the path to the right, following Lac de l'Arguenon. Be careful, as the path is uneven and at one point overlooks the lake. After some steps, you will arrive at a grassy path. Turn left to reach the boat launch.

(1) Go up the tarmac road on the right to return to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 83 m - Rue François Mitterand
  2. 1 : km 0.59 - alt. 34 m - Keep to the right along the - Arguenon
  3. 2 : km 2.65 - alt. 26 m - End of the lake shore
  4. 3 : km 4.51 - alt. 81 m - Château de la Hunaudaye
  5. 4 : km 4.97 - alt. 86 m - La Pefferie
  6. 5 : km 6.03 - alt. 106 m - Junction with the D16
  7. 6 : km 7.43 - alt. 95 m - Grassy path on the right
  8. 7 : km 8.05 - alt. 91 m - D16
  9. 8 : km 8.15 - alt. 86 m - Path on the left
  10. 9 : km 9.85 - alt. 43 m - La Perrière
  11. 10 : km 10.72 - alt. 27 m - Path to the lake shore
  12. S/E : km 13.2 - alt. 83 m - Rue François Mitterand

Notes

There are toilets at the starting point. Picnic tables are available at the Château de la Hunaudaye and next to the D68 bridge.

The markings are often in poor condition.

Some parts of the trail can be very wet.
Please note: the last part of the hike overlooks the reservoir. This section may be difficult for those who are afraid of heights.

Worth a visit

During the hike, you can visit the motte-and-bailey castle, Château de la Hunaudaye, in season.
The Ferme d'Antan eco-museum will introduce you to the traditions of the early 20th century.
Jugon les Lacs, Plancoët and Corseul are only a few kilometres away and are well worth a visit.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Syl20_rando
Syl20_rando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I combined it with the “Tournemine circular route along the Arguenon” (https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-bouc...) to make a 22.5 km hike.
This saved me the return trip via the village of Pléven, so I didn’t do the section between points 1 and 2 as I crossed the bridge near point 1.

The castle is very pretty and the climb up the valley leading up to it is quite nice. However, I wouldn’t recommend the section through the forest at this time of year. It’s no doubt quite idyllic in summer, but at this time it was still far too damp, with sections that were practically marshy. Similarly, when going round Pléven from the north, there’s a section after point 8 that was completely overgrown with tall grass; there was no visible path left, and as it was very damp, it wasn’t particularly pleasant. On the way back along the Arguenon, part of the path was blocked, forcing a short detour up through the higher ground.

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Marsupilami
Marsupilami

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike in November under beautiful early afternoon sunshine.
We turned a little under the bridge to find the path that runs alongside the reservoir. It is not at the water's edge but overlooks it.
The walk was very pleasant. The sunny undergrowth along the Arguenon is superb.
After point 9, I can confirm that the path deteriorates, forcing us, after crossing duckboards surrounded by nettles (be careful if you're wearing shorts), to walk along the woods and then rejoin the tarmac at the calvary.
To make it exactly 10 km, simply return to the starting point via Rue de la Résistance.
Thank you, Christian G.
And VISORANDO is still on top form!

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User 3520081

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike along the Argon River

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Emeline et Paco
Emeline et Paco

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very few people, very nice circuit, quite sporty but lots of access to water for the dog. For the start, I'd recommend parking at point 1. It's much simpler and means you don't have to go back up the road to the car park on the way back...

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Bouc
Bouc

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At point 1, do not turn left off the path in order to pass to the right UNDER the bridge. The path passes to the right of the bridge in order to join the dirt track.

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chipie33290
chipie33290

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent route with some elevation changes but beautiful views from the path overlooking the Arguenon. Some sections may be challenging for those who suffer from vertigo.
Picnic tables are available at the Château de la Hunaudaye.
Thank you for this route.

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yanbar76
yanbar76

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route to explore, including a visit to the Château de la Hunaudaye.
No particular difficulties encountered on this route.

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nebbitr
nebbitr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I only use the GPS tracking on my Garmin.

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Muriel C5.
Muriel C5.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike done in beautiful sunshine. It is not marked except in certain places and in the other direction, in the woods between 5 and 6. No problems on the beautiful paths except for a little mud. A pleasant, very shady hike to do again in summer.

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Henry Labat
Henry Labat

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The signposting is poor, but if you follow the map, everything will be fine.

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FabSammie
FabSammie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The comment from June 2019 still holds true: a very beautiful and enjoyable hike, mostly through wooded areas. We all loved it. We discovered the Château de la Hunaudaye, which was a wonderful surprise for us.
We only did 10 kilometres, skipping points 9 and 10 and returning directly to the church via point 8.

We made a small mistake at point 6: we continued along the path to the left, even though the map indicates the right, where there doesn't seem to be a path. However, you do need to go right when you reach the field...

In fact, the section from point 8 onwards is virtually impassable. The path is now invisible, overgrown with nettles, brambles and very tall grass. In shorts, or with children, it's really very difficult.
I recommend cutting across from point 7, along the road, and going through St Symphorien to rejoin the D68.

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trio35
trio35

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We did this hike under grey skies but without rain.
Positive points: this hike is really beautiful, both along the reservoir and then in the countryside with its very bucolic landscapes and pretty little hamlets full of flowers. The Château de la Hunaudaye is worth a look. In short, it's a charming walk with lots of really pleasant places to look at.
Negative points: once you enter the forest, it becomes difficult to find your way around. If we hadn't downloaded the route onto our GPS-enabled phone, we would have had trouble finding our way back several times.
In addition, several sections are very poorly maintained and you walk through grass, brambles and nettles up to your neck (I'm not exaggerating!). I therefore strongly recommend wearing trousers and long sleeves for this hike...

But despite these drawbacks, it's well worth it.

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Christian  g
Christian g

Hello,
Between waypoints 5 and 6, there is currently logging work underway, which is creating ruts. Neither I nor the other hikers present on the day of the survey recall seeing any brambles or impenetrable woodland. This hike is one of the routes suggested by Dinan Agglomération.
Kind regards.

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bibi
bibi ★

At what point did this prevent you from continuing to walk? Can you indicate the paragraph and therefore the waypoint in question?
Kind regards

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christian.pecheu
christian.pecheu

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

undergrowth and impenetrable forest sorry about this part of the route

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