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: 7.88 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 440 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 430 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 154 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 10 ft
  • ⚐ 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 disembark, you’ll arrive at the harbour; keep to your left. Take the second street on the right and walk past the police station.
You’ll climb a fairly steep slope and, at the top, take the first road on the left, then very quickly join the coastal path branching off to the left (marked on the ground).
You can follow it easily: to your left is the sea… as for the paths branching off to the right, they lead back towards the centre of the island. In turn, you’ll pass:

(1) Port Mélite (sign)

(2) Grands Sables Beach, which you can walk down to (a clearly visible flight of steps will allow you to climb back up further on).

(3) Pointe de la Croix (sign and lighted marker).

(4) Pointe des Chats (former semaphore station). You’ll walk alongside the François le Bail Geological Nature Reserve.

(5) Just before reaching the hamlet of Locmaria, leave the coastal path, go straight on along Rue Praceline, then turn left onto Rue du Liaker. At the end, turn left onto Rue Breiz Izel and then right onto Rue Laurent Tonnerre to complete your walk through this charming village. On leaving the village, you’ll rejoin the coast and thus the coastal path.
Continue walking along the coastal path. You’ll pass the junction with the path leading to the hamlet of Locqueltas. After a while, you’ll catch sight of the island’s tall water tower.

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

(7) When you reach a T-junction, the local mountain bike signpost directs you to turn right. Follow it. Ignore any paths branching off to the right or left.

(8) You’ll reach another T-junction. Turn left.

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

(10) Go round the church and then head firmly down Rue du Général de Gaulle, heading north-east towards the harbour.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 13 ft - Port Tudy
  2. 1 : mi 1.2 - alt. 33 ft - Port Mélite
  3. 2 : mi 1.76 - alt. 20 ft - Grands Sables Beach
  4. 3 : mi 2.23 - alt. 66 ft - The illuminated marker at La Croix
  5. 4 : mi 3.34 - alt. 20 ft - Pointe des Chats (old semaphore station)
  6. 5 : mi 3.8 - alt. 23 ft - Leave the path. Head towards Locmaria
  7. 6 : mi 5.86 - alt. 115 ft - A wide path leading to the water tower
  8. 7 : mi 6.12 - alt. 138 ft - Turn right at the first T-junction
  9. 8 : mi 6.46 - alt. 138 ft - Turn left at the second T-junction
  10. 9 : mi 6.87 - alt. 148 ft - Sports grounds
  11. 10 : mi 7.33 - alt. 118 ft - Church.
  12. S/E : mi 7.88 - alt. 13 ft - 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 coast with its flora (broom, gorse, honeysuckle…) and fauna (gulls, oystercatchers, great crested cormorants, Belon shelducks…)
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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Other walks in the area

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Visorando Member
Circuit de Port Tudy par le Bourg et Locmaria à l'Île de Groix
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From Port-Tudy, the port linking the island to the mainland, explore part of the coastal path along the island’s north coast, passing through the charming port of Port Lay. Continue through the countryside to explore the heritage: a chapel, a cross, a menhir and a wash house, not forgetting the memorial stone in memory of the Groisillon poet Jean-Pierre Calloch, who died in 1917. As you pass through the village, where a tuna has replaced the traditional rooster atop the bell tower, visit the cemetery where an imposing memorial stone commemorates those lost at sea.

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Visorando Member
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Walking Tour of the island of Groix

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Tour de l’île de Groix
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"Whoever sees Groix sees its cross. Whoever sees Groix sees its joy" – there is no shortage of sayings on this little-known island, so charming and so exotic. The island of Groix is bordered by a coastal path of around 30 km. It is, of course, possible to walk the entire length in a day, but to fully appreciate the atmosphere, it is best to allow two days. Port Tudy, a small village and the point of access from Lorient, is the ideal place to stay and set off for these two days of walking.

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Visorando Member
Tour de l’Île de Groix - côte Est
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For this second stage, after returning to Trou de l'Enfer, the Île de Groix shows a much gentler side. After a few more cliffs and coves, there is a succession of beautiful sandy beaches (Les Sables Rouges, Les Grands Sables, etc.). If the weather and season are right, it is of course advisable to pack a swimsuit in your rucksack. => Message posted on 28 March 2025 by a user, reporting a problem.(!) Please note that between the point (10) and the finish, the trail is closed due to a landslide by municipal decree of 26 March 2025: >Considering that, following the collapse of the cliff, the fall of rocks, the potential risk of further rockfalls due to visible cracks and the weakening of the ground between KERMOEL and PORH SKEDOUL beach, it is necessary to prohibit access to the PEN er LANN coastal path, from KERMOEL at POINTE DE SPERNEC to PORH SKEDOUL.

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Visorando Member
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Let’s cross part of Groix to explore the wild coast and the Trou de l’Enfer, a fault where the sea rushes in.Let’s enjoy the tranquillity of the little port of Saint-Nicolas and continue on to Locmaria and its nature reserve.Let’s return to the village via a sheltered valley that hides a small pond.Let’s finish with a visit to the Chapel of the Trinity and its stained-glass window honouring the sailors of Groix at Sainte-Anne

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↔3.37 mi ↗+20 ft ↘-20 ft ◔1h 35 ▲Easy
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Between sea and land, the Anse de Kerguélen route takes you along sunken paths—veritable tunnels of vegetation—past meadows, ponds and marshes. Back on the shore, facing the Île de Groix, you’ll appreciate the contrast between the blue of the ocean and the white of the sandy coastline dotted with rocky outcrops. This route is organised by Lorient Agglomération.

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Boucle des kaolins à Ploemeur
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