The menhir of La Butte in Cuguen

A very pleasant route along sunken paths (sometimes wet) and hedgerow paths. You will walk alongside small streams with the incessant sound of lapping water as they cross a stony area. The highlight of this hike is the Butte menhir.

Details

4419917
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.91 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 61 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 68 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 120 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 68 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Cuguen (35270)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.444179° / W 1.662597°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1216O, 1217SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

In the centre of Cuguen, head towards Saint-Léger-des-Prés (D 285) and at Petit Mesnil, park next to the tennis court.

(S/E) Take the path that extends eastwards from the car park. At the power line, turn right and walk along the valley and then the pond. Cross a road and continue straight ahead to La Riotais, leaving the farm on your left.

(1) After the farm, turn left onto the path. Cross a road and walk through La Plihonnière. When you reach the D 796 departmental road, walk along it on the right for 40 metres, cross it carefully and take the road on the left.

(2) Before the well, follow the path on the left. Follow it as it turns right at the edge of the woods. Reach Les Nouettes on the left and, after the buildings, continue on the right to cross the woods. Go down the path on the left to cross the footbridge and go back up towards the road.

(3) Leave La Péfolière on your right and turn left. In front of La Corbinière, first turn left then right for about 30 metres to head towards La Glérazière. At this point, continue along the road to the left to reach La Butte. Continue along the path as it extends. Follow it when it veers to the right. Arrive at the Pierre Longue de Saint-Jouan or Menhir de la Butte (panoramic view).

(4) Continue along the path heading west. At a stone cross, turn right onto a sunken path. This passage could be called the path of quotations - see note below.
Cross the woods and arrive at a track.

(5) Turn left. Take the road on the right for 50 metres and turn left onto the path. It continues along a narrow track which widens to reach Loup Pendu.

(6) Follow the road on the left and then quickly take the road on the right that crosses the D 796 departmental road. Cross carefully and continue straight ahead. Pass Verria and arrive at a T-junction.

(7) Turn right and 120 m further on, continue left to reach a country road. Follow it to the left. In the left-hand bend, take the path on the right. When you reach the road, first turn left then right for 30 m to continue along the path.

(8) Continue along the path when it branches off to the right. Follow the road to the right until you reach L'Aubertière. Turn left towards Rocher Carémel.

(9) In the hamlet, turn left to walk along a pond on your left. At the end of the pond, go around the field on the left, then squeeze between the crops to cross a stream and arrive at Moulin de Horon. Walk along the road on the left on the grassy strip to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 97 m - Tennis court car park
  2. 1 : km 1.32 - alt. 100 m - La Riotais
  3. 2 : km 1.99 - alt. 106 m - Path on the left before a well
  4. 3 : km 3.16 - alt. 79 m - La Péfolière
  5. 4 : km 4.5 - alt. 105 m - Menhir de la Butte
  6. 5 : km 5.63 - alt. 103 m - Track on the left
  7. 6 : km 6.7 - alt. 110 m - Le Loup Pendu
  8. 7 : km 7.25 - alt. 117 m - T-junction
  9. 8 : km 8.76 - alt. 104 m - Path on the right
  10. 9 : km 9.6 - alt. 101 m - The Carémel Rock
  11. S/E : km 10.91 - alt. 97 m - Tennis court car park

Notes

This route was taken by the author on 22 January 2021: it is entirely passable, although in some places the paths are soggy or even flooded. Caution is advised as there is a risk of falling.

Worth a visit

At (3) La Péfolière: remarkable garden

(4) The Menhir de Pierre Longue de Saint-Jouan: Christianised in the 19th century, this 6.5-metre-high monolith with a base perimeter of 7 metres is located at an altitude of 105 metres and dominates the entire landscape.

After the stone cross that follows the menhir, we called the sunken path "Chemin des citations" (Path of Quotations). Slates are attached to the branches of the trees, on which quotations, proverbs or maxims by famous or anonymous writers are written. We counted more than forty of them. Although they are very close together at the beginning, they become much more spaced out towards the Loup Pendu.

At (7) to the north-west: Trémeheuc wind farm.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
EtienneBar
EtienneBar

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 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 lovely paths that are easy to follow and present no difficulty.
However, having done it in winter, I can confirm that the paths can be very muddy in wet weather.
It should be noted that it is possible to shorten the walk in several places.

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Choulimi
Choulimi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

have a nice, peaceful ride. Beautiful scenery...

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Kitten
Kitten

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, peaceful walk in green surroundings, well signposted, to be repeated at the beginning of summer.

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PierreMLS
PierreMLS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a beautiful route. Varied, with lovely sunken paths and little tarmac. Done in hot summer weather (2022), it remains pleasant because it is very shady. The section with the 'quotes' on the slates adds another dimension and makes it worth the hike.

For those who enjoy it, it is possible to extend the section with slates by taking a path on the left in the section that follows point 5, about 200 metres after leaving the tarmac road that came from Landran. This path continues into the forest in the form of an illustrated 'garden of dreams'. If you continue along the path in this garden to its end, you will complete a circular route and return to the first houses north of the hamlet of Landran. You must then turn left at the first tarmac crossroads to rejoin the Visorando route 200 metres further on.
Highly recommended!

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SERRANDP
SERRANDP

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route. The menhir stands out on a ridge and is very impressive. Superb view. Another surprise: the path with slate tiles hanging in the trees. A beautiful discovery. This route is best done in dry weather, as some sections can be wet. Highly recommended.
There is an alternative route: after point 5, join the road and turn left towards the village of Landran. After a few houses, turn right just before the bus shelter. Here too, you will discover another path, with a multitude of surprises (painted signs, little notes on slates, small sculptures, etc., one surprise after another). It's worth the detour. This path will take you to Le Loup Pendu, where you can rejoin the original route.

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Christian  g
Christian g

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A scenic, flower-filled, poetic walk with "thoughts" written on slates hung in the trees along part of the route. The "decorated" trees are surprising.

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