Gourin < > Le Faouët
STAGE PROFILE : 23.0 km 5h45
DIRECTIONS
00.0 – Gourin. Leave the gîte Tronjoly following the GR38, passing in front of the château. Go back along the Tronjoly avenue as far as the exit between the two pillars. 500m from the start, turn left into rue Hugot Derville ; cut across the Carhaix road after a little less than 150m ; continue down the road facing you [rue de la République] which turns right and goes alongside a supermarket ; after a little more than 200m, cross rue de la Libération and pass between the Office de Tourisme and the inn [auberge] Toul ar Chy. Cross a little carpark to fork left into rue de Pré-Jacques. Go down the tarmac road as far as the reservoir lake and turn left after 350m into rue de Landzent. In the village of Landzent d'en Bas, a little less than 1km further, take a right onto the path «Chemin des chapelles».
Leave the chapel of Saint-Guénolé on the left and go onto a dirt road opposite, which leads towards Landzent d'en Haut (which you leave on your right). Continue straight ahead ; cut across a little tarrmac road (3.8km), then a D-road 300m further on. Head onto a path facing you which goes up to the cross of Kerflao (hardly visible on your left, in the vegetation) a little less than 1.5km distant. Continue to go up ahead, slightly to the left, after the cross and arrive at the place known as ...
1h30 06.2 – ... Penfrat. At the well-cleared junction, head forward onto a little tarmac road as far as Beuz, 700m away. Turn left; cross the grazing land, then head into a ‘hollow’
embankmented path which goes downhill, then sharply back up again, and arrives at a tarmac track (Cross) after 800m. Go ahead up it for less than 100m. Cross the road which you find and on the opposite side go between two fences along a grassy path. Leave on your right Quinquis-Souater and follow the path which brings you (passing in front of the cemetery) by the rue de l'Ecole, to the centre of the market town of ...
2h15 09.0 – ... Le Saint. Pass in front of the mayor’s office [mairie] going straight ahead through the town (rue de la Mairie). Go left in the direction of Langonnet, after 300m ; you are leaving the GR38. Going on down the road, after 300m, take a grassy path on the right, which turns left and then goes down crossing two tracks [The first, at 800m provides access to the place known as Rozmiliguet] and arrive, a little less than 700m further on, at a tunnel under the D769. Turn right, and in front of the Toul Trinq bar, three roads can be seen ; take the middle one, between the slip road which goes up to the expressway on the right and the D187 on the left. This road passes 800m futher on in front of the windmill [moulin] du Duc and the former restaurant « Le Violon Vert », then crosses the nearby D769 (12km) (dangerous major route: 7 % descent ; careful of the traffic !).
Continue ahead for 700m before forking right near a farm (in the direction of Leinmeur, Boutoulé ...) ; and after 700m, at a lovely junction with a cross on the central reservation, turn left then keep to the left on a track going uphill. After arriving at the top, 500m on, cross a track and continue up ahead to a bend to the left, on a ‘hollow’ embanked track. After a little more than 500m, again cross the expressway D769, going right along it for 50m before taking a track on the left (a little cross behind the longhouse). Follow this dirt track bending right of the grounds of a residence and arriving at a bogland which you can go around by a raised walkway on the right. Pass along behind the houses and turn right to get onto a little road, where you go left. 200m further, at the old school on your left, cross a road to go down a ‘hollow’ embanked road which you follow straight on to ...
4h00 15.8 – ... Chapel of Saint-Jean. (Guesthouse [Chambre d'hôtes] 1km away) Bear right, cross through the village on a tarmac road and continue to the left. 600m further, at a Cross, turn right and follow this little road for 2km as far as the D790. Take this road to the left for a little more than 100m ; turn right onto a small road and almost immediately after, again to the right into a break in a hedge (not easy to see!). Take the path which goes alongside the field, pass between two fences and head into a woods. Follow the path straight ahead then cross the flat moorland of the valley of the Ellé., After 600m, you come to the hamlet of Barrégan (the lodging place [gîte d'étape] is on the right). Turn left, follow the road and fork right before two pillars. Go along the trail (PR) as far as Villeneuve-Barrégan, which is 850m away. Go through it and turn left before leaving it. Follow the track as far as the crossing of a stream. Just after at the joining of 3 tracks (goose-foot), take the middle track which goes up into the woods as far as the plateau of the chapel of Sainte-Barbe a little less than 800m distant. (The track which heads downhill leads to the fountain of Sainte-Barbe.). Go down to the chapel by the steps on the left and go back up the opposite side. Depart the chapel area, leaving the Cross on your right.
Take the large track which goes alongside the woods (pilgrim way - chemin dit des pèlerins) and then into them. Go down the roman road, passing behind Kercadoret (Museum of the Living Bee and the City of Ants - Musée de l'Abeille Vivante et de la Cité des Fourmis). Continue to go downhill, go through the tunnel of the D769 and continue left along your way by a large avenue of beech trees ; go straight ahead onto the track of Ste-Barbe which is on the edge of Faouët (first houses), then, having reached the top of the incline, cross rue Jean-Corentin-Carré, and la rue des Halles which brings you to...
5h45 23.0 ... the superb Halles du Faouët.
