4 Valleys Trail

Traced along the Sillon de Bretagne, this route offers beautiful views of the Loire Estuary. Whether along sunken paths or through the undergrowth, this walk crosses four pleasant, shaded valleys. In spring, these green corridors, rich in botanical and faunal diversity, are carpeted with daffodils and frequented by kestrels.

Details

n°138323

Creation:
31 Jul 2015

Last update:
17 Aug 2020

Last review:
06 Nov 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 9.21 km
Average duration: 2h 55
Difficulty: Easy
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 104 m
Descent: - 108 m
Highest point: 61 m
Lowest point: 25 m

Country: France
District: La Chapelle-Launay (44260)
Start/End: N 47.37245° / W 1.972165°
IGN map(s): Ref. 1122SB
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Description of the walk

(S) Behind the town hall of La Chapelle-Launay, turn right and cross the Cure valley to reach the Malhara valley via the^{GR®3 trail}marked in white and red.

(1) Leave the^GR®3trail on your right and continue along the valley (south). After about 100 metres, turn right and head west to the village of La Ricardais, where you will rejoin the^{GR®3 trail}.

(2) At the crossroads, follow Rue de Pibois to the right, then take a path on the right. This path was once used by winegrowers to bring their harvests down from the hillsides. At the top of the path, turn left and, at the bend, follow the path opposite: you will then enter the Carriais valley, home to an old natural wash house.

(3) At the intersection, turn left to complete the Boitouze circular. You will walk through a pleasant wood with interesting flora. Then retrace your steps to return to the village of La Chapelle-Launay.

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 49 m
1 : km 1.49 - alt. 39 m - Fork in the road
2 : km 2.08 - alt. 25 m - Village of La Ricadelais
3 : km 3.82 - alt. 50 m - Boitouze circular
S/E : km 9.21 - alt. 50 m

Notes

Departure: La Chapelle Launay Town Hall.
Route accessible all year round.

Worth a visit

The Loire Estuary
Following the Sillon de Bretagne, this route overlooks the Loire and offers hikers beautiful views of the green valley and the estuary.
Take the time to admire this vast space, where the fresh waters of a river meet the sea, imperceptibly stirred each day by the tides.
At first glance, massive structures rise up like beacons marking human presence on the landscape: the Cordemais power station, the Saint-Nazaire Bridge, not to mention the port activity and its container gantries silhouetted offshore.
But the estuary is also a privileged land made up of channels and islands and bordered by marshes where nature is still sometimes in its wild state. Plant and animal life thrive in these partially water-covered areas, which offer exceptional resources.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5

Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5

Route interest
4.5 / 5

bigjim

06 Nov 2025 at 10:39 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Route completed on 4 November. Pleasant with a few hills, mainly on paths and through woodland. It seems that point 1 (noted in the description) is no longer relevant... just follow the GR 3 markings and the yellow PR markings, which merge at this point. Worth doing again in spring when the woodland flowers are in bloom.

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Lemoal

27 Oct 2025 at 09:09 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant to browse through

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DOMYRANDO

20 Jan 2025 at 11:10 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, a very nice hike. I agree with the previous comments. For the return trip, we created our own route along small country roads. I recommend it for people who want to walk on short routes. I would gladly do it again in the summer to see a different landscape.

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Yoann L

21 Oct 2024 at 12:11 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, with some paths quite flooded in the second half but nothing impassable (probably due to heavy weather).
Hikers, please be careful if you see this notice: on the second half, a sign indicates to turn right, but this leads to private property. You do need to turn right, but after continuing along the path and passing the house. The owner must often see hikers on his land :-(

When we reached the forest on the circular route, we had to improvise a little as it was impossible to follow the GPS route, but nothing insurmountable.
Beautiful views on the path towards St Nazaire, a lovely moment in the sunshine.

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Porthos 85

01 Jul 2024 at 08:41 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Difficulties completing the circular due to poorly defined trail.

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cjeudy

26 Jun 2023 at 18:41 7200

The red route on the Visorando app. My route, on the other hand, was in blue, which allowed me to see if I was straying too far from the red route. Even though this red route did not correspond to any trail on a section of the route, it still ended up in the right direction for the finish of the route. At the end, I was able to find the yellow markings on the trees or posts.

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Estuaire et Sillon Tourisme

26 Jun 2023 at 14:15 7200

Hello,
Thank you for your review. In order to improve our service, could you please clarify what you mean by "the red route" as the route is marked in yellow.
Thank you.

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cjeudy

26 Jun 2023 at 10:15 7200

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The red trail did not correspond to any path for a long stretch. We had to search and then improvise. Nevertheless, the red trail allowed us to stay on the right track without getting lost, as there were several small paths in the woods.

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Robin M

06 Jun 2022 at 13:51 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Great walk, well signposted except for one sign in the Boitouze woods. Great view of the Loire and St Nazaire.

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vero44130

17 Aug 2020 at 17:25 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike this morning. It is very pleasant and shaded. Easy level but lots of ups and downs. Negative point: having to retrace our steps, but still very good.

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Estuaire et Sillon Tourisme

25 May 2020 at 11:15 7200

Hello,
Thank you for your comments. Due to the lockdown, we have been unable to carry out the refurbishment/marking work and maintenance has fallen behind schedule. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Wishing you a pleasant day,
The Estuaire et Sillon Tourisme team

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DarKSidious6

25 May 2020 at 10:24 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk, but nothing more.

The positives:
- It's a hike through the woods, very shady, which is great in hot weather
- Very few paved sections, mainly along trails, which is great in dry weather
- A lovely view halfway along the route
- Trail is marked throughout
- The first part of the hike is very pleasant, with water sources, forest crossings and pretty flowers

The downsides:
It is a return trip rather than a circular, so you pass the same places again
- The second part of the hike is not very interesting after the village of La Ricadelais.
- Markings a little sketchy in some places: I had to use my GPS twice
- Some very steep slopes (albeit over a short distance): easy level?
- Some paths have large stones, so be careful not to twist your ankle...
- Trails poorly maintained or not maintained at all in some places (due to the end of lockdown?) with very tall grass that barely allows you to pass.

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LATICE

03 Feb 2020 at 11:36 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

VERY BEAUTIFUL HIKES (also worth doing again in spring)

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PERO MARY

03 Feb 2020 at 11:02 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

A beautiful route, but the rainy season made the paths very wet and muddy.

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sokoban

14 May 2018 at 21:20 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Superb hike. Varied landscapes. Sunken paths, trails, dirt tracks. Some elevation gain. The route is almost a round trip, but it's still worth it. Another hike is possible from the same starting point, of almost the same length.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.

Author

Loire & Sillon Tourisme
2 Walks

Visorando member

District: Savenay (44260)

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