Hiking Trail: Circuit de Neiz Vran

With its wonderfully diverse geography and abundance of adventurous activities, Brittany is a paradise for outdoor explorers. We enjoy taking walks or going on hikes while we’re in Brittany. The circuit de Neiz Vran was one of our favorite hiking trails because it follows a gentle route and offers a lovely blend of countryside and sea.

Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran

This beautiful loop trail has a 9.5 km length, a 133 m elevation gain, and a 25 m maxim altitude. It has three options to start the trail: (1) the parking lot behind the Neiz Vran campsite, marked number 1 on the map; (2) the Lanhir car park (Petit Paris), marked number 6 on the map; and (3) the parking lot of the SNSM of Boutrouilles, marked number 10 on the map. We took the first option.

trail markers. https://www.randokerlouan.fr/randokerlouan/sentiers-de-randonnees/neiz-vran.html

In English, Neiz Vran means “The Crow’s Nest”, which is why the main trail markers are black. The black hatched up with white means for variations and shortcuts.

Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran

We started off the trail in the parking lot behind the Neiz Vran campsite, proceeded counterclockwise, and followed the coastal path. When the coastline was inaccessible,  we walked along the sides of the road. We came back to the coastal path after walking 1.3 km. When we reached Poul Feunteun, we learned that fresh water was coming out of the buzzard on the beach. We then went by the covered Pors Huel walkway, which is home to the vestiges of prehistory that are only visible at low tide in Tresseny Cove. Along the way, we passed by a private property; however, we were still able to walk around and admire the migratory birds that land in the marshes.

Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran

As the trail led us further inland, we passed through a lively neighborhood known as “Petit Paris”. As we went on, we came across the buried fountain of Feunteun Zu, which has 24 steps down to reach the water. Our next stop on the trail was the Pagan Surf School, which is open from April to December. We then made our way to Boutrouille SNSM station, which has two boats for rescue and surveillance.

Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran

From the inland, we retreated into the coastline and came across Karreg Hir seaweed oven. This oven is part of the last remnants of the seaweed industry on the Kerlouan commune. From here, we can see Enez Amann Ar Rouz to the northwest, the lighthouse on the Virgin Islands to the west, and the entire coast all the way to Pontusval to the east. Although Enez Amann Ar Rouz (the island of Hamon le Roux) is privately owned, we were able to wander around and find amazing rocks. We learned that these rocks are more admirable in bad weather.

Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran
Circuit de Neiz Vran

It was the ideal summertime stroll that took us two hours and twenty-five minutes. On a bright day, as we walked along the coastal path, we felt the cool summer breeze, heard the ocean waves crashing onto the rocks below, and smelled the salty sea air. We frequently had the chance to pause on the beaches, sit on a rock, and take in the scenery as we wondered how the world could be so breathtaking and beautiful! When we were done, we felt refreshed, and it was worth every step.

Trail A Dreuz

When we go on vacation, we see to it that the entire family can get their endorphins going and get fit together by walking, cycling, kayaking, and other activities. So, in the summer of 2022, we decided to go hiking in the Finistere of Bretagne (Brittany), France. While searching the internet for activities in Kerlouan, we came across the website of Amis des Sentiers de Randonnee de Kerlouan, where we discovered some interesting trails. The first trail that we completed was the A Dreuz Trail. It was an easy walk with a distance of 7.7 km, an elevation of 82 meters, and a maximum altitude of 82 meters. It took us 3 hours instead of 1 hour and 40 minutes, because at some stage we took a different path that led us back to the same loop. Hence, we repeated the loop.

A screenshot map of the trail A Dreuz from the website of Amis des Sentiers de Randonne de Kerlouan.
List of things we can see along the trail.

The start of the loop trail was at the La Digue car park with markings in green color. Once we got there, it offered us two possible directions – either towards the sea on the coastal park, or towards the town by the road. We took the first option. And the moment we set foot on the trail we experienced the most satisfying feeling because it signaled the beginning of an adventure, the acceptance of any difficulty we may encounter along the way, and the commitment to finish the trail and get back to the starting point.

It was a very pleasant walk as it allowed us to see a beautiful mix between sea and countryside. We loved walking along the coast because of the breathtaking landscape and scenery, and the refreshing sea breeze. One of the interesting places that we saw was the historical monument of Kerlouan Beach. It is dedicated to a Canadian destroyer which was sunk by a German submarine during World War II, and the superb view of the village of Meneham.

A historical monument that is dedicated to a Canadian destroyer.

As the trail took us deeper inland, we passed by the charming chapel of St. Egarec from the 16th century, built in 1521.

At the facade of the chapel of St. Egarec.
The outside of the chapel is adorned with beautiful, typical Breton flowers.

Outside the chapel, at the dirt road exit, before we continued the green path, we went 50m to the right on the road, then we went to the left for 50m to discover the buried fountain of Kervizouarn, which has been restored by the Friends of the Hiking Trails of Kerlouan. The fountain is surmounted by a statue of Saint Herve, and it is one of the miraculous fountains in Brittany for earaches and eyesight. There were stairs that led down to the fountain water.

The path leading to the underground fountain.

As we continued the green path, we saw the ruins of the manoir de Keryvoas (private property). The gate was opened, so we decided to get inside and see the old manor. The manor was built at the end of the 16th century. We saw only the following ruins: the stone gate marking the entrance; the surrounding wall to the south of the courtyard; and the southern end of the main building.

Then we went back to the path. On the route, we spied on some rocks in the shape of rabbit ears (Men Gaoulou), opposite a menhir and in the distance the church of Kerlouan. We also saw the Men Menac’h rock variant. It was easily accessible with a panoramic view of the town and the coast.

After visiting the Rocher de Men Menac’h, we retraced our steps and took the road again and crossed the sluice Bridge dating from 1850, which prevents the sea water from rising as far as the town of Kerlouan via Luhan stream.

A menhir in the middle of the field.

It was such an enjoyable walk as it allowed us to see more of the countryside as we passed by streams, typical Breton flowers, a huge field of wheat, and very cool rock formations. Indeed, walking with family is truly life enriching. Although it left us a little tired, it also left us feeling incredibly satisfied, and confident that the next trek would be even more exciting and enjoyable.