The banks of the Belon and Anse de Penmor

Two coastal rivers, the Aven and the Belon, have the same estuary facing Port Manec'h. This circuit largely follows the edge of the Belon and one of its coves, Penmor. During the walk, you will discover two beautiful fountains and the Saint-Léger Chapel.

Details

385287
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.25 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 256 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 259 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 161 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 7 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Access: From the centre of Riec-Sur-Belon, head towards the ports of Belon and Rosbras. After 500 m, turn left, still heading towards the ports mentioned above, and 500 m further on, turn left towards Moulin Édouard. Park at the side of the road at the ‘parking’ sign, before entering the property and its private car park.

(S/E) From the car park, head down towards Moulin Édouard and, at the entrance to the property, turn right onto the footbridge over Le Dourdu (signposted ‘coastal path’). The path runs along the edge of the woodland, skirting the property. At the first fork, turn left to cross a footbridge at the far end of Anse de Penmor.

GR®34: White and Red

Follow the coastal path that runs along the bottom of the cove.

PR®® Yellow markings

(1) Turn left and let theGR®® continue to the right. Join a wide path and take it to the right. Follow this wide stony path, which begins a long climb before levelling out and joining a road where you turn left. Follow it for about 400 m.

(2) At the junction with another road, turn left and continue uphill to a signpost.

(3) Turn right and continue through the small wood until you reach a road.

No signposting

Turn right onto this road and follow the route as it continues (the woodland has become private and the covered walkway shown on the map has never been found).

(4) At the signpost for Kergall and Keriquel, turn left, follow the road round the first farm and continue until you reach a track.

(5) Pass by a remarkable oak tree (see the ‘During the walk’ section) and walk alongside the orchards.

(6) At a broken gate, enter the Kergall departmental woodland and begin a descent. Turn right onto a wide path through the moorland. Ignore the wide tracks on the right. Several paths criss-cross; always choose those leading down towards the banks of the Belon.

GR®34 +PR®® Yellow

(7) Follow the path to the right along the edge of the woods overlooking the Belon. On the hilltop, you can see the old Porte Neuve castle, which has been converted into a centre for people with disabilities run by MGEN. Part of the coastal path has thus been adapted for people with reduced mobility.
You’ll come to the first fountain with its wash house, the one at Porte Neuve, not Saint-Léger as the sign on site indicates.

(8) Continue along the coastal path, which winds its way around a large oyster farm and leads to the Anse de Saint-Léger, near which stands the chapel of the same name, along with its twin fountain and wash house.

(9) After a possible break in this idyllic setting, continue along the coastal path, which veers slightly away from the river to go round private properties. At the road, turn left and rejoin the path.

(10) Continue along Anse de Penmor. The coastal path offers a fine view of the opposite bank of the Belon. Reach the end of the cove.

(1) Turn left and retrace your steps along the route you took at the start until you reach the car park (start/end).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 89 ft - Car park just before Moulin Édouard
  2. 1 : mi 0.44 - alt. 16 ft - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 0.87 - alt. 85 ft - Junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.11 - alt. 131 ft - At the signpost, turn right into the woods
  5. 4 : mi 1.62 - alt. 108 ft - Towards Kergall and Kériquel
  6. 5 : mi 1.91 - alt. 121 ft - Remarkable oak tree
  7. 6 : mi 1.99 - alt. 154 ft - Entrance to the Kergall departmental woodland
  8. 7 : mi 2.37 - alt. 23 ft - Belon riverbank - Bélon (fleuve)
  9. 8 : mi 2.94 - alt. 16 ft - Porte Neuve Fountain – Bélon (river)
  10. 9 : mi 3.43 - alt. 33 ft - Saint-Léger Chapel and Fountain
  11. 10 : mi 3.91 - alt. 26 ft - Penmor Cove
  12. S/E : mi 5.25 - alt. 85 ft - Car park just before Moulin Édouard

Notes

Dry toilets near Saint-Léger Chapel.
Between points (10) and (1), the coastal path has a few tricky sections.
Walking poles may be useful.

Worth a visit

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

4.6 / 5
Based on 26 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Dangcd
Dangcd

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Allows you to walk along the Bélon on the less frequented bank, offering superb views

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andre demey
andre demey

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike (even in reverse, taken from the GR34, we missed the turn at 1!). Didn't see the fountain on the left between 1 and 2 (not signposted either, like the covered walkway). Wide path (overall). Pleasant natural surroundings. Note that the car park can accommodate up to 6 cars and must not be driven past, otherwise you will enter private property.

