A circular route starting from Nivillac

Park in the car park of the Nivillac sports complex.

(S/E) Walk through the sports complex and exit via the exit located to the south of the football pitch.
Turn right onto Rue du Stade and continue to Rue de la Croix Jacques. Turn right at the crossroads, then immediately left onto Route de la Ville Jossy. You will then leave the residential area on the outskirts of Nivillac behind and enter a valley where wet meadows and woodland alternate all the way to Port de la Ville Aubin.

(1) Before reaching the bottom of the valley, turn right onto a path lined with tall trees. It leads onto a wide farm track which continues to the opposite side of the valley. Turn left. Cross the stream, turn right and follow the woods until you reach the small port of Ville Aubin. When you reach the boats, veer right to go round the meadow and reach the footbridge that crosses the watercourse. Continue past the jetties to the riverbank. To the left lies the panorama of the three bridges that span the Vilaine: the Pont du Morbihan, with its immense arch (which you can walk across), the cable-stayed bridge and, just before it, the piers of the previous structures.

(2) Walk up the riverbank to the hedge bordering a former palud (a meadow flooded by the tides). A track runs alongside this hedge up to the road leading to Ville Aubin. Follow the road to the first crossroads, turn left, then take a steep path branching off to the left a few dozen metres past the crossroads. It climbs the hill through a wood overlooking the road you were on just before. You’ll emerge onto a wide, straight track cutting through the middle of a large agricultural field. Cross it and take the road leading uphill to the right.
At the entrance to the hamlet of Tilloué, turn left, then right at the next path. Cross a small valley and turn right to climb up towards the imposing buildings of Haut Verger.

(3) In the centre of the hamlet, level with the tallest of the buildings, turn left. At the highest point on the hill, turn left to descend towards the woods bordering the Vilaine.
The steep slope makes for a rapid descent and, after passing through the woods, the path continues across a marsh until it reaches the inlet at Port-ès-Gerbes.

(4) Cross the footbridge and head back up to a hedge, in front of which a path leads back up towards the woods. In wet weather, this path may be partially flooded. It is possible to bypass the obstacle, either by walking along the left-hand side of the path, at the foot of the poplars lining it, or through the meadow ahead of it. However, crossing on foot without getting your feet wet can prove tricky when there has been heavy rain.
Once you’re on dry ground, follow the path uphill and turn left. At the next junction, turn right, then left again after about a hundred metres. The path climbs towards the hamlet of Port-ès-Gerbes, following a curve that mirrors the bend in the river. Although the river is no longer visible, you may still catch a glimpse of the steep slopes of the opposite bank through the trees.
As you enter the hamlet, note the covered well on the left, on a private property. Its shape is rather unusual, and it has retained its old wooden winch.

(5) At the crossroads, turn right. On the right, a thatched cottage, very much in its original state, bears a strange name. Could this be a reference to the nickname the English give us (Froggys)? It is true that the area around La Roche-Bernard is home to a fairly large population of more or less permanent emigrants from across the Channel.
After the cottage, take the road to the left, then the path that veers off to the right just after the last house. A few dozen metres further on, the hedge lining the path splits to form a magnificent hedgerow lane. Old oak and chestnut trees provide shelter for a variety of low-growing vegetation, dominated by common buckthorn.
Continue along this path to the bottom of the valley. At the stream, turn right and join the road.

(6) Walk up the road to the left for fifty metres, then take the path that branches off to the right in a hairpin bend. It climbs up to the ridge through chestnut groves before forming another hairpin bend. Once past this, the landscape is that of a moor where the rock outcrops and where the recently felled pines will soon dominate the gorse and heather once more. Cross this entire moorland before coming out onto a wide, perpendicular path. Turn right and cross the farmland, heading down towards a road. At the junction, continue to the left, following the footpath alongside the road, until you reach the sports complex (S/E).

(3) Before beginning the descent, take the time to admire the landscape stretching from the outskirts of La Roche-Bernard (cable-stayed bridge) to the bend at Port-ès-Gerbes. Opposite, the wooded slopes of Marzan slope down more or less steeply into the river. The dark mass of vegetation is reflected in the water, giving the Vilaine a sombre hue. Opposite, a few tall conifers emerge from the woodland: they mark the site of the grounds of the Château de la Cour de Marzan, whose silhouette can be glimpsed through the winter foliage.
All shops and amenities are in the village of Nivillac.

Port-ès-Gerbes, a charming mooring where a curious crew is based, lies at the confluence of the river and a stream flowing down from the plateau.
A remnant of a time when the tide reached beyond Redon, this small harbour still shelters the fishermen’s boats. Opposite, its twin marks the mouth of the Marzan stream, at the bottom of a valley with a distinct relief.
If the valley has enchanted you, you can enjoy the view from the other bank by following the path described from Saint-Cornély, in Péaule.
And if you’d prefer to do so from the river, the Jaunes d’Arzal boats offer trips departing from this port or from La Roche-Bernard, all the way to Foleux. The route takes you across the entire plateau that heralds the Sillon de Bretagne, and it’s a lovely trip.