The east coast of Groix Island

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This route takes you on a tour of the eastern third of the island. You start in a relatively lush environment and continue through a sort of desert covered with gorse. You follow the very obvious coastal path and then return to the harbour via the village of Groix.

Details

n°582419
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.68 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 134 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 131 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 47 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Groix (56590)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.643767° / W 3.448272°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0720ET
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Photos

The sea!
The Pointe des Chats
Groix Island
Groix Island

Description of the walk

(S/E) When you get off the boat, you will arrive at the port, which you will take on your left. Take the second street on the right and pass in front of the police station.
Climb a steep hill and, at the top, take the first road on the left, then very quickly take the coastal path that branches off to the left (marked on the ground).
It is easy to follow: on your left is the sea... as for the paths that branch off to the right, they will take you back to the centre of the island. In turn, you will pass:

(1) Port Mélite (sign)

(2) La Plage des Grands Sables, which you can walk down to (there is a clearly visible staircase that will allow you to climb back up further on).

(3) La Pointe de la Croix (sign and light beacon).

(4) Pointe des Chats (old semaphore). You will walk alongside the François le Bail Geological Nature Reserve.

(5) Shortly before reaching the hamlet of Locmaria, leave the coastal path, go straight on, Rue Praceline then left Rue du Liaker. At the end, turn left onto Rue Breiz Izel and right onto Rue Laurent Tonnerre to finish crossing this charming village. At the exit, you will find the coast, and therefore the coastal path.
Continue walking along the coastal path. Pass the junction of the path leading to the hamlet of Locqueltas. After a while, you will see the island's tall water tower.

(6) Shortly afterwards, the fairly wide path takes a sharp turn northwards (towards the centre of the island). Follow it straight ahead, towards the water tower (slightly to the left).

(7) When you reach a T-junction, the local mountain bike signs will direct you to the right. Follow them. Allow any traffic coming from the right or left to pass.

(8) You will come to another T-junction. Turn left.

(9) You enter the village of Groix, passing in front of the sports facilities. Turn right onto Route de Créhal, then right again onto Rue du Vussen and immediately left towards the church.

(10) Go around it and then head down Rue du Général de Gaulle, heading north-east towards the port.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 4 m - Port Tudy
  2. 1 : km 1.93 - alt. 10 m - Port Mélite
  3. 2 : km 2.82 - alt. 6 m - Grands Sables Beach
  4. 3 : km 3.59 - alt. 20 m - Luminous marker at the Cross
  5. 4 : km 5.38 - alt. 6 m - Pointe des Chats (old semaphore)
  6. 5 : km 6.12 - alt. 7 m - Leave the trail. Head towards Locmaria.
  7. 6 : km 9.43 - alt. 35 m - Wide path towards the water tower
  8. 7 : km 9.85 - alt. 42 m - Turn right at the first T-junction.
  9. 8 : km 10.4 - alt. 42 m - Turn left at the second T-junction.
  10. 9 : km 11.05 - alt. 45 m - Sports grounds
  11. 10 : km 11.79 - alt. 36 m - Church.
  12. S/E : km 12.68 - alt. 4 m - Port Tudy

Notes

Access to the island of Groix is mainly from the port of Lorient. There are clear signs to the pier.

In May 2017, the return boat fare is €30 (full price). There are 4 to 5 crossings per day. They are operated by the "Océane" company of the Morbihan General Council.

The walk starts at the end of the jetty, where the boat arrives.

There is effective signage on flat stones placed on the ground in strategic locations. They are hand-painted. Otherwise, the signage is yellow and discreet.

The "medium" difficulty rating is due to the distance and a few slightly tricky passages (but very few). If you are accompanied by children, you should be vigilant at certain points.

Worth a visit

The Groisillon coastline is home to a variety of flora (broom, gorse, honeysuckle, etc.) and fauna (gulls, oystercatchers, shags, common shelducks, etc.).
François Le Bail Geological Nature Reserve

The Groix Eco-museum.

The town of Lorient

The Gulf of Morbihan.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 7 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
Jeanmire
Jeanmire

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful coastal hike. To enjoy it, you will of course need good walking shoes and walking sticks, and you must be in good physical shape as there are two or three slightly steep sections.

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Islande2003
Islande2003

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant coastal path, no particular difficulty. The landscapes are varied, very beautiful and exotic. I recommend this lovely walk.

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philippeR1
philippeR1

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike completed on 21 May 2019 in beautiful weather.
. We extended our hike to Trou de l'Enfer, which
is more rugged and adds 2 km to the hike, but what a treat for the eyes!

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Bridget Duque
Bridget Duque

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 25, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did this hike on the second day of our stay in Groix. The day before, we had done the south coast hike, which ran from Port St Nicolas to Locmaria. So we left the coast at Locmaria to avoid repeating what we had already done. We really liked Pointe des Chats and the paintings of the flora and fauna in the old blockhouse before arriving in Locmaria.

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bandjo42
bandjo42

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant hike with beautiful views, best done early in the morning to avoid the heat on the return journey through the countryside.

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rochester76
rochester76

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful trip in glorious weather. We crossed from LODEMER on a smaller boat than the ferries that leave from Lorient, and the crossing took less time.
At the church in the village of Groix, we left the route marked on the map and headed towards Port Lay, the old port of Groix Island, then returned along the coast between Port Lay and Port Tudy.
This walk covers a distance of 15.4 km.

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Trickpanope
Trickpanope

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, especially along the east and south coasts.
Easy to access even in wet weather (a few showers).

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