Pointe des Grands Nez - Pointe du Grouin

A superb coastal walk towards a major tourist attraction: Pointe du Grouin. During this round-trip route, you’ll discover the beauty of this coastline from different angles, depending on the light and the tide. The view of Fort Du Guesclin, which becomes an island at high tide, perfectly illustrates these varied landscapes.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 19.42 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 196 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 202 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 42 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Saint-Coulomb (35350)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.689517° / W 1.922217°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1116ET, 1215OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

To get to the La Touesse car park:
- from Saint-Malo, head towards Rothéneuf then take the D201 to La Touesse,
- from Cancale, take the D201 towards Pointe du Grouin then towards La Touesse.

(S/E) Head towards the beach, passing in front of the Roz Ven estate, which belonged to Colette in the early20th century.

(1) When you reach the beach, take theGR® 34 path on the right and you will soon reach Pointe des Grands Nez.

(2) Heading south-east, continue along theGR® 34 until it crosses the D 201 at the start of Anse Du Guesclin.

(3) Follow the D 201 for about 100 metres, enter the car park running alongside the road and reach the first access point to the beach.

(4) Walk along the beach and head for the final access point to another car park, just before the rocks of Fort Du Guesclin.

(5) Walk along the car park and rejoin the clearly markedGR® 34 path. Return to Pointe du Nid via this lovely path.

(6) Staying on theGR® 34, walk above Plage du Petit Port, which is not accessible. Continue eastwards, passing Pointe des Daules. At a junction, follow the sign for Pointe du GroinGR® 34. Descend gradually towards Plage du Verger.

(7) At the car park, stay on theGR® 34, on a sandy path, passing a pond and marshes until you reach a junction. Take the path leading to the beach. Do not go to the beach; instead, walk back a few metres through the dunes towards the south. Look out for a path climbing up to the left.

(8) At this junction of several paths, do not go down to the beach, do not continue south-east along the path that seems the most obvious, but take the path on the left marked with red and white markings on the ground. Head north-east towards Pointe de la Moulière

(9) Staying on theGR® 34, follow the coast to the small Plage du Saussaye. Do not go down to the beach.

(10) Walk around the beach, keeping directly above it. You will reach a fork leading to the D201.

(11) Turn left and stay on theGR® 34. Return to the D201 after a flight of steps.

(12) The terrain requires this short stretch along the D201. Walk along this road for about 50 m and find another flight of steps on the left to rejoin the coastal path.

(13) Continue north-eastwards and easily reach Pointe de Rochefroide.

(14) With the Grouin Semaphore in your sights, follow this path to reach the car park at the headland.

(15) From the car park, make your way to the access road leading to the semaphore.

(16) Take the wide path heading north and make your way to the final rocks that form Pointe du Grouin.

(17) The return journey follows the same route in reverse. Depending on the tide, you may be able to take a shortcut via Plage du Verger. It is possible to cross Anse Du Guesclin beach even at near high tide. Apart from these two sections, follow theGR® 34 path to return to the Touesse car park (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 38 m - La Touesse car park
  2. 1 : km 0.35 - alt. 14 m - La Touesse Beach
  3. 2 : km 0.9 - alt. 16 m - Pointe des Grands Nez
  4. 3 : km 2.42 - alt. 15 m - D201 road
  5. 4 : km 2.68 - alt. 10 m - Anse Du Gesclin
  6. 5 : km 3.34 - alt. 10 m - Fort Du Gesclin - Pointe du Nid
  7. 6 : km 4.25 - alt. 24 m - Pointe du Nid
  8. 7 : km 5.51 - alt. 8 m - Plage du Verger
  9. 8 : km 6.18 - alt. 18 m - Plage du Verger
  10. 9 : km 6.79 - alt. 14 m - Pointe de la Moulière
  11. 10 : km 7.44 - alt. 14 m - Turn right after the small bridge
  12. 11 : km 7.61 - alt. 32 m - Junction
  13. 12 : km 8.02 - alt. 37 m - D201 road
  14. 13 : km 8.07 - alt. 37 m - D201 road
  15. 14 : km 8.54 - alt. 28 m - Pointe de Rochefroide
  16. 15 : km 9.4 - alt. 35 m - Pointe du Grouin car park
  17. 16 : km 9.46 - alt. 33 m - Semaphore
  18. 17 : km 9.82 - alt. 36 m - Pointe du Grouin
  19. S/E : km 19.42 - alt. 38 m - La Touesse car park

Notes

? It is best to wear good, high-top walking boots. The coastal path is easy, but there are a few sections on dune paths where sand can easily get into low-cut shoes.
Note: By using two vehicles, one at La Touesse and the other at Pointe du Grouin, it is possible to do just the outward or return leg. In this case, the route is approximately 10 km.

Worth a visit

- Saint Malo
- Cancale
- Pointe du Grouin
- Fort Du Guesclin
- Pointe des Grands Nez

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

4.5 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
eloupias
eloupias
• Edited:

To shorten this hike, you can also do just the outward journey and then return by bus line 9 operated by Saint-Malo Agglo Transport (MAT). Check the stops, timetables and fares on their website.
I took this bus today for part of the hike. It ran approximately every 45 minutes and was a little late (almost 10 minutes). According to other hikers who had already taken it, it is sometimes a little behind schedule, but normally it runs on time.
Thanks for the route!

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filip62
filip62

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb route along the coastal path!

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francky89
francky89

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Une route très boueuse en février

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Marie O
Marie O

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant walk; setting off at high tide and returning at low tide means you’ll see very different scenery. You can stop off at the lovely beaches dotted along the route. It gets quite busy at Pointe du Grouin as there’s a car park nearby. Once you’re on the GR trail and head further away, there are fewer walkers. Enjoy the walk, everyone.

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ldeliege
ldeliege

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

In my opinion, this walk is particularly enjoyable in winter, as the route follows a lot of tarmac and wide, compacted paths.

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GARLE FRANCE
GARLE FRANCE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

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henrigole
henrigole

Hello,
Don’t forget, if you only want to do this hike in one direction or the other, you can park a car at each end.
Enjoy the hike,
Dominique

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jpc35
jpc35

I went to check out this walk because I plan to lead a group of walkers in this area.
I thought this hike was excellent as it was exactly what I was looking for.

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