Walk through the woods of Pontchâteau

This walk starts at the Forges car park. The entrance is under the archway, next to the restaurant "Le 11", at 11 Rue de Verdun.

(S/E) Walk back down this street to pass under the archway again and take Rue Sainte-Catherine, directly in front of you. Continue to the town hall.
In front of the town hall, turn right and head down the wooden walkway along the River Le Brivet. Go under the bridge – the one you were on a minute ago. At the end of the bridge, on the left along the wall, take a moment to check the water level of the river (and therefore the marsh).

(1) If the gauge shows a level of 1.20 metres or higher, certain sections of this walk will be impassable. You will either have to wade through the water or turn back to take the “flood” alternative route (practical information).

Continue along this causeway until you come to a wooden footbridge, which you cross. Keep to the right and follow the river. Go under the bridge and, immediately afterwards, turn left to go up the steps. As soon as you reach the top, turn right and head towards the wooden house. Go up another flight of steps and continue along this path to pass by the Three Little Pigs’ house.

(2). From there, to your right and in the hollow, you can see the Grenebo quarry. Continue along Rue de Grenebo. At the end, turn right into Rue de Coët Roz then cross the bridge over the railway line. You are now entering the Coët Roz site. Leave the small road and cut across towards the wooden structure. You are at the cyclo-cross championships venue. Continue along this tarmac side road to the end.
This small road ends in a dirt track. Follow it downwards, leaving the Nantes-Vannes four-lane road in the valley below on your left. Continue along this track, which veers off to the right. At the end, turn right and follow the track. Cross the small road and continue along the same track, keeping the edge of the woods on your left. At the very top, turn left, keeping as close as possible to the wooden barriers. The buildings you can see down to the right are the shooting range.
Go down this path and, at the bottom on the right, cross the small road again. Continue towards the white sign.

(3) Turn left in front of it to take the path that runs alongside the spawning ground (fish breeding area).
Continue along this path for three hundred metres. It will split in two, veering right towards the river.
Continue along this path, taking either the right-hand or left-hand branch. It doesn’t matter. Carry on to the four-lane bridge. Go under it via the wooden footbridge and head back along the other bank of the Brivet. Just before the new wooden footbridge, this is where you might not be able to get through. The water may have flooded the crossing. If the gauge initially read 1.15m, you’ll only have a few centimetres of water at this point. Otherwise…? If you decide not to go on, follow the “in case of flooding” route

(4) Warning: in any case, if the footbridge is wet, the wood is very slippery.
At the end of this wooden walkway, walk back up for 30 metres and turn right under the trees.
Continue along this path for several hundred metres until you come to a sheet pile wall on your left. This is the cemetery wall. Just before this wall, head uphill.
(**) (Unless you fancy taking the opportunity to visit “the bats’ hideout”.
At the top, turn right to go round the back of the church. Carry on and cross the street to head back down the opposite side, Rue du Chatellier, towards its pretty houses. You’ll pass the media library and the Tourist Office. This house, the one with the dovecotes in its wall, recently restored, is the oldest house in Pontchâteau. (1661?)

(5) Continue straight on, leaving the town hall on your left. Rue Sainte Catherine is directly in front of you. Follow the route you took at the start to return to the car park (S/E).

Unfortunately, this walk is not suitable for people with reduced mobility. It is also difficult in the event of flooding. Keep an eye on children: some sections may be slippery, or even very slippery, whilst others run alongside the River Brivet via paths that may be muddy and feature slippery rocks.

In the event of flooding at point (*), turn back and take the path that follows the river, keeping it on your left. Continue to the end and cross the Brivet via the wooden footbridge near the railway line. Walk along the cemetery wall and head up the path on the right. You have now returned to point (**) on the route, in the middle of section (4).

The House of the Three Little Pigs (my children named it that when they were little).

The Grenebo quarry: Originally, the people of Pontchâtel extracted stone from here for building. During the last war, the Germans installed armoured fortifications there. The entrance to the tunnel that can be seen was a shelter for huge rail-mounted guns used to bombard the area. Today, it is an inaccessible site, home to a colony of bats
To get to the Grenebo Quarry, from the cemetery wall, continue straight ahead. Cross the footbridge and go under the railway line via the floating footbridge. Continue along this small path for 50 metres. The site you are looking for is there, to the right of the car park.
Birdwatchers, get your binoculars ready: this site is home to a wide variety of birds. From sparrows to long-tailed tits, woodpeckers to little egrets, nuthatches to tree creepers, and many more besides. Have fun keeping count of your sightings!
The oldest house in Pontchâteau: The Tourist Office.