Rennes Forest - The Grand Route de la Caleuvre

The starting point is at Place de la Cale, in the centre of Betton, opposite the town hall. Parking available. The square hosts the large Sunday market until 2 pm. If necessary, park opposite the town hall or in the nearby streets.

(S/E) Set off from Place de la Cale and head to the banks of the Ille and Rance Canal, heading north towards Betton Town Hall. When you reach the bridge on Avenue d’Armorique, cross the canal to the right.
After the bridge, turn left and take the towpath on the left bank (east side of the canal). Follow the towpath northwards until you come to a metal footbridge crossing the River Ille.

(1) Ignore the footbridge and turn right to follow the course of the Ille. Shortly afterwards, the path moves away from the bank; ignore a turn-off to the left. Further on, cross a small square with a roundabout. Continue straight ahead to Rue du Mont Saint-Michel (D3175). Cross the road ( take care ) and turn left for 50 m until you reach the junction with Route du Landret (signposted “Le Pont l’Illet”).

(2) Turn right onto Route du Landret; this leads to the railway level crossing. Cross the railway tracks and follow the road to the left. At the fork, continue to the right. Further on, go under the motorway bridge and continue left as you exit. Ignore a road on the right, then the Impasse du Moulin de la Quinvrais on the left, and about 150 m further on, uphill, a path branches off to the right (45°) between two hedges of oak trees.

(3) Turn right onto the path. After rejoining the road at the hamlet of “Le Paradis”, take the road branching off to the right after the first house. (In the event of heavy rain, this section may be very wet or even impassable. In this case, continue along the road to La Foye). The road becomes a sunken lane that bends to the left. At the next path junction, take the sunken lane to the left to rejoin the road at La Foye. Continue along the road to the junction with the D97, the road to Saint-Sulpice, at the edge of the forest.

(4) At the junction in La Foye with the D97, cross carefully and continue straight ahead for about twenty metres. Enter the forest via a path branching off to the right (signpost). ‘From this point until you leave the forest, follow the yellow markings. (Ignore the orange markings, which sometimes interfere with the route).’
At the entrance to the forest (pine forest), the path runs parallel to the forest track that follows the edge of the forest eastwards. After about 800 m, at an irrigation ditch between forest sections 91 and 92, the path turns 90° to the right.

(5) Take the path that descends south-south-west, following the ditch. Caution: after 100 m, do not miss a 45° diagonal path to the right (and do not follow the orange arrow pointing ‘straight ahead’). Further on, the well-marked path returns to its original direction. Continue until you reach the District Forest Road, where the landscape changes from pine forest to oak forest.

(6) On the District Forest Road, make your first turn left then right for 20 m to rejoin the start of the path leading down to the south-south-west. A sign indicates the two routes for the Caleuvre route: to the right, the Short Route (marked VAR) and to the left, the Long Route heading south-east (which we follow).
Continue left towards the south-east, following the yellow markers. The path first runs alongside the District Forest Road, then moves away from it to converge on the large Placis Vert junction (picnic tables). Go round the roundabout to reach the “Route de la Caleuvre” sign.

(7) Pass the sign on your left and head north-east. The path is well marked. You’ll find yourself back in the pine forest. Further on, after going round a small pond on your right, you’ll reach the Route Forestière de la Mine (sign).

(8) At the sign, first turn right then left for 40 m to take the straight path heading south. Further on, after a 90° bend, it turns west, still in a straight line.
When it joins the Route Forestière, turn left and head down to the stone bridge over the Caleuvre (signpost). You leave the pine forest behind and come back to the oak trees.

(9) Immediately after the stone bridge, head down to the right onto the path that runs alongside the Caleuvre towards the west. (^GR®® markings). Follow the river until you reach a tributary flowing into it on the left bank. Then turn left to follow this tributary to the Betton Forest Road.

(10) Turn right onto the Ligne Forestière for 50 m until you reach a pathhead on the right (signpost). The forest is very open. Take the path and follow it north-west until you reach the Route Forestière des Grandes Croix.
Continue straight ahead and head north-west until you reach the path junction marked by a sign. This junction is where the Petit Circuit de la Caleuvre meets the route.

(11) At the junction, continue straight ahead (follow “Betton via La Petite Hublais”) and head up the valley. A little further on, the path goes round a water-filled hollow (in winter) to the left, before reaching the Betton Forest Road (signpost).

(12) At the Betton Forest Road junction, head straight ahead (signpost). Here the forest is sparse. The marked path turns right, but the many offshoots are tempting and could lead you astray... Keep a close eye out for the yellow markers.
Initially, the path runs alongside the forest track towards the north-west. After 500 m, look out for a fork to the left heading west.

(13) Turn left. Cross a stream. Although the path zigzags, it generally heads south-west, then west as it approaches the edge of the forest. A forest track at the edge of the woods takes us to the La Petite Hublais crossroads on the D97.

(14) At the Carrefour de La Petite Hublais, cross the D97 and follow the road opposite, which descends slightly and runs alongside the pastures of the riding centres, taking you close to the dual carriageway at the Carrefour de Le Fort.

(15) At the Le Fort junction, turn right, go under the expressway bridge, follow Rue de la Hamonais, ignore Chemin de la Hamonais on the right; the road continues to the left and eventually runs alongside the railway line. Keep heading south towards the centre of Betton.
At the level crossing, turn right, cross the railway line, then the A-road, and head down towards the Ille and Rance Canal to return to the starting point (S/E).

Paths and tracks: 10.7 km, roads: 4.3 km.

A GPS will be helpful for finding the path between points (12) and (14)

Wet area during wet weather after point (3); stay on the road until La Foye if this is the case.

Alternative route: The Petit Circuit de la Caleuvre (Visorando) is a ‘shortened’ version of this route (9 km).

Betton: all shops, buses. SNCF station (starting point 400m from the station).

At the southern end of Place de la Cale: drinking water, toilets, playground.

Betton: large market every Sunday morning on Place de la Cale.

The Neo-Romanesque Saint-Martin Church is nearby.