The Green Belt of Dinan and the Rance Valley

A town of art and history, Dinan is a place of great beauty. Its historic centre takes us back to the Middle Ages and from the top of its ramparts, visitors can look out over the Rance valley and the road viaduct which, with its 10 arches and 50-metre height, spans the Rance.
To this, we must add a stroll through the magnificent town centre of Léhon and finally a romantic walk along the Rance.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.88 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 137 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 144 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 77 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 7 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Dinan (22100)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.451066° / W 2.043823°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1116ET, 1117SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the southern end of the car park on Place Duguesclin.
The equestrian statue of Bertrand Duguesclin, Constable of France, welcomes you at the entrance to the car park.

(S/E) Set off along Rue Sainte-Barbe, then turn left into Rue du Château. Continue to the "Stop" sign at Porte Saint-Louis. Turn right to pass through the gate. Be careful of vehicles as the gate is narrow, and quickly turn left onto Rue Beaumanoir. Go to the end of the street and continue up the stairs leading to Rue du Moulin au Duc. Continue on the left until you reach Rue de l'Abbaye.

(1) Turn left and continue along the street on the left.

Red and whiteGR®34Cmarkings

Leave Abbaye Saint-Magloire on your right, then turn left and walk past the town hall. At the end of the car park, turn right to reach the banks of the canalised Rance. Follow the river to the left. Continue along the Rance until you reach the viaduct. Follow the road to the right and pass under the viaduct.

(2) Pass under the viaduct and continue along the Rance until you reach the old bridge in Dinan, then follow the quays to the end.

Red and yellow markings

(3) At the museum, on your left, leave theGR®34Ctrail on your right and take the street on your left, then immediately turn right onto the steep path into the woods. It ends at Rue des Quatre Moulins. Follow it to the right. After first turning left then right, take the path that winds up to the left and leads to Rue de Brise-Moulin. Follow this road to the end.

Yellow markings

(4) First turn left then right towards the retirement home. Follow Rue de La Ville Goddelin as it turns left, then continue right onto Boulevard André Aubert. At the fork, turn right to cross the railway line via Rue de la Conninais. Continue along the street until you reach Route de Dinard.

(5) Cross over and after thirty metres turn left onto a small paved path that leads to the Fontaine du Suet.

(6) Continue and go around the sports hall. Turn right to pass in front of the Young Workers' Centre, then take the path on the right to descend into the Poulichot valley. At the edge of the stream, turn left and follow the stream until you reach the roundabout on Route de Ploubalay.

(7) Turn left onto the path that goes around the shooting range. At the end of the path, continue straight ahead and turn right onto the first street - Rue Ambroise Bernard. Follow it to the end. Turn left and cross the level crossing. Continue straight ahead to reach Rue Carnot.

(8) Turn left and follow this street to the roundabout, then turn right onto Rue Thiers.
Cross Place Duclos and admire the façade of the Town Hall. At the southern end of the square, turn right onto Rue Chateaubriand, towards Léhon. After 200 metres, turn left onto Rue du 8 mai 1945 to reach Promenade des Petits Fossés.

(9) Turn right and follow Promenade des Petits Fossés to the castle. In the middle of the car park, turn left to climb the stairs that cross the ramparts via Porte du Guichet and lead to Rue du Château. At the top, turn left and return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 77 m - Parking Place Duguesclin
  2. 1 : km 1.14 - alt. 19 m - The historic centre of Léhon
  3. 2 : km 3.06 - alt. 19 m - Under the Dinan viaduct - Rance (fleuve)
  4. 3 : km 3.99 - alt. 7 m - Turn left onto the GRP
  5. 4 : km 5.54 - alt. 65 m - Right/left towards the retirement home
  6. 5 : km 6.33 - alt. 57 m - Slightly to the left - the paved path
  7. 6 : km 6.49 - alt. 45 m - Suet Fountain
  8. 7 : km 7.76 - alt. 65 m - Turn left onto Chemin des Cordiers.
  9. 8 : km 8.5 - alt. 75 m - Rue Carnot - on the left
  10. 9 : km 9.29 - alt. 68 m - Promenade des Petits Fossés
  11. S/E : km 9.88 - alt. 77 m - Parking: Place Duguesclin

Notes

The proposed route only gives a glimpse of the magnificent town of Dinan. Old Dinan with the Clock Tower and Saint-Malo Church, as well as the ramparts, are all places to admire and enjoy.
Unfortunately, in 2018 and 2019, two fires struck the two oldest houses in the town centre. This magnificent setting is therefore currently disrupted by scaffolding and tarpaulins to allow for their reconstruction (March 2020).

(1) Off the route: turn right and then take a path up to the left to reach the ruins of Léhon Castle (magnificent view).

Worth a visit

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
User 20466484

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is very varied: sections through town, trails through the woods (some of which are a little muddy, but that's to be expected at this time of year), a short stretch of tarmac, and a few climbs to get your heart rate up. There may be a few less interesting sections (housing estates and sports centres on the north-east side), but they are necessary to ensure connectivity. All this allowed us to enjoy discovering another side of Dinan.
Dan35.

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User 26606381

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The first part of the walk is magnificent and well worth the detour, all the way to Port Dinan.
After that, you have to stop and turn back, find a bus or hitchhike to return to the historic centre of Dinan!
The rest (the second half) consists of unkempt and dirty wooded areas on the outskirts of town, between a gym, a nursing home, a hostel and a roundabout.
I took a few photos to illustrate this. I regret that I can't add them.

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domivasseur2935
domivasseur2935

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A few magnificent passages, a few others (housing estates, sports hall, EHPAD...) rather average, some nice climbs (and therefore descents), a fairly uniform lack of signposting, quite a few refreshment points, these are my impressions... on the spot.

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domi35580
domi35580

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route.
You can grab a bite to eat at the port before tackling the climb up to the historic centre.
Good written description of the route.
For those who only wish to do part of the route (Place Duguesclin - Port), a free DINAMO shuttle bus (line 4, stop at the small bridge) takes you back up towards the town hall.

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Laurent DUBREUCQ
Laurent DUBREUCQ

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thanks to Julien, a very friendly guide!
The children loved getting stuck in safely!

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kartavan
kartavan

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, very pleasant walk, especially the first part. The nursing home is much less interesting. But you have to think about getting back to the starting point.

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gildabon
gildabon
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

description does not correspond to the geography of the route, insufficient explanations
No signposting whatsoever except for the GR section
The second part of the route is uninteresting (buildings, nursing home, secondary school), unlike the first part, which is very pleasant and very pretty.

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fxcoudert
fxcoudert

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The area in the centre of Dinan, Saint-Magloire Abbey, the banks of the Rance, Léhon lock, the old bridge in Dinan and the quays are very pleasant. From point 4 onwards, the housing estates, social housing and nursing homes have no charm whatsoever, so it is better to find an alternative route back up to the historic centre of Dinan.

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Gregoiree
Gregoiree

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first part of the walk to the port is magnificent and worth the trip on its own. However, the second part from the port back to the town centre is not worth the effort: it takes you through the town, past ugly buildings and uninteresting residential areas. There are a few pleasant stretches of greenery, though. I would therefore advise those who want to get to the point to follow the route to the port of Dinan (just before the museum) and then turn left to reach the town centre. This takes about an hour's walk.

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