Route of the Saint-Dégan Ecomuseum

This delightful route between Auray and Brech will take you to the Saint-Degan Ecomuseum, Saint-Guérin Chapel with its 17th-century classical altarpiece and miraculous fountain, and Kerfroud Bridge, a remnant of the Gallo-Roman era. Follow an old Chouan trail to reach the Tréauray valley and the Loc'h river, then, after passing the Saint-Degan conservation orchard, return to the Ecomuseum

Details

805295
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.76 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 279 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 279 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 184 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 13 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Brech (56400)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.709111° / W 2.994314°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0820SB, 0821OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at the entrance to the Saint-Dégan Ecomuseum.

(S/E) With your back to the building, turn right onto a wide farm track. Head westwards uphill, then down towards the north-west until you reach a fork (marker 45 on the map). Then turn left onto the path marked in yellow (briefly) with a symbol of a calvary, indicating the direction of Saint-Guérin Chapel. Taking the left-hand fork at each subsequent junction, you will reach a crossroads.

(1) Follow the path to the left and head south-east. Ignore a path branching off to the right and, at the next junction, turn right (south) to join the Route de Saint-Guérin, which links the villages of Kerguéro and Saint-Guérin.

(2) Follow the road to the right to the hamlet of Saint-Guérin. Then take a dead-end track on the left leading to the Chapel of Saint-Guérin.

(3) Continue in the same direction (south). At the T-junction, turn left to reach the Saint-Guérin Fountain via a wide dirt track.
(Please note: in winter, this road can be very muddy and made difficult to pass due to tractors. In this case, it is best to retrace your steps from the chapel, as the fountain can be reached from the road on the right before reaching point (2)).

(4) Go round the back of the fountain and continue in the direction of the fountain, following the edge of a meadow for about thirty metres (the path between the meadow fence and the embankment can sometimes be difficult due to overgrown vegetation, but it is always possible to walk up through the meadow itself) to find a small path which, through the woods, joins the Route de Saint-Guérin.
Turn right towards Kerguéro for 200 metres to return to the junction of the circular route.

(2) Follow the path on the right down towards the Pont de Kerfroud.

(5) At the junction, continue straight on to the bridge. Retrace your steps.

(5) Turn right. At the next junction, take the path on the left, a very narrow, steep-sided track once used by the Chouans.
At the hamlet of Kermané, follow the road to the left and pass the water tower.

(6) At the crossroads, turn right onto Rue du Moulin d’Estaing. After 500m, at a Fork in the road, turn left.

(7) When the road bends left, continue straight on along a path that descends towards the River Loc’h. This route along the Loc’h leads close to the Saint-Dégan heritage orchard.

(8) Continue westwards along the small road, then turn left onto Route de Saint-Dégan. After about 100 metres, turn right towards the eco-museum (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 154 ft - Ecomusée de Saint Degan
  2. 1 : mi 0.62 - alt. 177 ft - Crossroads, path on the left
  3. 2 : mi 1.13 - alt. 131 ft - Crossroads at the Chapel Circular Loop
  4. 3 : mi 1.59 - alt. 105 ft - Chapelle Saint Guérin
  5. 4 : mi 1.95 - alt. 59 ft - Saint-Guérin Fountain
  6. 5 : mi 2.51 - alt. 16 ft - Junction - Pont Romain de Kerfroud
  7. 6 : mi 3.29 - alt. 157 ft - Kerguéro - Crossroads
  8. 7 : mi 3.76 - alt. 144 ft - Path to the River Loc'h
  9. 8 : mi 4.48 - alt. 112 ft - Verger conservatoire de Saint Degan
  10. S/E : mi 4.76 - alt. 154 ft - Ecomusée de Saint Degan

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 12160998

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very well

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LEOJ
LEOJ
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

After the Saint-Quirin fountain, it is difficult to find the path leading back up to the road, so I decided to retrace my steps back to the chapel.
The chapel is not open at this time of year. But having visited it before, I highly recommend it. The fountain has been beautifully restored. This is an interesting route for lovers of nature and heritage.
The signposting is not always very visible. Pictograms (chapel, bridge) help you find your way.

The path between 3 and 4 is a bit muddy... but you can get through.

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Berthillot
Berthillot

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hello, very poorly marked path, a lot of walking on the road

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MikeC
MikeC

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The path after the fountain is blocked by barbed wire.
The path is no longer passable as of today (20/05/2024)
The best option is to return via the chapel

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maxvalet
maxvalet

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

After passing by the healing fountain, the path leading back up to the road is covered in vegetation!
I turned back, passing by the church again.

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Pascal C56
Pascal C56

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We used the app, which was very useful at the start of the route! And after the fountain, there is no longer a path along the edge of the field, so you have to cross the meadow
A beautiful route, mostly in the shade or in the woods. Luckily, the Saint Guerin chapel was open, so we were able to admire the remarkable rood screen inside.

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RIBIN
RIBIN

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful route, not very long. We were able to visit the chapel, which was open. After the fountain (very beautiful), the markings were no longer visible and the vegetation was quite high, but we nevertheless found the path at the top of the meadow. Otherwise, you have to retrace your steps. The path near the river is superb!

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Faut qu'ça marche
Faut qu'ça marche

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed the route, which includes some rather nice points of interest. The few sections on the road didn't particularly bother me as there was little traffic. I really liked the St Quirin fountain and the Chemin des Chouans. I made a video of my trip: https://youtu.be/6ZhGtF4KmHM
I recommend it...

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Patrick Lucas
Patrick Lucas
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk to do in dry weather as there is a lot of mud on the paths. It's also a shame that this route takes you along tarmac roads, which wasn't the aim of the walk.

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Mike95
Mike95

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk. Beautiful little chapel with lots of decoration in Saint-Guérin. After point 5, we preferred to descend to Kerglas, then climb back up via the D120 to the small bridge crossing the Loc'h, continue along the road to cross the Loc'h again at the southern dam of the beautiful reservoir, and finally take a path to point 8. A pleasant path, almost entirely in the shade.

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Duo Gwened
Duo Gwened

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, peaceful walk with varied landscapes. Best enjoyed with friends as the paths are wide. Thank you for the useful descriptions.

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mcie56
mcie56

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant and well-marked hike, except for the fountain. The path before the road leading to the chapel is very muddy in winter, probably due to tractor traffic and rain. It would be a good idea to reinforce it or even build a walkway to avoid sinking into the mud and water. So make sure you wear sturdy, waterproof shoes. It's a shame that you have to take the road to get to and from the chapel. I couldn't see the fountain because the path was too muddy and not clearly marked. I didn't go to the bridge, I cut across the road. The walk through the woods to reach the loch offers beautiful scenery. The climb back up through the woods can sometimes be difficult if you have trouble walking. I recommend this very pleasant walk. I will definitely do it again in the summer

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lechenad
lechenad
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant walk accessible to all, no difficulty.
The explanations at the fountain are a little vague: you need to walk up the meadow behind the fountain (rather than "leaving the fountain on your left") to reach a small path.
This walk is best enjoyed in summer, as St Guérin Chapel is closed from 1 October.
In winter, some paths are likely to be muddy.

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lamotte.bernard
lamotte.bernard

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

:A slightly short but pleasant route. Landscapes to admire without moderation.
B.L.

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fabulous8556
fabulous8556

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

To clarify: at the fountain, you need to go behind it and cross the field in line with the fountain to find the small path that crosses the woods.
A beautiful and varied hike.

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