Walk... on iron from the start at Vaublanc

Set off to explore the surroundings of the Forges du Vaublanc, which was an important iron foundry fromthe 17th tothe 19th century. The ore came from the region. The route follows the Lié, which provided hydraulic power to the factory, then crosses the Loudéac forest where dozens of charcoal burners produced the charcoal needed to fuel the blast furnaces.

Details

9492081
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.11 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 558 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 561 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 604 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 322 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Plémet (22210)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.212974° / W 2.62715°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0917SB, 0918SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park near the Chapelle du Vaublanc, the chapel closest to the pond.

(S/E) Take the small road that starts just to the right of the chapel and follow it to the Val farm. Then continue along the road until you reach a three-way junction.

(1) Turn left towards Valeret. Cross the hamlet and follow the farm track that starts on the left until you reach the first bend to the left. Then take the path on the right that leads to the banks of the Lié and follow it to the Gué Jouan bridge.

(2) Cross the bridge and, after 50 metres, turn onto the first road on the right, towards the Roche au Cerf site. Follow this road uphill to the Côtière farm.

(3) Enter the Loudéac forest via the path on the left, opposite the Côtière farm. There are numerous paths and mountain bike trails in the forest. You must pay attention and follow the yellow and yellow and red markings. Cross the stream to reach the Croisée aux Ifs.

(4) Take a sharp turn onto the path on the left, which initially follows the stream, then turns right and climbs into the forest. At the end of this path, turn right, then left. Follow the markings carefully until you reach the hamlet of La Côte du Val. You will find yourself on a tarmac road in front of the hamlet.

(5) Follow it for about 200 metres before taking a path on the left that leads to a place called Le Quilleuc and joins the D53.

(6) Turn left onto the road, then after about 100 metres, take the first path on the left.

(7) At the hamlet of Montauran, cross the road and take the path that descends opposite. On the road, turn left, then go straight on to reach the four-way crossroads at Bel Orient. Turn right towards the chapel and the pond to return to the Chapelle du Vaublanc (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 328 ft - Chapelle du Vaublanc
  2. 1 : mi 0.74 - alt. 427 ft - Three-way junction
  3. 2 : mi 1.34 - alt. 325 ft - Pont du Gué Jouan
  4. 3 : mi 1.76 - alt. 404 ft - La Côtière
  5. 4 : mi 2.28 - alt. 427 ft - Croisée des Ifs
  6. 5 : mi 3.69 - alt. 545 ft - The Côte du Val
  7. 6 : mi 4.27 - alt. 558 ft - Le Quilleuc - Route D53
  8. 7 : mi 4.73 - alt. 427 ft - Montauran - Chapelle Saint-Éloi de Plémet
  9. S/E : mi 5.11 - alt. 325 ft - Chapelle du Vaublanc

Notes

This circular route is a short hike. Unfortunately, the markings (a yellow line) are sometimes missing. From La Côtière (3), follow aGR® de Pays, the Circuit des Toileux, marked with red and yellow signs.

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 4394074

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that we did again with a couple of friends who really enjoyed the route. As for the dogs, they are kept in a kennel and the gate is locked.
The locals are very friendly

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Ninoa22
Ninoa22

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route with varied landscapes, but the signposting is lacking in several places, leading to mistakes along the way, which we were sometimes able to avoid thanks to the app that tracks our location in real time.

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ssrd
ssrd

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, shaded walk. Thank you for the previous comments on point 3, which helped us avoid taking the wrong path. We had brought sticks for the dogs, but they were locked up in the yard.

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Garion7
Garion7
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, especially the beginning, which is very pretty.

Edit to my previous post after looking into the matter further:
At point 3 (apart from the fact that there are indeed some rather aggressive dogs, but that's often the case in the countryside), there is (for the moment) an error on the IGN map. The GRP does not start at the bend (where there are car wrecks) but a little further on. Be careful not to make a mistake, as the path starting from the bend is not very welcoming...

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coco68@
coco68@

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The Vaublanc forges are well worth a visit and the site is very well preserved...!!!
Overall, it was a lovely walk, and on this beautiful sunny day, we enjoyed the coolness of the forest.
However, BEWARE...!!! At point 3, we almost turned back and didn't finish our hike because of the presence of aggressive, unleashed dogs...!!!

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mariedaniel
mariedaniel

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

-A particularly pleasant route in warm, sunny weather, taking in the Le Lié river valley and Loudéac forest. However, there is one downside: tall grass in certain sections. Mowing is urgently needed to restore this walk to its full potential.
-The area known as "Le Vaublanc", with its rich industrial past (foundry, kaolin, etc.), adds an extra dimension to this pleasant walk.

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