Pointe-St-Mathieu2.jpg

Vannes to Questembert

STAGE PROFILE  (37.1km) 9hr 15min

DIRECTIONS

00,0 Vannes. Leave the seminary via rue Mgr-Tréhiou, and head south in the direction of Séné. Go 300m and turn left into allée de Limoges. Follow it for 500m. At the end of the allée, turn left, then immediately right. Take a ‘hollow’ embanked path bordered with trees. Follow it for 500m. Cross avenue Tohannic and continue right on the footpath which, after 650m, cuts across rue Roysard then rue de Bellebat.

At the roundabout (1.5km), bear left on a cyclepath with a pedestrian way alongside it, for the length of avenue Raymond, then avenue François Mitterrand which you go along to the far end to get to the Hippodrome roundabout. Cross to the far side and leave on a slight right before taking the road towards the village of Balgan on your left. At the T-junction go right, then take an immediate left onto an agricultural access track which goes alongside an old wall around a property. After the entrance to this property, continue straight ahead (a superb Cross on your left), then arrive at the chapel of Saint Laurent (in Séné) (4.0km). Straight after the chapel, take a right, at the corner of a house, and continue on the old path to get to the edge of the very busy D779. Go right on the secure cyclepath for 450m and, after the little bridge, head right (just before the chapel of Saint-Léonard less than 100m further) along the remains of an old railway, for 800m.

At the intersection with the road for Saint-Goustan, go straight ahead in the direction of Theix. At the next junction, 500m away, leave Sins to your right. After 450m, arrive at a carpark beside the D780. Turn left and immediately right to take the underground passage – exit by the left – which brings you, via a second underground passage, to the cyclepath towards Theix which you take to the right alongside the D765. After 1.5km, cross the junction heading straight ahead towards Bezit. At the end of the cyclepath, after several roundabouts, continue straight ahead - rue de Rosmadec – as far as the roundabout of the Ancienne Gare [old railway station] (near a supermarket on the left) (10.2km); go left and pass in front of a shopping mall before getting to the top of the slope. At the junction go across and pass in front of the mairie (mayor’s office) to arrive at the centre of the market town of...

2h35 10.6 ...Theix: Turn left into rue de Treffléan, then immediately on the right take the D7 for Le Gorvello. Go as far as the roundabout and continue on the D7 – Le Gorvello (housing development Ty er Lann). Go over the bridge which straddles the crossroads. Leave on your right the Trinité Surzur road, in order to rejoin, 100m further on the right, the pedestrian-cycleway which goes alongside the road. Follow this as far as pont de Rohello 1.3km away. Continue as far as the route de Kergoual 250m further on. Cross the D7 and rejoin the pedestrian pathway opposite. At the end of the pathway, after 700m, turn left and continue by the country path as far as the top of the slope, 400m away, and turn right. Continue straight ahead as far as the D7. Take a left to enter the superb village of...

4h25 15.4 ...Gorvello by rue des Ducs de Bretagne. Leave the Cross on the left and continue towards the church. Cross the road to get to the left-hand side. At the next crossroads take a left into a road closed to traffic (by the use of flower-troughs) near to a house with red roof-tiles; leave the chapel of St Roch on the right. Go across the crossroad and enter the hamlet of Kerentré after 250m. At the crossing, take the dirt track to the right of the letterboxes 80m away. 400m further, take a right and cross the stream. The track goes through woods and then alongside a field. At less than 300m, take a right onto the path heading towards Locqueltas which goes down between hedges and fields and under high-tension lines to arrive at the hamlet of...

4h40 17.4 ...Locqueltas. At the intersection, head left for 400m, then take a right onto the dirt track just after a stream which is hidden under vegetation. At the first fork, 800m away, take the path which goes up to the right. At the crossing at the top of the slope, turn right Carry on through woods then fields for 1.5km. When you arrive at a road, above an area known as La Salle, take a left, then pass to the right of a half-buried tank. Continue along the road for approx 200m. Take a track to the right. Further on the track is bordered by poles, then you follow a path to the left along the length of a field. Further again it comes out of the woods into a field and descends to the right. After a little passerelle overbridge, take a left going back uphill.

At the next crossing (22.3km), Moulin de Tréguern which welcomes pilgrims is 300m to the left, but the path continues to the right. 200m further take a right, then after 500m go to the left. You arrive at the hamlet of Coëtriolet; the path becomes paved, and where the road bends to the right, take the track opposite you. At the metal barrier take a right alongside the fence. The path goes downhill, crosses a small valley, then at the top of the steep incline (with steps) take a left. The path goes along by the fence overlooking a pond. Take a path to the right for 600m. Arrive at a little paved road and take it to the left for 200m as far as a bigger tarmac road at the area of La Lande de la Boule.

6h05 24.5 -  Take a left here for 200m, then take a pretty uphill path to the right (GRP). After 250m, the path curves to the right. 120m further on at the fork turn left. At the end of the field, about 350m away, having kept right, leave the GRP and go straight ahead across the countryside. At 150m, turn right. After having gone along the right-hand side of a house 400m away, continue straight ahead as far as a little road. Continue to the right and before the houses of the area, turn twice to the left to get to a dirt track which leads, 600m further, to a road towards the area of Bois Roger. Turn right and follow this road for 1km (rue de Bray) as far as the market town of ...

7h00 28.0 - ...Berric. At the stop-sign, turn left (rue du Grand Pont) then immediately right to go through place de l'Eglise (bakery - grocery) Go along the left side of the church to get back onto rue du Grand Pont. There turn right to head, 40m further, towards the left on the D7 (rue Guillaume de Berric) in the direction of Questembert, and follow the D7 for 800m. At the roundabout take the dirt track opposite you and follow it for 2km. Having reached a paved road, take a right and shortly a left in the direction of moulin de Cohignac along a little paved road. At the junction of Métairie de Cohignac to the right, take the dirt track opposite angling to the right which goes down towards a barn. Take the path to the right of the barn. When you get to the bottom, go left along the side of the valley, then cross the valley to the right, go over a little wooden bridge and follow the stream along its right-hand side. At the crossing of tracks, take a right onto sentier des Popinettes in the woods.

At the intersection of tracks, go left heading uphill, cross through 2 barriers with small gates and narrow gaps and follow a grassy path as far as a farm. Take the little road to the left and go through the hamlet of Cerillac, as far as a road, which you follow to the left for 500m. When you arrive at a larger road, go left, and then leave it shortly, going to the right.

8h30 34.3 - Less than 500m further, reach a Cross, where the chapel of St Jean is 100m further ahead. The path continues to the left of the Cross (and passes in front of « Capillon » 2 rue du Cocher, which welcomes pilgrims). At the next junction (twin Crosses), take impasse de Rochenue opposite. 100m further head into the ‘hollow’ embanked path on the left, which you follow for nearly 2km. On this section you cross 4 paths and go through two little valleys. Finally the path goes under trees along a little valley, and – after a stone Cross on the the right bank, cross a stream ; pass in front of a pumping station and go up chemin St-Martin opposite you to bring you into the town. Pass a fountain, and continue straight ahead along the road between the walls. Cross the busy rue Alain-Le-Grand and take rue St Martin opposite you.

9h15 37.1 -  Go along Place de la Libération to arrive, on the left, at the 16th Century market hall (rue des Halles) near the Tourist Office - l'Office du Tourisme - of Questembert.