Tro Sant Riwal circuit

Nestled in a green valley, this commune has all the charm of the mountain countryside, with its sunken lanes, hedgerows, streams and rugged terrain.
The name of the commune comes from the name of the parish patron saint, Saint Rivoal, formerly Riwall, the name of a large family that emigrated from Brittany to Great Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries.

Saint-Rivoal has been awarded the "Communes du Patrimoine Rural de Bretagne" (Communes of Rural Heritage in Brittany) label.

Details

142694
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.70 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 238 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 242 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 328 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 137 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking: central square opposite the town hall.

(S/E) From the village square, in front of the parish church, follow the road towards Brasparts for about 500 metres, taking the GR® 37 - GR® de Pays des Monts d'Arrée.

(1) At the gable end of a house, turn left up a shady path lined with embankments. At the top, turn right and continue along a dirt track.

(2) Go up to the left and follow a conifer plantation.

(3) At the road, turn right and follow until Bodenna.

(4) At the pumping station, turn right, then left. Continue straight ahead until you reach a five-way intersection at the foot of Montagne Saint-Michel and its chapel.

(5) Take the first path on the left to go around the mountain (381 m) (you can reach the summit via the path on the right to overlook the Saint-Michel reservoir and the Yeun Elez peat bogs). Continue along a path through the moorland towards the radio antennas.

(6) At the D42, take a few steps to the right, then turn left onto the "Chemin du Comte", which once marked the border between the counties of Cornouaille and Léon.

(7) Cross a local road,

(8) Cross the D30 and continue straight ahead into the St Cadou National Forest.

(9) At the edge of the woods, turn left onto a path through the moors.

(10) Pass under the power line. Continue straight ahead on a sunken path.

(11) Come out onto a road that you take to the left to reach Penn Ar Guer.

(12) Cross the D42 to head towards Moulin de Pont Glaz.

(13) At a hairpin bend, take the GR® 37 - GR® de Pays des Monts d'Arrée on the left, which runs alongside a stream. Pass the Moulin d'en Bas. Climb up to Pont ar Varn.

(14) Finish the hike by turning right onto the D42 to return to Saint-Rivoal, passing in front of the Maison Cornec, part of the Monts d'Arrée eco-museum (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 175 m - Central square opposite the town hall.
  2. 1 : km 0.28 - alt. 163 m - Shaded footpath
  3. 2 : km 0.83 - alt. 197 m - Fork in the road
  4. 3 : km 1.01 - alt. 213 m - Small road
  5. 4 : km 2.46 - alt. 229 m - On the right, at the pumping station,
  6. 5 : km 4.54 - alt. 292 m - Crossroads, first road on the left
  7. 6 : km 6.7 - alt. 301 m - D42
  8. 7 : km 8.07 - alt. 244 m - Communal road
  9. 8 : km 9.67 - alt. 217 m - D30
  10. 9 : km 10.67 - alt. 247 m - Fork in the road
  11. 10 : km 11.75 - alt. 241 m - Hollow path: EDF power line
  12. 11 : km 12.85 - alt. 225 m - Communal road towards Penn ar Guer
  13. 12 : km 13.42 - alt. 194 m - D42
  14. 13 : km 13.8 - alt. 160 m - GR® 37 - GR® de Pays des Monts d’Arrée
  15. 14 : km 15.04 - alt. 160 m - D42
  16. S/E : km 15.7 - alt. 175 m - Central square opposite the town hall.

Notes

Departmental roads: caution when crossing and walking along roads.

Worth a visit

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

4.8 / 5
Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
La nature est belle
La nature est belle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent walk – don't forget to take a detour to see the view of Lake Bennilis and the chapel of St Michel de Brasparts. The scenery is splendid, even in winter. Be careful not to be afraid to get your feet wet, as some sections are flooded in heavy rain.

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User 27448922

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent hike.
Varied route

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Les pommiers
Les pommiers

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 : Yes

Beautiful and varied route

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Bruno 29
Bruno 29

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route without too much tarmac. The paths are sometimes turned into streams, but the season is perfect for that
Thank you for this very pleasant route

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Brendanlrx
Brendanlrx
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike in winter, so very few people around apart from a few trails used by streams that take up all the space, haha. The view is magnificent around Mont Saint-Michel, especially the panorama overlooking Lake Brennilis.

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MieJo
MieJo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike in the heart of nature: fields, woods, peat bogs, etc.

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mariedaniel
mariedaniel

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

-A beautiful hike in the Monts d'Arrée with varied landscapes, particularly the immense moorland covering the area around Mont Saint Michel de Brasparts, which also offers superb panoramic views. The route follows beautiful sunken paths, sometimes lined with beautiful flowering broom at this time of year. However, given the dampness encountered on these paths, they are likely to be impassable in winter and early spring.
-In any case, we thoroughly enjoyed this hike.

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Kerenoc
Kerenoc

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike starting from Ménez in the opposite direction to the description.
We really liked:
. The moor in the early morning mist
. The St Rivoal museum
The Chemin du Comte is more monotonous.

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Thanks for your message.
Good point about the antenna; I've corrected the description.

I've done this route several times, mostly in the summer, and even then some parts were still quite wet.

Best regards and keep up the good work on Visorando.

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Selinde
Selinde

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

There is a minor issue with the antenna; it should not be left on the left side but on the right.
The path is very muddy, and you often have to go through thickets to avoid the mud.
The estimated time is accurate (depending on walking speed).
But otherwise it's a very nice walk with beautiful views.

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2PiihR
2PiihR

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hikes, however, some sections are impassable in winter due to water and mud over several kilometres.

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Randormeuse E-mer-veillée
Randormeuse E-mer-veillée

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, with good signposting and very clear explanations!

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dufour michele
dufour michele

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

a very beautiful walk with varied landscapes, moors, peat bogs, deciduous and coniferous woodlands, and no hunters around... splendid views, easy to follow. My dog and I loved it, thank you!

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prossi
prossi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

An interesting hike thanks to the variety of paths taken. Beautiful views of the surrounding area from Mont St Michel, of course, and some nice little sunken paths at the end...
The description and map are flawless.

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Natura_29
Natura_29

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Excellent hike! I recommend it for nature lovers like me.
You walk through countryside, woods and moorland (typical of the Monts d'Arrée).
Even at this time of year, I can confirm that there are some muddy sections from (7) onwards, but most of them can be crossed or bypassed without too much difficulty. There are no pitfalls along the route, which can be followed almost entirely with the map and the Tro Sant-Riwal signs on the ground.

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