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Access: head south of Quimper to the Laënnec Hospital. At the traffic lights after the hospital if coming from the west, or before it if coming from the east, turn at the sign for Vallon Saint-Laurent (south). This sign is more visible when approaching from the west. Walk down the street which goes round a modern chapel and reach the dirt car park on the right.
(S/E) With your back to the car park, take the tarmac path on the left which climbs up to join Rue des Sept Îles, which you follow to the left. Walk past some garages then turn right to cross Avenue de Limerick.
Opposite, take the path running alongside the Lycée Thépot (on the right), go round the sports hall and cross Avenue Yves Thépot (take care) opposite the two water tanks. Continue along the path, cross a small square and then Rue Yves Guillou. Opposite, take the steps leading down to Rue Armand du Chatelier. Turn left into Rue des Marguerites, which continues to the left as Rue Saint Pol Roux, lined on both sides by a secondary school. You will come to a flight of steps just before Rue de Penn Ar Stang.
(1) Take it to the right, follow the Garenne de Penn Ar Stang which continues along it, then continue down to the right along the street of the same name. Reach a steep flight of steps on the left (124 steps) and arrive in Rue François Menez. Follow it to the right for about twenty metres, skirting a large property called "Koad Frugy", then turn right to reach the summit of Mont Frugy, which overlooks the town of Quimper from a height of 70 metres.
Signposting:GR® white and red andPR® yellow
(2) Turn left and follow this path westwards. Stay on the upper part of Frugy and ignore all turn-offs to the right or left. You’ll come to a gate followed by a series of steps leading down to Rue Haute at the traffic lights.
(3) Cross the road, turn right opposite a restaurant, then immediately left into Place du Stivel. Continue along the pedestrianised Rue Jean Baptiste Bousquet, which runs alongside the Pottery Museum. The Romanesque church of Locmaria and its cloister, situated on the left, are well worth a thorough visit. Continue, cross the Jardin du Prieuré de Locmaria on the right, then follow the street. When it turns left (crossroads), take the path on the right which runs alongside the Odet and leads to the Pont de Poulguinan. Leave the route you were previously following.
Mountain bike signposting
(4) Go under the bridge and follow the wide gravel path that runs alongside the wall and then the fence of Poulguinan Castle (private), which can be glimpsed through the trees. Pass the entrance gate and the former gatekeeper’s house, then continue along this path through wooded surroundings. You will reach a monument commemorating the presence of a prisoner-of-war camp (Stalag 135) from 1940 to 1946, initially housing French prisoners and then Germans from the summer of 1944 onwards. Then follow the wire fence marking the boundary of the Orangerie de Lanniron estate.
(5) At the entrance to the château, turn left at a right angle, reach Boulevard de Créac’h Gwen and turn right towards the roundabout. Continue along the footpath that runs alongside large administrative buildings. Enter a sports area with facilities on the left and football pitches on the right.
Yellow markings
(6) Follow the path which goes round the lake to the right and leads to the water sports centre. Go round the indoor tennis courts to the right. Turn right and walk alongside the archery range on your right. Go round the back of the swimming pool and follow the banks of the Odet to the spot known as Plage des Gueux, so named because it was the beach used by the people of Quimper who, lacking the means to travel to the sea, would come here instead of going to Bénodet.
Yellow + Light BlueMarkings
The path veers off to the right and leads into the reed bed via wooden walkways (view of Kérogan Bay). Reach the Kéribin Fountain.
(7) Head back up, cross a road and continue straight ahead into the Kernoter woods.
No markings
At the first junction, leave the marked path on your left and continue straight up through this wooded area. The path winds its way north-eastwards and leads to a large hare-run where you rejoin the markings you left earlier. Cross this hare-run and you’ll reach a road (Chemin de Kernoter) where the two sets of markings head off in different directions.
Light Blue Markings
(8) Turn left following the light blue markings (the yellow markings go right) and follow this small road to the next junction. Turn left into Rue Pitre Chevalier (viewpoint over the Odet and the south-western part of Quimper). Walk down this street, passing close to the Clinique de l’Océan. Cross at the roundabout and follow the footpath to the right. Take the tunnel passing under the roundabout. At the exit, turn left following the signposting, cross Avenue de Kéradennec and head up into the woods of the same name.
(9) Follow the path which climbs gradually along the edge of the woods, first skirting the Chamber of Commerce and then residential areas. Pass an old quarry on your left, then walk alongside a football pitch hidden amongst the trees.
Yellow markings
(10) Turn left, follow the path which goes round the football pitch, then turn right for a fairly steep descent to the Bénodet road. Turn right again to continue down towards the D783a roundabout. Turn left, then cross the roundabout on the right using the two pedestrian crossings (caution: heavy traffic).
(11) At the exit of the roundabout, turn right onto the small road that runs behind the Lycée de Kérustum. Continue along the concrete path of the same name, which climbs steadily, ignoring a path on the right.
At the first three-way junction, let this path continue uphill and turn left following the signposting. Cross a road and continue straight ahead to Avenue de Remscheid, which you will follow to the left.
At the bus stop, cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing and continue downhill, passing behind the bus stop on the right-hand side of the avenue.
(12) Just before the 30 km/h speed limit sign, turn right along a wire fence towards Vallon Saint-Laurent. Go round the lake on the left, continue up this pleasant valley and, at the end, you will reach the car park (S/E).
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