Le Faou < > Châteaulin

STAGE PROFILE :  28.4 km  7h05

DIRECTIONS

00.0 – Le Faou – After visiting Faou (or after staying overnight there), retrace your steps, go back over the bridge across the river and go right, in the St Joseph Quarter, onto a small road which heads uphill (Rue du Cimetière) and follow the GR® 37. Cross the Brest-Quimper motorway by a bridge. At the junction after the bridge, take the road on the right, then go to the left before the commercial and artisan zone onto the old road. Come out onto the D42. Cross it to follow a little road for 300m which rejoins the D42 leading towards Rumengol (see accommodation for the previous stage).

Leave the grounds and go left along the road. After the fountain, take a right, then shortly a left after the bar, towards Penn ar Voas and Kerazéas. Pass through this hamlet turning right. Go down the gravel path, cross a stream, go past a track that heads off to the right and take the next one which goes left ; continue as far as a little tarmac road 1.2km away. Turn left and continue for 1.5km approx until you meet another road which heads right to Ty Kerneiz. Turn right and cross the bridge over the railway. Go up the road opposite. Continue to the left for 1km. At the fork after Roz Losquet, turn right.

2h10 08.8 – Pass Traon Rivin and turn left at the damaged Calvary. Follow the road for Lopérec-Le Breuil. At the first fork after 150m, stop heading for Le Breuil and take a right onto a road which goes steeply uphill. (From the top a view towards Mount Saint-Michel de Brasparts crowned with its chapel, the hilltops of the Monts d'Arrée, over the forest, and over the Harbour of Brest beyond). The road goes down towards the hamlet of...

2H30 10.2 – ... Vieux Quimerc'h. There, after the agricultural buildings, turn left at the tranformer to get to the ruined church to the north, and continue straight ahead onto a path ; cross two small roads and take a dirt path on the right ; cross the D21, and take a road going down south towards Lopérec. After the reservoir, turn left and follow a dirt track as far as a little valley. Go through the hamlet of Guern ar Born and, at the next crossing (Croas Hent Kervinic), go straight ahead as far as...

3h20 13,5 – ... Lopérec. In the town, turn right onto the D121, towards Pont-de-Buis, then 100m afterwards, follow a little road to the right towards the hamlet of Kerascoët. 400m from this hamlet, at a crossing, take a left onto a wide shady dirt track which leads to a scattered group of farms ; the village of Lambezegou. Leave it on your right and follow a small road to the south which rejoins the D121, where you take a right (walk on the left) as far as the first fork, a little more than 500m away. Turn left, then right in the direction of Saint-Ségal (Bridge over the Douffine).

After 600m, there is a fishfarm (pisciculture) on the left. 20m from its easily-identifiable entrance, in a grassy area there is the start of a trail (a few steps) which follows, through the woodland, the chainlink fence of the fishfarm. You soon see the tanks, then the feeder tank and after that the river Douffine along which you continue (PR® waymarked yellow).
After having crossed two streams by wooden bridges (400m away) follow the PR® and go up to the right just after the second stream (Don’t go as far as the ruined mill) into a pretty valley. The old mill of Meil Choat. A bridge. An uphill towards the village of...

4h50 19.5 – ... Kerascoët from where you exit by the right. Follow the PR® waymarks. Take a wide path on the left. Turn right onto a tarmac road, then shortly take a left onto a gravel path which goes up towards the road for Saint-Ségal - Pleyben. Take this to the right for 500m and turn left under the trees to reach the old railway between Carhaix – Châteaulin which you follow.
Leave the PR® and continue along the old railway as far as the motorway. (The last 200m can be muddy !) Go back up to the left towards a bridge described as ‘agricole’ which goes over the motorway. Just after this bridge, turn right, then left and go down a wide unpaved avenue bordered by a wooded embankment, as far as a small road which winds its way towards the D48a. Cross it and take a small road opposite which climbs up to the left. At the top, turn right (tennis court) . Go through the residence of Commandant Gourvès. Take the old railway track which leads towards the old station of Châteaulin. Cross over the Aulne by the viaduct and reach the centre of ...

7h05 28.4 – ... Châteaulin. (If you want to stay overnight at Juvénat, cross the Aulne and go up the Grand-Rue for 1.5km.)