Marzan walks

Located opposite La Roche-Bernard, on the other bank of the Vilaine, the commune of Marzan stretches across a plateau overlooking the river. On these heights, exposed to sea winds, the remains of several windmills can still be seen. Streams have carved out the rock and flow at the bottom of the valleys. Where it was possible to dam them, water mills were built. The proposed route takes you from one to the other through varied and pleasant countryside.

North of La Roche-Bernard, the Vilaine has carved its bed into a rocky plateau, and the streams that join it have also settled in fairly steep valleys. The remains of windmills on the heights and watermills along the streams mark this route, which winds around the former estate of Fescal Castle. This route runs mainly through wooded areas, interspersed with wooded hedgerow landscapes.

The Péaule countryside has a rather unique network of paths. Land consolidation has not been destructive here, and large, beautiful hedges still line the roads. Elsewhere, the Vilaine and its tributary streams have carved into the rocky plateau to create a generally wooded landscape where you can take a stroll. The long route on offer allows you to enjoy these different but always interesting landscapes, which follow one another during a beautiful day's walk.

As you approach La Roche-Bernard, the Vilaine river winds its way through the geological folds of southern Armorica. The result is a rugged, wooded landscape that is very pleasant to walk through.

An hour-and-a-half circuit with a few tricky sections. This pleasant walk alternates seamlessly between passages at water's edge and ridge-climbing, and also spans two bridges some 50 m above the Vilaine. The bridge circuit allows you to discover a small section of the river as it crosses the Sillon de Bretagne. Get your calves ready!

On either side of La Roche-Bernard, the Vilaine flows through the South Armorican Fold, the first range of hills behind the coastline. Here, the river has carved out a steep-sided valley, and the proposed route allows you to explore the section immediately upstream of the Morbihan Bridge. The wooded slopes, varying in steepness, line the mirror-like surface formed by the dark waters of the Vilaine.

Although La Roche-Bernard is an urban centre that locals refer to as a ‘town’, its area (40 ha) and population (approx. 700 inhabitants) make it one of the smallest county towns in France. It is surrounded by the communes of Nivillac, Herbignac and Férel, across which the majority of the urban area is spread. The proposed route takes you around the area.

A very pretty route which starts in the countryside and forest and then follows the course of the Vilaine river. The start and finish are at the very pretty port of La Roche-Bernard.

Saint Cornely is the patron saint of horned animals. It is therefore fitting that his chapel is located in a very agricultural part of Péaule. But during this walk, which criss-crosses the plateau above the Vilaine, you will have other things to do than count cows and other quadrupeds. Keep your eyes open, there is much to see in this meander of the Vilaine

As is often the case in Brittany, the landscape is not the result of tectonic forces, which would have created a few sharp-peaked mountains, but rather the result of numerous watercourses that have carved their way through the plateaus. The proximity of the Vilaine, which flows here through a narrow, steep-sided valley, has led secondary watercourses to cut through the moorland to join the river. Starting on the wooded plateau, the proposed route soon winds its way through these valleys, which, due to the decline of agriculture or the low value of this poor soil, have been left to more or less spontaneous woodland growth. The result is a undulating route that runs mostly in the shade of tall, beautiful trees, whilst connecting the countless hamlets that dot this lovely countryside.

Following the suggested route is a lovely way to explore the northern part of the commune of Péaule. Whilst the first few kilometres of this route simply take you through beautiful, undulating countryside with little variation in elevation, the landscape changes completely once you reach the Ruisseau du Pesle, to the north of the commune. And along the way, you can admire some fine examples of local architecture, such as old mills or the chapels of Saint-Leufroy and Saint-André, as well as many other civil buildings.

Le port de Foleux marque la limite occidentale des marais de Redon. À cet endroit, la Vilaine se resserre et se fraie un passage entre les reliefs du Sillon de Bretagne. Le circuit proposé permet de découvrir la rive Sud de ce goulet. Il parcourt le bord de l'eau et joue aux montagnes russes à travers le relief assez accidenté de Nivillac.

The village of Arzal stretches from the foot of the church's pointed bell tower to the edge of the dam. Upstream, the river has become a huge body of water where thousands of boats are moored, while downstream, the maritime character of the estuary remains. The proposed route allows you to discover both aspects of the river and the bocage that overlooks it.

The commune of Péaule is located on a plateau that has been carved out by rivers, creating valleys of varying depths. In the eastern part of the commune, these valleys, which lead towards the Vilaine, create a forest atmosphere that is pleasant to walk through. Deciduous trees on the slopes and at the bottom of the valley, and conifers on the moors at the top, provide the setting for this well-shaded walk, where sunken paths give way to tree-lined avenues.

A pleasant, easy walk along the banks of the Vilaine through wooded countryside, forests and small villages. The path is fully signposted in white and red by theGR®39(left bank) andGR®349(right bank).