The banks of the Brière at Marlais

Starting point: Albert Texier community hall, 4 Rue Jean de Rieux, Marlais.

(S/E) Head south along the village’s main street, Rue Jean de Rieux.

(1) Turn left into Rue de la Butte (2nd on the left). Before reaching the departmental road, turn right onto Rue des Yais.

(2) Turn left, go under the RD 47 via the tunnel, and follow the road to Port des Prises du Coin.

(3) The first part of the route runs alongside the Brière and offers the chance to stop at Port des Prises du Coin. Continue north-east.

(4) Once you reach Port du Mintré, carry on to the left. At the next junction, go straight on to reach the Jardins du Marais, a remarkable garden well worth taking the time to visit as it’s well worth the detour.

(5). Return to the route by turning back. At the previous junction, turn left. Turn left at the next crossroads to reach Hoscas. In this hamlet, turn right onto the D51 and then, immediately afterwards, left onto the Chemin des Perrières to reach the Bignon d’Hoscas. Before the first house, turn right onto the path running along the edge of the plot and continue to the Bois de l’Abeille. The thatched cottages in the hamlet are, however, worth a few extra steps.

(6) Enter the Bois de l’Abeille on the right and continue to the foot of Kerio d’Hoscas (a five-way junction with a wayside cross). Turn left through the woods of Coët-Caret until you reach the RD47. Walk along the right-hand side of the road for 400 m. This is a busy road, but the wide verges allow you to walk along it safely.

(7) At the Route de Saint-Goustan, take the path on the left, then the next one on the right to head back up towards Kerlibérin. The villages you have passed through so far feature fine examples of thatched cottages, and this last one is home to one of the ‘chaumiers de Brière’ (thatched-roof roofers). It is the first house on the right as you enter the village via the Chemin des Prinzes. Then continue left at the junction to finish passing through the hamlet and reach a T-junction.

(8) Turn left, then right at the next junction, then left again.

(9) At the entrance to La Baronnerie, turn right. Carry on until you reach a four-way junction. Turn right. The land consolidation of the 1970s was rather drastic and, whilst nature has reclaimed its rights in places, there are no longer any traces of the ancient Roman road that used to pass through this area.

(10) At L’Auvergnac, turn left onto the path opposite the farm and continue left towards Kernay. From the top of the hill, you’ll have a panoramic view of the Mès marshes, which are fresh upstream of Pompas, brackish as far as Pont d’Armes, and then salt marshes beyond. La Brière and the Mès marshes are separated by just a few kilometres, and the area you are passing through would be the only land link to the Guérande Peninsula if the sea level were to rise by two metres.

Leave Kernay heading east and follow the path until you reach a crossroads. Turn right and continue for several hundred metres.

(11) At the junction of two country lanes, you’ll find the^GR® 3 signposting (red and white). Take the path heading left, which leads to Les Fresches (Les Fraiches on the map).

(12) Turn left. Follow Rue de la Pierre Blanche and then Rue des Saules in turn. Walk up through the village of Marlais on the left.

(1) Carry on straight ahead and return to the starting point (S/E).

The sections along the banks of the Brière may be impassable during periods of high water in the marsh (the area between Les Prises du Coin and Hoscas).

This route was mapped out by the “Les Galocheux” association with the support of Herbignac Town Hall.
The two ports are the main access points to the marsh in the Herbignac area and are home to the flat-bottomed boats that allow you to explore it.

Les Jardins du Marais, near Mintré harbour, is a leading centre for practical ecology. A pioneer in this field, Yves Gillen has been developing the garden for forty years, transforming a stretch of marshland that had been left to run wild into a little green paradise. The artistic creations dotted along the route are another facet of the head gardener’s talent; he’ll be delighted to welcome you through his gates for a few euros. But do allow plenty of time, as the master of the house is quite a chatterbox.