Walk of the Month
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OCTOBER 2007
Le FaouëT
Morbihan, near the D769 15kms south of
Gourin
(Park near the Market Hall in the centre)
8.5 kms, 2.5 hours
A mostly woodland walk by the river
Ellé, passing the Château de Barrégan and
the Chapelle de Ste-Barbe.
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1. From the
upper side of the Market Hall (Les Halles), cross the street
and take ‘Rue des Halles’ opposite. At the end of
the street, cross over and continue ahead downhill. This road
soon becomes a track, then a broad path
down through the woods. At the bottom,
turn left by the stump of an old stone cross (do not go through
the underpass).
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At the road, turn right and under the
bridge. Immediately on the other side, take the path on the
left that climbs parallel with the main road for 100m, before
turning to the right and up a broad woodland track later
narrowing to a path. Bear left uphill at a stony road, cross
the tarmac road and continue up the stony track opposite.
2. At
the metal gates, bear left on the footpath. Follow this ancient
path down the hillside. At a larger path, turn left. Turn right
onto the road in the village of Villeneuve Barrégan. At
the end of the road, continue ahead uphill (ignore the track
descending to the right).
Where the path bends left and goes along
the left hand edge of a wood, there are the remains of a castle
50m to the right, hidden in the woods. The 13th century
Château de Barrégan was the property of the Lords
of Le Faouët in 1390. From 1426 it was superseded by a
manor house. It is possible to walk around the outer rampart to
the right and then onto the central mound from the other side.
Returning to the path, continue as before,
turning right downhill to stay within the woods, then left.
Where the path descends, within sight of a house on the
opposite hillside, the remains of a fontaine and lavoir (but
very overgrown at the time of writing) can be found under a
large tree ahead, where the path turns right.
At a T-junction of paths, turn left up to
the road. Here turn left. Where the road bends left at the top
of the hill, take the footpath straight ahead.
3. 100m after
entering the wood, turn right onto a footpath through the pine
trees. At a bluff above the river, the path turns right and
descends to the level of the river and runs along
outside the bottom of the woods.
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At a road by a water station, turn right
and, with the building on your left, turn left on a broad,
straight path into the pine wood. At the river, ignore the
bridge ahead and continue to the right, downstream (beware, the
tree roots can be slippery).
After a while the path climbs to a rocky
viewpoint overlooking the valley, descending again steeply to
the river bank and continuing downstream.
4. After
about 1km, where the river bank becomes a little less wooded,
take the path on the right. This emerges after 50m onto a
bracken covered hillside, crosses another path coming up from
the river, and continues steeply uphill to the Fontaine
Ste-Barbe. Climb to the left of the fontaine and, crossing over
another wide path, mount the roughly paved path (a pilgrim path) that
goes up the hillside to the left. At the top is the chapel of
Ste-Barbe.
The Chapelle de Ste-Barbe was built in
the late 15th century by Jean de Toulbodou who, whilst hunting
at this spot, was miraculously saved from falling rocks when
lightning struck the cliff-face above him. (Ste-Barbe is
frequently associated with lightning and is the patron saint of
firemen as well as slate workers.) The chapel contains some
fine early 16th century stained glass, and is reached from
above by a magnificent baroque staircase.
Climb up all the steps, coming out at the
top onto a grassy plateau with an auberge (possibility of refreshments in hs) on the
right. Go straight ahead through the gap in the perimeter wall
and straight on over the hill, descending into the trees along
another pilgrim path with, eventually, a bee museum (musée de l’abeille vivante) on the left. Cross over the little road, down
the steps and through the underpass. On the other side is the
base of a stone cross seen on your outward route. Retrace you
steps back to the start.
(From ‘Walks in Morbihan’ by
G.H.Randall, Red Dog Books £8.99, 13.50 euros)