The Rance and the historic heart of Dinan

Wind your way along the banks of the Rance, stopping off at the Abbaye Sainte-Magloire-de-Léhon to visit the fortified heights and historic heart of Dinan.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.36 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 89 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 89 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 80 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 5 m

Description of the walk

_ Start _: arriving in Dinan via Lanvallay, at the traffic circle, turn right onto Route de Dol and take the next exit. After 100 m, turn right onto Rue de la Madeleine, which leads down to Port du
Léhon. Park at the bottom of the street.

(S/E) Go to the edge of the Rance and take the small stone bridge to cross it. Turn left into Rue du Port as far as the viaduct.

(1) After the viaduct, turn left into the car park to join the path at the end, which runs alongside the Rance. Follow the meandering course of the Rance as far as lock no. 47 to reach Léhon and its abbey.

(2) Take Rue de l'Abbaye and, at the junction, turn right into Rue du Bas Bourgneuf. Turn right into Rue de Coetquen.

(3) At the crosswalk, take the small path on the right, Rue des Bouteilles, which climbs up to reach Rue Beaumanoir, which you follow on the left. At Place Saint-Louis, turn right, then left through the Porte Saint-Louis.

(4) Turn right into Rue du Château, and continue to the next junction. Turn left into Rue Waldeck Rousseau. Drive up to the Basilica square. Turn right to reach the ramparts. At the end of the ramparts, turn left, cross Rue Michel and Rue du Jerzual and follow Rue du Bignon Guy. At the end of Rue du Bignon Guy, turn right into Rue des Écoles and pass under the Porte Saint-Malo.

(5) Take the stairs at the end on the left. Follow the ramparts along the Promenade des Grands Fossée. At the traffic circle, take Rue Jean Boucher (2nd street on the left) and turn left into Rue de la Sagesse. After turning right into Rue Saint-Charles, take the first street on the left, Rue de la Boulangerie, and turn right into Grande Rue.

(6) Turn left into Rue du Marchix, then left again into Rue de la Mittrie.

Turn right on Rue de l'Apport and left on Rue de la Poissonnerie.

(7) At the end, turn right down Rue du Jerzual, which continues into Rue du Petit Port until you reach the stone bridge.

Cross it to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 11 m - Rue de la Madeleine - Rance (fleuve)
  2. 1 : km 0.38 - alt. 13 m - Viaduct
  3. 2 : km 2.24 - alt. 12 m - Léhon Abbey and Town Hall
  4. 3 : km 3 - alt. 41 m - Chemin
  5. 4 : km 3.44 - alt. 74 m - Stone door
  6. 5 : km 4.64 - alt. 73 m - Porte Saint-Malo
  7. 6 : km 5.31 - alt. 73 m - Rue Marchix
  8. 7 : km 5.74 - alt. 74 m - Rue Jerzual
  9. S/E : km 6.36 - alt. 11 m - Rue de la Madeleine

Practical information

_ Start & Parking _: arriving in Dinan via Lanvallay, at the traffic circle, turn right onto Route de Dol and take the next exit. After 100 m, turn right onto Rue de la Madeleine, which leads down to Port du
Léhon. Park at the bottom of the street.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
kermiel
kermiel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Like other walkers, we preferred to go directly to Dinan from the port, without first leaving the village of Léhon, which is also well worth a visit with its old bridge and abbey: a very nice walk to the port of Dinan.

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noemie3380
noemie3380

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of walk : May 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant ride with no difficulties. The part up to the village of Léhon is particularly pleasant (as is the discovery of the village), but the return to Dinan is very tarmac and much less pleasant... until you arrive in the narrow streets that are so typical of Dinan :-)
Thanks for sharing!

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PATRICE31800
PATRICE31800

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Hello everyone.
We left from point 2 (the car park at the Léhon swimming pool), visited the abbey and went up to the ruins of the castle which we toured. Afterwards, we had a wonderful tour of Dinan, and it's a shame that the rampart walk is still being rebuilt. All in all, the historic centre is very pleasant to visit and the return journey along the banks of the Rance is a haven of freshness. Thank you for sharing.

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Heldou
Heldou

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

The route to take is not very clear. It's easy to get lost. It's a good thing that GPS exists nowadays, otherwise with my poor sense of direction we would have been going round in circles.

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Monka
Monka

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Wonderful walk! Thank you
On the other hand, don't press the icon on the app that takes you to the departure bridge; our only problem was parking, after that the route is very clear. Léhon and Dinan are sublime.

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Thiency
Thiency

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

It's a delightful walk that starts out in the countryside along the River Rance and then takes us back through the centre of Dinan, in particular the castle. However, following a landslide, part of the rampart walk is no longer accessible, so we had to make a diversion.

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OLVMALOU
OLVMALOU

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

LEHON Abbey is a great target.
Remarkable!

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ventdouest
ventdouest

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very nice walk. Don't hesitate to drop in at the Tourist Office. You'll find a leaflet with 2 routes to help you discover more of Dinan.

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Timothe43
Timothe43

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : May 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Hello
For your information, the route cannot currently be followed as indicated on the map.....the Chemin des Remparts is currently being restored and is impassable, forcing you to find other routes.
Otherwise, this is a remarkable site and hike in any weather, not to be missed...

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ERIC56650
ERIC56650

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

very pleasant walk.
things to do

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Domi2935
Domi2935
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

I'd like to add three things:
- The passage towards Lehon Abbey lacks detail: we had to consult an online GPS to find the rue de Coetquen, which is not immediately visible. More details are needed at this point.
- It might be useful to point out that this route is marked in yellow, at least for a large part of it. That might help.
- I think that, since this walk was posted online, the footpath has been renovated and opened up. It's very interesting to take it (rue du Bignon Guy).
Enjoy the walk!

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dan89
dan89

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We were not disappointed by this hike, which was the first of a week in this beautiful region.
The path along the River Rance is a little damp at this time of year, so you'll need to be well shod.
The description didn't give us any problems and enabled us to discover the town in a very interesting way.
Thank you for this route

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Emilie k
Emilie k

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The directions were not clear, especially around the abbey. Fortunately there was a GPS.
But a beautiful town to discover.

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pfsmalo
pfsmalo

If the Maison de la Rance car park is not accessible, there are plenty of spaces a little further along the quay or in the street leading down from Lanvallay. If you arrive on the Dinan side, the bridge over the Rance is one-way and you can't get over.
When you're at the Abbey, it's hard not to find the exit, there are only two streets, one of which leads back to the old Lehon bridge. If you had a map of the route it's easy to see that it's the other one you have to take.

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tramaille
tramaille

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : May 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

right from the start, the car park was inaccessible, and after the Abbey there were no street signs, although we did turn round looking for signs, finally we were able to pick up the walk further on, a map of the town is really essential.
On the other hand, Dinan is a wonderful little town to discover.

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