Lac Saint-Agnan towards the Abbey of La Pierre-qui-Vire

Walk through the forest, part of which runs alongside the River Trinquelin and moorland.
Halfway along the route, you will pass the Abbaye de la Pierre-qui-Vire.

Details

25531971
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.53 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 125 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 127 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 569 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 456 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park just before the Lac de Saint-Agnan dam, near the information boards.

(S/E) With your back to the lake, take the wide path north into the woods. At a crossroads, go straight ahead (do not take the wide path on the left), between two trees marked 1 and 3 (2022). Blue, white and mountain bike markings.

(1) After the meadows and in front of the Valtats houses, turn right (north-east). Yellow-red and red mountain bike markings. Follow theGR® de Pays Tour du Morvan. Walk along the Trinquelin river until you see the abbey wall and a statue of the Virgin Mary on your left.

(2) Turn right to cross the bridge and continue to the abbey buildings.

(3) At the toilets, go up the stairs on the right and turn right onto the road.

(4) After passing a house with a chapel and near an electricity pole, enter the woods on the right. At a junction with a mountain bike trail, continue straight ahead through the moorland.

(5) At the crossroads, at an elevation of 545 metres, turn right (south-west).

(6) You will arrive at the Lac de Saint-Agnan dam. Cross it, then turn left to return to your car
(S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 527 m - Dam - Lac de Saint-Agnan
  2. 1 : km 1.52 - alt. 560 m - Les Valtats
  3. 2 : km 3.19 - alt. 457 m - Between the statue and the bridge
  4. 3 : km 3.58 - alt. 480 m - Stairs - Abbaye de la Pierre-qui-Vire
  5. 4 : km 4 - alt. 506 m - Turn right at the fork in the woods
  6. 5 : km 6.55 - alt. 547 m - Turn right at the fork
  7. 6 : km 7.27 - alt. 529 m - Dam
  8. S/E : km 7.52 - alt. 527 m - Dam - Lac de Saint-Agnan

Notes

Good walking shoes.
Bring water.

Worth a visit

The abbey has a shop selling local produce, crafts and religious items.
At (2), instead of climbing the stairs, you can continue towards the car parks and take the "Gorges du Trinquelin" tour.
You can also combine this hike with the "Tour du Lac Saint-Agnan".

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
isabelle baussart
isabelle baussart

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very few people, no difficulty, a lovely path along the river and a beautiful abbey. We started with the walk around Lake Saint-Agnan (Visorando, starting at the dam) and finished with this route, which takes about 4½ hours to complete: 18 km with 260 m of elevation gain.

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bb53
bb53

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We’ve done this route for the fourth time, and it was just as enjoyable as ever on this splendid April day.
The route isn’t difficult and is extremely peaceful, with sections through the woods and across the moor.
We start from La Pierre qui vire, which gives us the chance to pop into the shop on the way back!
Thanks to whoever suggested it.

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Alainrando777
Alainrando777

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the sunshine. It’s very refreshing and easy. There’s not much of a climb; I’d really recommend stopping off near the Abbaye de la Pierre qui Vire. In the shaded car park, there are stone tables, and toilets in the building next door. The church itself is absolutely beautiful, with carpeted floors. And this abbey is right in the middle of the woods.
You might come across some nuns in their ‘habs’ (apologies if that term isn’t quite right) walking briskly along the footpaths!

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bb53
bb53

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I do this route regularly, but it's always just as enjoyable.
It is easy, with very pleasant scenery and few people. A real pleasure whatever the season.
Thank you to the person who suggested it.

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Nanar 58
Nanar 58

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy and very pleasant walk along the Trinquelet.

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Michel des Courtils
Michel des Courtils

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk, with nature awakening at the beginning of spring.

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Mag81
Mag81

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful route along the Trinquelet and through the forest, very pleasant.

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Isabelle D.
Isabelle D.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely, easy and varied loop. The section through Pierre-qui-Vire is really nice. The return route is a mountain bike trail, as indicated on the map. You just need to be aware of this because you lose the usual hiking signs, but you just need to follow a very well-maintained path. However, I always take an IGN map with me just in case. Once you've done it, it's easy to remember. There was no traffic as it was a weekday in March.

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Eric89200
Eric89200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk without any great difficulty. A peaceful and relaxing stroll through the forest alongside the stream and its waterfalls.
A pleasant experience. However, it is best to go when the weather is dry, as during rainy periods some sections may be difficult to navigate

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Rachel89
Rachel89

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike!

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hendaye
hendaye

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant tour. We only encountered one couple. The abbey museum is interesting.

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mimi.bouveret@wanadoo.fr
mimi.bouveret@wanadoo.fr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very pleasant walk through the woods on 15 August along a refreshing stream. Delicious blackberries along the way. Magnificent flowering heather bushes. Before climbing to point 5, we chose to take a pleasant pilgrims' path to the right, narrow at first but then widening and leading to the dam (500 metres less)

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Barou
Barou

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

we did the hike together with the one to Lake St Agnan, and as we took it backwards, we made a mistake at the Abbey of La Pierre qui Vire and went up the river in the wrong direction

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Nova’s team
Nova’s team

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very varied hike, most of which is in the shade in the morning (which is welcome when it's 33 degrees). We also follow the Trinquelin trail for part of the way, which is superb.
I didn't use the description because I took out an IGN subscription.
The Visorando app is brilliant! (It's a shame I couldn't figure out how to add a photo to my message.)

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Antoine89Ab
Antoine89Ab

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Perfect for any hiker)))

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