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029superbigou09
029superbigou09

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

An easy, well-marked walk, with few road sections (small, uncrowded roads out of season) and beautiful scenery.

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CETNAIR
CETNAIR

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route was perfect, both in terms of length, difficulty and accessibility, and in terms of the interest of the landscape, combining woodland and river, monuments and activities (mainly oysters).
We hiked on a Sunday in winter, outside the school holidays. I can't guarantee the same peace and quiet on a weekday when the oyster-farming industry is in full swing and the holiday village, deserted on that day, is full to bursting in the summer.
And, on a side note, the low wall we used at the very start of the walk on this high tide day was covered in water at the end of the route, forcing us to sneak across the Moulin Edouard, whose owners had clearly posted "Private property" at both entrances. That said, as the alternative was to wait until the tide had finished rising and then started to fall again, we didn't hesitate.
In any case, this walk remains one of our most enjoyable of the winter.

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RIBIN
RIBIN
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Departure from the chapel of St Leger, route in the other direction. Done on 27/01/2024
The paths were cleared after the storm and are passable despite the major damage.
Don't miss the remarkable oak tree (walk around it).
The site of Saint Léger is superb.
The section between the Penmor cove and the river bank is quite "sporty" in places.

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Hello and thank you for your opinion.
Obviously, crossing the wood is no longer authorised as it was when I first recognised this route.
So I'm going to make the change on the road.
Best regards.

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Tébérando
Tébérando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We confirm the advice already given. Between 2 and 4 it was impossible to follow the route: branches across the path, sign asking you not to cross the wood. We therefore followed the route. The route is nevertheless very interesting, particularly along the Bélon: industrial oyster farming, chapel, fountain and small beach at Anse St-Léger (7-8).

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perrot_c
perrot_c
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

From Chapelle St léger. Clockwise direction. A very beautiful stretch of coastal path along the Belon and its tributaries, but difficult to follow on the plateau. Marking sometimes absent. Path deliberately obstructed by trunks and cut branches around the covered walkway (in poor condition). Passes by a spectacular thousand-year-old oak. Natural path back down to the Belon does not correspond to the pdf file. Very nice, fairly easy walk.

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Dan29170
Dan29170
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello and thank you for this lovely hike on a sunny Sunday in January.
I would like to point out that at the entrance to the private wood, between point no. 2 and point no. 3, there are obstacles (fir trunks and branches) which seem to have been deliberately placed to dissuade hikers from entering. We therefore took the road to continue towards point No. 4.

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Thank you for this review
Thank you also for pointing out this covered walkway that escaped my notice.
I'll have to check it out on a future outing.
I'll mention it in the description.
Sincerely

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SERRES-CANY
SERRES-CANY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk in superb sunshine. The banks of the Belon and then the karstic cave after the pointe de Penquerméo are fantastic in the bright light. The second part of the walk takes us through a number of farms. Of particular note along the way is the covered walkway at Kérantiec, which is well worth a stop. Pure pleasure! Thanks to Floch for this great walk.

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OhReally
OhReally

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you FLOCH for this hike.
I did the loop in the opposite direction. The path just before point 6 (or just after, if you hike in the proposed direction) is no longer accessible (no-passing sign + barrier) but that doesn't create any difficulty; you can naturally find the remarkable oak tree by following the main path.
I couldn't find the covered walkway between points 3 and 4. It's not mentioned in the description of the walk, but it does appear on the IGN map extract. I'm curious to know if the hikers in Brittany who read this post know if this covered walkway (still) exists?

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Roger Flao
Roger Flao

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Thank you again for this wonderful suggestion for a walk.
Beautiful landscapes and interesting discoveries, the mill, the oyster beds, the fountains, the chapel of St-Léger and the washhouse...

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jemarche72
jemarche72

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk, with magnificent scenery.

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brendan3
brendan3
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very nice walk early in the morning, before the afternoon heat.
A small problem on one part of the route, quickly corrected thanks to the GPS, which must also be point no. 6...
The path is quite steep in places. Poles recommended for senior hikers who are more or less prone to vertigo!

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