Cycling in Brittany as a family along greenways and the Nantes-Brest Canal

After getting warmed up in the city centre of Pontivy, your greenway cycle route adventure can begin. Start by riding along the Nantes-Brest Canal, with its many locks. At the Écluse d’Hilvern lock, take a moment to have some fun at Louarnig Park, dedicated to Breton games, where you can experience the culture of Brittany on a site covering 3,500 m². Are you a fan of ropes courses? Just across the canal, you’ll find the Accrobrancherie ropes course with its zip line that passes over the canal.

Continue along the Nantes-Brest Canal to Rohan, a “green resort” town, known for being one of the most beautiful places bordering the canals and navigable waterways of western France. It’s the ideal spot for you to get a good meal! After having your fill, head back north along the canal to Saint-Gonnery.

At the Écluse de Bojus lock, you’ll leave La Vélodyssée and travel 1 kilometre to catch Cycle Route No. 8, La Rigole d’Hilvern. You’ll return to La Vélodyssée in the last stage of the itinerary. La Rigole d’Hilvern is an artificial waterway created in the 19th century to supply water to the Nantes-Brest Canal to allow boats to navigate it.

In Saint-Gonnery, Fabienne and Rémy will be happy to receive you at their organic dairy farm, where you can recharge  (an Accueil Vélo–Cyclists Welcome guest house).

🍴 Great places to eat:

• Saint-Gérand is less than a kilometre from the canal (with a bakery and corner shop)
• Rohan: Restaurant l’Eau d’Oust Rohan, Carrefour Express Rohan grocery shop, Crêperie La Gavotte Rohan, Pizzeria Le Petit Tonneau Rohan, Abbaye de Timadeuc (3 km outside Rohan, selling cheese and fruit jellies)
• Saint-Gonnery: L’Hilvern restaurant, shop at the La Cavalerie organic farm and Votre Marché corner shop

For this final stage of cycling in Brittany, you’ll return to La Vélodyssée before heading toward the Guerlédan Dam (note: there’s a strong downward slope for around 2 km). After the dam, don’t miss the Electrothèque du Lac de Guerlédan museum in Saint-Aignan, where you can learn about the history of the dam’s construction. Then, you’ll travel along the Blavet River and Nantes-Brest Canal for a nice, peaceful stretch to end this greenway cycle route.

If you didn’t prepare for a picnic lunch when you left Mûr-de-Bretagne-Guerlédan, a small road (2 km each way) will take you to Neuillac (which has a crêpe shop and bakery).

🍴 Great places to eat: the crêpe and gourmet food shop in Saint-Aignan and the Biscuiterie de Guerlédan biscuit shop, which sells local products