Plouër-sur-Rance in shades of green and blue

The starting point is in the centre of the village of Plouër-sur-Rance. The media centre car park, opposite the post office, has around thirty spaces.

(S/E) From the media centre car park, head towards the church and go round it on the left, heading due east down Rue de la Garette. At the first junction, 150 m past the church, take the first turn left then right for 20 m, following the sign for Le Tertre du Moulin to join a farm track that leads uphill. At the top, pass the cross on the right.
At the crossroads 300 m further on, continue straight ahead along the grassy path. You’ll reach the first houses of La Mettrie Pommerais and a tarmac road. Cross it and continue straight on towards the east. 100 m further on, take the path on the right before the sign for Le Rocheret. Walk down to the banks of the Rance, near the Plouër Sailing Club. Note the beautiful stone fountain on the right at the bottom of the path.

(1) Turn right and follow the bank of the Rance westwards. Pass the Plouër mill, then the marina, to reach the bridge on the left, which you’ll use to cross the river. On the other bank, turn left and follow the hedge, at the foot of the slope, to the river’s mouth where it joins the Rance.

(2) There are two options depending on the tide level:
- either stay on the foreshore and walk along the riverbank by the Rance (where the view will be better);
- or take the right of way via the steps leading up to the ledge on the right and walk along the wooded hedge, at field level (in the shade). Then head south along the riverbank. When you reach the first houses in Plumazon, if the ground on the foreshore is too wet, go round the hamlet by heading uphill and keeping it on your left. You’ll come to a road.

(3) Turn left and continue south on the tarmac road. Walk uphill until you pass the last house on your left. Immediately afterwards, rejoin the path at the far left of the turning area for cars.
Please note there are two trailheads; take the one furthest to the left, marked^GR®. It climbs up to the top of the hill between two fences, then descends to a viewpoint overlooking the Rance. Note the Péhou fortress on the left.

(4) 10 m before the viewpoint, take the path heading south-west. After 150 m, gradually descend to the foreshore. A little further on, head back up into the woods before finally descending again to reach a small boat slipway at La Moinerie.
From this point, it is best not to continue along the foreshore.

(5) Continue a short way along the road and rejoin the coastal right-of-way, which branches off to the left into the woods and runs along the Rance on the high bank. Continue for about 1 km along the path, ignoring the turnings to the right, until, after a bend in the Rance, you arrive on its right-hand side, near the Moulin de Rochefort.

Before reaching the mill, walk alongside a meadow to the right of the path. At the end of the meadow, you’ll come out onto a grassy track that descends from the right and joins the riverbank on the left, 20 metres further down. Do not go down to the riverbank but head back up the grassy track to the right. After about 150 m, the path turns sharply left (90°), heading due west, immediately behind the first hedge marking the end of the meadow on the left.
(Please note: there is also a path in front of this hedge, but it is a dead end.) So follow this path, which, further on, bends to the left and descends past the Moulin de Rochefort to join the track leading to it.

(6) On the access road to the Moulin de Rochefort, turn right. Turn right again shortly afterwards to head back up into the woods and cross a stream.

(7) At this junction of paths, after the stream, leave the^GR® which heads off to the left and head uphill to the right. The path winds through the shade between property fences and joins another track. Follow it to the left and eventually reach the road at the hamlet of La Galerie. (At the start of this section, follow the signs for the ‘route du vieux lavoir’, except at the end after the climb and when you reach the farm track). Turn right onto the road to cross the hamlet and, on the way out, join another cross-road.

(8) Turn left, heading north-east, and walk straight through the hamlet of Le Bouillon. Note the traditional-style houses. You’ll reach a crossroads marked by an imposing electricity pylon. Turn right and, 150 metres further on, turn sharply left (90°) onto the path between two low hedges. Follow it along the edge of the fields until you reach the tarmac at the first houses in Le Chêne Vert. There is a first ‘Stop’ sign, followed immediately by a second.
First turn right then left for 50 m to rejoin the path, heading west, and walk alongside a hedge. Cross the lovely lawns at Les Guérandes and continue until you reach a road. Turn right onto this road and walk as far as the houses at the junction with Rue de Liscouët.

(9) Carry on straight ahead along the path that enters the Bois de Rochel. Take care to keep an eye out for the numerous forks in the path through the woods.
To begin with, stay close to the edge of the woods, heading west, for about 700 m. The path then leaves the edge of the woods and reaches a T-junction.

(10) There is an orange arrow on the beech tree opposite, pointing to the right. Turn right, heading north, and follow the gently descending path. 300 m further on, you’ll come to a three-way junction in the path. Take the central path, which descends steadily along a sunken track towards the north-east until you reach a tarmac road at La Giolais. Follow it to the right for 80 m.

(11) Turn left, heading due north, onto a wide path between two wooded hedges. After 400 m, take a sharp right-hand bend. Don’t miss the view of Plouër Castle below. After another 100 m, turn left to head north again, downhill. Cross the stream in the valley, leave the castle buildings on your left and take the sunken path that opens up ahead, heading uphill, until you reach the D12.

(12) Cross the road carefully and continue straight on, heading uphill towards the village centre. A little further up, turn left to return to the media library car park (S/E).

Of course, using the Visorando GPS app will be a great help in following this walk. Indeed, signposting is not present everywhere and, where it is, it seems rather confusing. The written description should suffice, however.

Toilets are available at the media centre car park, at the starting point.

All shops are in the village of Plouër.

There is a market around the church on Sunday mornings during the summer months.

A shortcut allows you to avoid the entire circular portion of the walk and shorten it by about 3 km. To do this, halfway between points (4) and (5), take the path that climbs towards La Falaise and rejoins the road. Continue along the road heading due west, pass the houses at La Chanais and then rejoin the route at the path which branches off (to the right here) between two low hedges and leads to Le Chêne Vert.

The Church of Saint Pierre and Paul in Plouër-sur-Rance is massive and squat. Its construction began in 1703. Four elements of the church are listed as historic monuments: the pulpit, the three altarpieces, the three recumbent figures (15th-century tombstones) and the lectern. Link

Péhou-Plumazon Fortress: in 1354, during the Hundred Years’ War, the fortress of Péhou-Plumazon and the stronghold of La Roche aux Ânes were captured by the English and then recaptured by the troops of Bertrand du Guesclin.

Plouër Castle: the castle displays the characteristics of a major estate: main residence, chapel, flowerbeds, forecourt, farm, stables and dovecote. The castle was rebuilt in the early 17th century in the Louis XIII style on the site of the old Château de Saint-Paul, which was probably ruined as a result of the Wars of the League.

The Houses and Farms of Plouer. The rural architecture bears witness to a connection with the River Rance: there are numerous rows of dwellings and buildings dating back to the 16th or 17th centuries. The traditional layout of the settlement, with rows of several dwellings, is quite characteristic. The absence of any separation between the courtyards of the houses reflects the ancient use of space based on rights of way.