La Roche au Cerf circular starting from Langast

A circular route, mainly on footpaths and sunken lanes, takes you from the village of Langast, with its very old church, to the thousand-year-old site of the Roche au Cerf ford and along streams and then the Lié valley.

Details

2579590
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.65 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 120 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 115 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 163 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 106 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Langast (22150)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.278704° / W 2.661822°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0917SB, 0918SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park near the Fromelin ponds in the village of Langast.

(S/E) Take the path between the ponds, behind the children's playground. On the other side of the pond, you will come to a post marking the start of the trail. Head east between two fields. You will soon come to a trail junction.

(1) Take the path on the right that descends into the valley. Cross the stream. Turn right and cross the departmental road. Follow the stream.

(2) Continue straight ahead; a sign indicates La Roche au Cerf. The trail climbs, turning right when it reaches a field. Continue for about 50 metres, then take a path on the left (yellow markings). Follow this path, which turns into a farm track, to Ville-ès-Besnard.

(3) When you reach Ville-ès-Besnard, take the small road on the left, then turn right at the crossroads towards Le Coqueret. In the bend before Le Coqueret, take the path that goes straight ahead. Follow the signs for La Roche au Cerf. You will reach Moulin des Essarts on the banks of the Lié stream.

(4) Continue along the left bank of the Lié to reach La Teurse.

(5) Take the small road for 100 metres, then the first path on the right. This will take you to the Roche au Cerf site.

(6) Cross the river on the ancient stones of the ford or via the footbridge. The mill has been restored and can be used as a shelter. Cross the stream behind the houses, taking a path northwards, signposted Langast. You will soon reach the Cassebreil farm.

(7) Take the path on the right and follow it to Château des Essarts.

(8) Take the small road that crosses the farm, then continues along a beautiful tree-lined avenue. You will reach a T-junction.

(9) Stay on the small road by turning right, then immediately take the path on the left overlooking the valley before approaching the river. Follow this path parallel to the river without taking the farm tracks that branch off to the left away from the valley. Join the road after the hamlet of La Drolaie.

(10) Take this road on the right and continue straight ahead until you reach the Menhir du Saut Thébault in the middle of a field on the right.

(11) Stay on the road until you reach the entrance to the village of Langast. Turn right at the first street to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 155 m - Car park near the Fromelin ponds.
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 133 m - Turn right at the fork.
  3. 2 : km 1.22 - alt. 128 m - Straight ahead, Roche aux Cerf
  4. 3 : km 2.36 - alt. 146 m - Ville-ès-Besnard
  5. 4 : km 4.23 - alt. 110 m - Moulin des Essarts
  6. 5 : km 5.02 - alt. 116 m - La Teurse
  7. 6 : km 5.43 - alt. 106 m - Roche au Cerf - Lié (rivière)
  8. 7 : km 5.87 - alt. 129 m - Path on the right
  9. 8 : km 6.87 - alt. 130 m - Les Essarts
  10. 9 : km 8.01 - alt. 121 m - Go straight ahead, then take the left-hand path.
  11. 10 : km 9.92 - alt. 118 m - Road on the right
  12. 11 : km 10.54 - alt. 144 m - Menhir
  13. S/E : km 11.65 - alt. 155 m - Car park near the Fromelin ponds.

Worth a visit

(S/E) Take the time to visit Langast Church, one of the oldest in Brittany, as it houses wall frescoes dating from between the9th and12th centuries. You can also visit the Chapel of Saint-Jean, in the cemetery, on the outskirts of the village on the road to Moncontour. Its altarpiece and roof structure, decorated with carved animal brackets, are remarkable.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
mimito
mimito

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, cool and pleasant hike with the "LIE" accompanying us for three quarters of the way... Peaceful and a complete change of scenery along these sunken paths... Worth doing even in very hot weather... The little waterfall, the Château des Errase... And discovering the menhir in the wheat field...

Machine-translated

-Arnaud-
-Arnaud-

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, and the picnic near the waterfall (point 4) alone is worth 5 stars
The final stretch along the road is a bit tedious, which is the only negative point.

Machine-translated

Serge PLANCHAIS
Serge PLANCHAIS

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk along the river.
A few uncertain directions, but quickly corrected.
A nice stop at the "union break" before crossing to the other side of the river.
Best done in summer.

Machine-translated

pimafrem13
pimafrem13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb walk along the water's edge. Beautiful little paths and very little road except at the end of the route to reach the village of Langast. But we recommend this route because it's well worth doing.
There is a very nice spot for those who want to picnic, with a table and benches and a small waterfall to keep us company.

Machine-translated

pimafrem13
pimafrem13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb walk along the water's edge. Beautiful little paths and few roads except at the end of the route to reach the village of Langast. But we recommend this route because it is well worth doing.
There is a very nice spot for those who want to picnic, with a table and benches and a small waterfall to keep us company.

Machine-translated

cmat
cmat

A lovely walk along a well-marked route.
It's a shame that you have to take a small detour on a tarmac road because of hunting, which prohibits access to the forest from the Moulin de la Roche aux Cerfs between September and March. This information is only revealed once you arrive.

Machine-translated

MARTDomi
MARTDomi

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike.
No difficulty, the paths are clearly marked and well maintained.

Machine-translated

famillecaro
famillecaro

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

If you enjoy sunken paths, you will love this hike. What's more, it offers many beautiful views and is not difficult at all: we completed it easily in an hour and a half.

Machine-translated

bebert le randonneur
bebert le randonneur

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We found this short route very pleasant, with very few wet sections. We will be back this summer.

Machine-translated

Chocapic
Chocapic

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Done as a family with two children aged 7 and 9.
Even for beginners, it's perfectly doable with good shoes.
We liked the shade and the fact that it wasn't crowded.
It's a shame that the last 2 km are uphill on tarmac.
Thank you for this discovery.

Machine-translated

Guitoune22
Guitoune22

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Description is good except for the start, which needs to be revised (lacks precision). The same applies to the route on the map.

Machine-translated

mitchka
mitchka

I am not aware of any formal prohibition. The paths are used all year round by local residents. There may be some issues with hunters on hunting days...

Machine-translated

Vtwin
Vtwin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,
I was only able to do half of it, as it is not specified that this hike passes through private land and is prohibited during the hunting season from September to March.
Otherwise, the first part is really beautiful.

Machine-translated

fifou74
fifou74

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The end of the hike, from point 9 onwards, is unremarkable, but the rest of it is a pleasant walk. The stream at the start gets you going, and the whole section along the river, with "la roche au cerf" and "les essarts", is really charming. What's more, there are some really beautiful trees, including two majestic pines and some impressive beeches...
I really enjoyed it.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.