Tour of the paper mill valley in Plounévez-Moëdec

The tour of the paper mill valley is a short hike through the forest that runs alongside the Léguer river and passes by the ruins of an old factory and a dam.

Details

12901228
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.97 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 142 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 139 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 133 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 70 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The car park is located in Plounévez-Moëdec but is much closer to the town of Belle-Isle-en-Terre, with the Léguer river separating the two towns. Once you arrive in Belle-Isle-en-Terre, follow the tourist signs (blue and yellow) for the paper mill valley.

(S/E) From the car park, head towards the ruins of the factory. You can, of course, walk around the site. Then, at the far end of the site, on the right-hand side of the factory (relative to the car park), take the footbridge to cross the Léguer river.
After the footbridge, turn right, walk a few metres, then turn left and climb a few steps to reach a road. Turn left onto this road.

(1) Turn right onto an uphill path (there is a house on the right side of this path). When you reach a paved road, turn left towards the Chapel of Locmaria.
After the chapel and the cemetery, continue along the tarmac road.

(2) Turn left, continue for a few metres, then turn left again onto a dirt track between some houses.
Follow this path downhill until you reach a road.

(3) At the tarmac road, turn right and continue for a few metres towards an electrical transformer. Just before it, turn down a path on the left which continues to the right at a house.
From there to the dam, follow the path with the Léguer river on your left; there are no other paths.

(4) At the dam, there are several signs explaining its history. Turn left towards the footbridge and cross the Léguer.
At the end of the footbridge is the old turbine.
Climb a few steps.

(5) Turn left. There are other tourist signs and a viewpoint overlooking the dam.
Follow the path, keeping the Léguer on your left as you have just crossed it. Continue until you reach a path that climbs into the forest.

(6) Leave the edge of the Léguer and take the path on the left that climbs into the forest and away from the river.
Then take a path on the left that descends and leads to a road.

(7) Follow this road to the right, which will take you back to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 90 m - Car park near the ruins of the factory. Towards the - Léguer (le)
  2. 1 : km 0.25 - alt. 100 m - Path on the right going uphill
  3. 2 : km 0.52 - alt. 131 m - Path on the left between houses. Locmaria
  4. 3 : km 0.9 - alt. 100 m - Road junction
  5. 4 : km 3.54 - alt. 74 m - Barrage de Pont Louars (Plounévez-Moëdec)
  6. 5 : km 3.61 - alt. 77 m - Turn left at the fork.
  7. 6 : km 6.05 - alt. 84 m - Climb into the forest
  8. 7 : km 6.67 - alt. 93 m - Road junction
  9. S/E : km 6.97 - alt. 90 m - Car park near the ruins of the factory

Notes

- The car park is not very big: about ten spaces.

Worth a visit

- The ruins of the printing house.
- The chapel and cemetery in Locmaria.
- The dam.
- A field with llamas.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 27100925

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I didn't meet anyone along the entire route. I enjoyed being in the forest, following the river and the hilly terrain. Very peaceful. Rejuvenating. Towards the end, several paths intersect. I couldn't find a way to follow the Léguer river back to the valley of the paper mills.

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PascalG
PascalG

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A blend of human activities and nature. Simple, easy to follow and informative.
Thank you!

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Cha87
Cha87

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route. It took me 4 hours instead of 2½ hours. The weather was very wet, so I slowed down on all the steep climbs and descents.
Many trees had fallen, making the path narrower and cutting off certain sections of the route. We had to climb over a tree, squeeze through a small hole in another, and at one point near a meadow, it was impossible to climb because there were too many branches and no hole to squeeze through. Given the 3/4 of the route, we had no choice but to go through the meadow, then there was work being done on the trees where we had to turn. Would it be cut? We had trouble finding where to go and had to ask someone near a house because we were too far away, so we climbed to an unexpected place because there were a lot of trees piled up, perhaps on the route.
So, a controlled route.
Otherwise, great course, all wood except for the last 100 metres.

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Mary2309
Mary2309

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route, nicely hilly, very peaceful. A fallen tree at the end of the route means you have to go around it in a steep spot.

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lapcoco
lapcoco

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walks in peaceful surroundings... Not many kilometres but a few uphill and downhill sections (everything is relative)... Particularly on the way back to the Vallée paper mill, which showcases one of the region's industrial heritage sites... The Léguer valley is remarkable for its natural beauty and biodiversity.
To be enjoyed without moderation.

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zazabelle95
zazabelle95

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
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 along the Leguer, with a few tricky sections but no difficulties. Discover the fascinating remains of the paper mill and the dam. The return journey, also along the Leguer, is a little hillier with a few steep but short climbs.
At the start, visit the truly magnificent chapel.

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zazabelle95
zazabelle95

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
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 along the Leguer, with a few tricky sections but nothing too difficult. Discover the fascinating vertigo of the paper mill and the dam. The return journey along the Leguer is a little hillier, with a few steep but short climbs.
At the start, visit the truly magnificent chapel.

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Vincent Soulage
Vincent Soulage

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike (except for the very end), with an alpine feel despite being in Brittany: most of it takes place on a slope in the undergrowth (coniferous forest), with lots of little ups and downs (which I like). You're sheltered from the sun, even if it can be a bit damp at times.
The outward journey is very well marked and corresponds to the description. The same goes for the beginning of the return journey, which is more bucolic, passing through the valley between the river and the forest.
However, just before number 6, the path climbs back up the hillside. The undergrowth is very pretty, but the path no longer really follows the Visorando route or the GR marked on IGN maps. Strange.
At the very end (between 6 and 7), the path takes a big detour to avoid private property. We wanted to follow the GR marked on the IGN map, which stays at the bottom of the valley, but we ended up in the garden of an old mill with a passage that wasn't really authorised (luckily, there was no one there).

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1603651765
1603651765

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Difficult hike, steep slopes in places

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pjr56
pjr56

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Paths recently cleared.

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Olive22140
Olive22140

Hello, for me this path is passable everywhere, I have done it several times since 2019. Which areas were not passable for you?

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michel rando bazouges
michel rando bazouges

Hello, I am taking a group of hikers on 25 September, 55 people. Is the path passable everywhere? When I checked it out two years ago, it wasn't.

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