The Cantache tour in Pocé-les-Bois

A stone's throw from Vitré, a historic town in the Marches de Bretagne region, Lake Cantache stretches across three municipalities: Champeaux, Monteuil-sous-Pérouse and Pocé-les-Bois. A winter stopover for migratory birds, their presence is a source of wonder.

Details

n°1643191

Creation:
25 Nov 2018

Last update:
13 Apr 2023

Last review:
16 Jun 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 12.17 km
Average duration: 3h 35
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 24 m
Descent: - 22 m
Highest point: 80 m
Lowest point: 52 m

Country: France
District: Montreuil-sous-Pérouse (35500)
Start/End: N 48.14547° / W 1.25448°
IGN map(s): Ref. 1318SB
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Description of the walk

Parking at Ville en Bois on the D794.
The route is marked in an anti-clockwise direction.
Yellow^PR® markings supplemented by green arrows accompanied by the number 74.

(S/E) Leave the car park and head towards the lake shore, turning right.
Follow this path (the only one) keeping as close as possible to the shore on your left. Twice, the path goes around wet areas: the reed beds (see below). Please do not take the shortcut.

(1) After crossing the stream, the path turns south towards Rabaud and the D29.

(2) See note below.
Cross the main road and continue straight ahead, then immediately turn left.
Continue along the path, keeping as close as possible to the lake shore on your left.

(3) At Carrefour du Chêne, turn left towards the south. Take care when descending through the woods towards the dam . The path descends behind the dam to its lower level.

(4) Take the footbridge as indicated by the signs, not the concrete bridge before it.
Turn left to go back up to the top of the dam. Follow the path along the edge of the lake again.

(5) Leave the small Hautes Vallées menhir on your right and continue along the path. Ignore the path on the right and continue straight ahead on a path along the lake. Do the same after a wide right-hand bend and you will come to a small tarmac road.

(6) Turn left and continue left after 200 metres. The path, made of log steps, descends to the D29.

(7) Cross the road and continue straight ahead on the right to join the path on the left.
Continue along this path, which runs alongside the lake on your left.

(8) The car park at the start is 400 m to the left.
Cross the D794 and continue straight ahead around the lake via the north-eastern tip, which skirts the houses of Montreuil-sous-Pérouse.

(9) Continue left along the lake. Cross the main road and return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 63 m - Car park at Ville en Bois (D794)
1 : km 2 - alt. 62 m - Corbanne stream
2 : km 3.41 - alt. 65 m - Crossing the D29
3 : km 5.43 - alt. 66 m - Carrefour du Chêne, on the left
4 : km 5.98 - alt. 52 m - Footbridge - Cantache (rivière)
5 : km 6.44 - alt. 63 m - Menhir des Hautes Vallées
6 : km 8.1 - alt. 69 m - On the right, Gazon Castle.
7 : km 8.79 - alt. 65 m - Crossing the D29
8 : km 10.72 - alt. 63 m - Crossing the D794
9 : km 11.47 - alt. 62 m - Continue to the left. Confluence of the Cantache and - Pérouse (rivière) - Affluent de la Cantache
S/E : km 12.17 - alt. 63 m - Car park at Ville en Bois (D794)

Notes

This route is taken from the Vitré Community catalogue. The above description and these notes were written by "Le Randonneur Breton".

You can shorten the route by 5.5 km by taking the road on the left at (2) to reach (7). The circular route between these two points, which passes by the dam, is a little more challenging: there is a steep descent followed by log steps, which are not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
Not doing the last circular loop, between (8) and (S/E), shortens the route by one kilometre.

Worth a visit

Reed beds: areas bordering a pond or marsh where reeds make up most of the vegetation. These formations provide nesting and breeding grounds for many marsh birds and ensure effective water purification.

Lake Cantache is 4 km long, 300 m wide and 11 m deep at its deepest point. It holds 6.8 m³ of water, which helps to regulate flooding on the Vilaine river upstream from Rennes.

Fauna present on the lake: it is home to common species, but is particularly interesting for water birds that can be observed in winter: mallards, wigeons, shovelers, great crested grebes, little grebes, great cormorants, black-headed gulls, teals, tufted ducks, grey herons, moorhens and coots.
With a diversity of 21 species, it is one of the richest sites for wintering birds in Ille-et-Vilaine. It was home to more than 2,000 individuals in the 2010 Wetlands International census.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5

Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5

Ease of following the route
5 / 5

Route interest
4.1 / 5

User 10069762

16 Jun 2025 at 12:14 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy route for elderly people or those with some difficulties

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michel.35

13 May 2024 at 20:52 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very easy, lacks a bit of depth

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Pacific0962

08 Jan 2024 at 11:45 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike that is particularly suitable during winter when the paths are often wet.

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Isilis

06 Jun 2023 at 14:29 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant and easy hike for occasional exercisers! Beautiful, well-maintained natural surroundings and lovely spots for a picnic break.

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domivasseur2935

29 Aug 2022 at 10:32 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A very well-detailed route, but a bit monotonous and without any major surprises. Few elevation changes. Accessible to all. Shortcuts possible.

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Buzuk

03 Jun 2019 at 10:39 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great route, very enjoyable. Just a little difficult to find the starting point.

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thomasvan

20 May 2019 at 16:09 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

tour of the pleasant lake

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