Hikes in Riantec

We explore the large inland lake La Petite Mer de Gâvres with its villages and salt marshes, as well as the five-kilometer-long stretch of beach known as Grande Plage Gâvres, which is famous for having the tallest dunes in Brittany. The beautiful tidal flat landscape at low tide is especially charming. The mostly steady breeze fills our lungs with mild, refreshing sea air. Since La Petite Mer de Gâvres is connected to the ocean by a strait, we end our exploration with a short boat ride back to our starting point, Port-Louis.> From the start and finish at Port-Louis01 (2 m), across from the Hotel Avel Vor, we walk along the main road toward the lighthouse. Shortly afterward, we leave the main road at the left-hand bend and turn onto Rue du Bastion, which has a 2.1-meter height restriction. At the next intersection, we turn right and pass the small city beach. Behind the lighthouse and the laundromat, we follow the right-hand fork, also marked “Sentier Cotier.” Walking along the shore of the small bay, we pass a parking lot, following the coastal path for a while and then walking directly along the beach again. The path, which is heavily overgrown in places, leads to a road where we turn right and, immediately after the bridge, continue right onto the path. After passing an access road, we walk directly along the beach again. Shortly afterward, we walk a short distance on a road. The trail now curves in a wide arc along a cove, heading directly toward a church. On a marked section of the trail, we reach the road via extremely narrow alleys—in some places, you have to take off your backpack just to get through—where we turn right and walk past the Église Sainte Radegonde02 (2 m). Immediately after the dike, we turn right. At the next fork in the trail, we do not take the path halfway to the right toward the La Maison de l’Ile Kerner Sea and Nature Museum on the peninsula in the lagoon, but instead take the path halfway to the left, turning right after 250 m past the small green space. This section of the trail is also signposted. After the path changes direction once to the right and then to the left, we walk parallel to the marsh meadows in the lagoon again. Further on, we pass a parking lot with picnic tables; we ignore a left turnoff toward Le Dreff—the path leads directly across the marsh meadows and over an artificial dam. The path ends at a wooded area; here, we walk directly along the beach. After 85 meters, you can take a sharp left and then immediately turn right again through the woods. At low tide, it’s best to walk directly along the beach. We reach a small village at a high stone wall. Here, we turn left onto the paved road and leave the village, following the streetlights. At the next opportunity, we turn right into the dead-end street and, after 40 m, turn left; next to it is a 6-meter-long gate. We walk along the path between the fences of the horse paddocks. This path winds its way—without any further trail markers—toward a dark building visible in the distance. The rarely used path across the green areas ends at a dirt track, where we turn right, heading directly toward the lagoon. After just 55 m, turn left toward three concrete pillars, following the remains of a fence until you reach a stream. Stones have been placed in this 1.5 m-wide stream to make it easier to cross. It is extremely important to cross the stream exactly at this key point03 (4 m), because it is not possible to cross it anywhere else! The trail, both before and after the stream, is difficult to make out. After crossing the stream, we walk slightly to the right along the base of an embankment. As soon as the underbrush on the embankment thins out, you can head slightly to the left up to a road, cross the main road, and walk down to Grande Plage Gâvre04 (0 m). This is followed by a long and beautiful walk along the beach, past the tallest dunes in Brittany. Behind a long wooden barrier that extends into the sea, followed by a sand dune, we head straight toward a stone breakwater. We have reached the first houses of the village of Gâvre 05 (2 m). 285 m past the stone embankment, near a concrete wall, we leave the beach via some stairs and arrive at a parking lot. We continue to the main road, turn left there, and after 80 m, turn right immediately, walking along the stone wall. At the pier, we now head northwest toward the dock, followed by the boat passage.

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