The marshes and polders of Beaussais-sur-Mer

Park in the car park of Ploubalay church.

(S/E) Take Rue du Clos Guérin, which leads to the car park. At the end of the street, turn right, then take the second street on the left, Rue des Chênes.

(1) Turn left onto the cul-de-sac at the end of which the path begins. The path winds through the woods, crosses a tree-climbing park and crosses the Ru du Floubalay via a small bridge.

(2) The trail is then replaced by a carriageway lined with crops. When you reach Ville Simon, the road passes through a neighbourhood of beautiful villas.

(3) Continue along the road on the left, Rue du Sabre. At the next crossroads, turn left towards Clos du Pont.

(4) Turn left onto Rue du Clos du Pont. This road crosses the RD786 and leads to the water treatment plant.

(5) At the corner of the sewage treatment plant fence, turn right onto the path that runs alongside it, then further on joins the Floubalay stream, which flows through wooded vegetation to the bridge.

(6) The bridge connects the two banks of the Floubalay: the right bank leads to Lancieux and the left bank leads back to the polders of Beaussais-sur-Mer. Please note: it is forbidden to continue along the path on the left bank of the Floubalay. Take the path on the left, keep left at the next junction and continue until you reach the road at Ville ès Prêtres.

(7) Turn right towards the polders along this road, which is now closed to traffic. It leads to the Ferme du Marais and the submersible sculpture.

(8) After the Ferme du Marais, continue straight ahead along the path.

(9) After crossing a mound of earth, turn left onto the wooded path that ends at the roundabout on the Ploubalay/Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer departmental road. Turn left onto Rue de Joliet, which leads back to the centre of Ploubalay. Take a short detour to the left at Ville Asselin to see the Tour de Brenan.

(10) Turn back and continue the route by turning left. Continue to the cemetery roundabout.
(11) Pass by the aeroplane propeller (1944 memorial) and then in front of La Gare restaurant. Then turn right onto Rue des Frères Lecoublet. When you reach the post office, continue straight ahead on Allée Commerçante to reach the church car park (S/E).

At point (6), it is no longer possible to take the path that runs along the dyke protecting the low-lying fields.
Following the storm in March 2020, the dyke built by the monks of Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer in the 14th century and rebuilt many times since then has partially collapsed.
The Conservatoire du Littoral decided to open a 40-metre-wide and 10-metre-deep breach in the dyke to allow the waves to flow freely over the natural sea coverage area, thus freeing up an area of 70 hectares.

(8) At the Ferme du Marais, a sculpture entitled "À l'abri dans le Marais" (Sheltered in the Marsh), the work of visual artist Nancy Lamontagne, winner of the France Relance project, aims to symbolise this work undertaken to preserve the natural environment of the Bay.

(10) The Brenan Tower, built in 1870 and recently restored, was part of the Brenan manor house. Its purpose is unknown: was it a watchtower, a Chappe telegraph tower, or something else?

(11) The memorial consists of one of the two blades from the P38 Lightning flown by Lieutenant E. Durst of the US Air Force, which was shot down on 24 July 1944. The memorial also honours tank commander C. Dysko, who was killed on 7 August 1944.

When hiking in an area prone to flooding, it is important to check the tide times and their range.