The Couesnon Valley Tour
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The Couesnon Valley tour Farmlands criss-crossed by hedges and trees, forests, a deep valley, and vast plains: the Couesnon Valley promises its visitors a beautiful excursion among greatly diversified landscapes. In your car, riding along on a safe tour marked out by road signs, discover the intimate power of Nature, as well as the authentic heritage of buildings and public and state properties. The Couesnon River, always nearby, is this 80 km long tour’s vital lead, flowing through the heart of Pays de Fougères. Life Size Scenery The Antrain Bridge, with its three dissimilar arches. Here, the road sometimes seems like a mere path. Starting at Méz- At Vieux-Vy-sur-Couesnon, the road climbs to embrace a breath- ières-sur-Couesnon, it glides under a green archway lined with wild taking view: far below the river flows on. Sometimes hidden and mulberry trees in the heart sometimes revealed, sometimes lively and sometimes docile, the The Couesnon Valley The Couesnon Valley of the department’s Natural Couesnon is without a doubt the Star of the tour. To understand Area, or it snakes through its temperament, it’s sometimes enough to just cross a bridge: on the ferns at Saint-Marc-sur- the other side it will have completely changed its mood, splashing The Saint-Martin Church at Couesnon. At Tiercent, it with spume. At Saint-Ouen-des-Alleux, the river makes its way Tiercent, and its enclosure. passes alongside granite through a deep valley; trees bend boulders emerging from over the water, as if bowing politely thickets next to a forest of to the sight-seeker. fir trees; the landscape seems to be the abode of Treasures of Stone fairies. It passes through the A country of granite that sometimes mosaic of fields and hedges crops up in the middle of a field the on the hillsides, or accom- Couesnon Valley presents a great panies the tamer scenery to variety of architectures as shown by be found with the culti- its numerous churches, each with its vated fields to the north. unique personality. 3 La Fontenelle N 175 LEGENDARY Antrain Outdoor Centre Park or Garden Tourist Office Horseback Riding Activities Forêt de R La Haute . Religious Heritage Climbing d e Le Plessis n V illecartier o L n a s V e i u Museum or Attraction Picnic Ground ll o e La Chasserie C M e ar L ie View-point Water Mill Le Haut Tréhin Mézaubin Departemental Suggested Starting Point Natural Area D Le Pontavis Le Pont Alçon Le Houx D 796 L'Écu t u o m Bazouges-la- a T Pérouse a La Courterie L Tremblay La Thévinière La Guinebaudais e La Câtinais ert x v roi a C e L R. d La Chevalais La Blochais St-Brice- en-Cogles Le Bois The Couesnon at Antrain. de la vigne Ruisse Rimou au de Rin Perched on a hill, the Saint-Martin Church (XVth-XVIIth Centuries), an D 18 L e C ou at Tiercent, still has its small cemetery, snuggled in es non Les Bois Baudry Le Châtel its enclosure. The Saint-Martin de Tremblay t Church (XIth-XIXth Centuries) was enlarged in the on M Le Crapaudet Romazy e d t u Chauvigné a D 211 H u XVIIIth Century: the size and the colour of the D 397 d au La Grande Noë sse Rui Le Moulin du Pont La Jardais stones on the gable clearly show the nature of the St-Georges St-Marc- D 22 le-Blanc e work that was done. From the massive church tower at l D 97 l nes e v a L'Augeardière r G sRen a Brais L er Saint-André (Antrain, XIIth-XVIIIth Centuries) to the slen- v 5 Montéchard D 102 Le Moulinet D17 La Chardronnais Le Tiercent der slate arrow of Notre-Dame (Chauvigné, XIth-XIXth Centuries) the La Basse Haye Detail of the church gate La Touche St-Martin road travels through a whole world, bringing pleasure to lovers of old at Tremblay. L Brimenel a M Vieux-Vy- St-Christophe- ine de-Valains tte stone. Water mills, such as those of Quincampoix at Rimou and of sur-Couesnon D 102 La Mézière Guémain at Vieux-Vy-sur-Couesnon, used to capture the driving force Melleray La Croix Collin St-Ouen- Sous of the river for the paper mill or the feed mill. Charming houses line La Tisonnais le Bois des-Alleux La Touserie the road going through the villages of Montéchard, Brimenel or the La Hunelais town of Saint Christophe-de-Valains. Here and there, one notices the SCENIC TOUR 102 D Le characteristic outside stairways Couesnon La Bourgaignère SAINT-MALO La Ville Thélossay The Oak of Freedom. Planted by the MONT SAINT-MICHEL Olivier Vallée de that lead to the perron, doors la Rance Pays Vilaune N 12 side of the road at Saint-Christophe- de Dol DOL-DE-BRETAGNE Le Le Pâtis Moulin St-Marc- Buret ANTRAIN du Pont sur-Couesnon de-Valains, this several hundred with two arches or basket-han- Vallée du La Gâterie Tinténiac Couesnon Mézières- Montmuran sur-Couesnon St-Martin year old tree commemorated a FOUGÈRES D dle arches. These details attest TINTÉNIAC victory of 1848. Today, a celebration Madame de Sévigné St-Jean- to the skills of the country’s Brocéliande VITRÉ sur-Couesnon is held at its foot every year on the RENNES N 12 D 103 D th D 794 15 of August. granite workers. PLÉLAN-LE-GRAND A84 - E3 Vallée de Forêt de la Vilaine D 282 Haute-Sève REDON St-Aubin- du-Cormier 5 Hiking. Canoeing on the Couesnon. Though no longer in use, the Guémain Door with two arches or basket-handle arches. mill still has Stones give shelter to men, its impressive At the Outdoor Centre in Mézières-sur- but also link them together: mechanisms. Couesnon, one can borrow a canoe and the Antrain Bridge, with its go down the navigable river to Mont- three dissimilar arches, makes Saint-Michel. As for thrill-seekers, they a pleasant stop on the banks can hang on to the cliffs lining the Coues- of the Couesnon; it can be Bonnefontaine non: a climbing site awaits both experts Castle. found as a symbol on the and beginners. Numerous hiking trails tour’s road signs! may be taken, easily accessed from the highway. Starting from Antrain, the Loysance trail follows the banks of the eponymous Everyone Get Out tributary of the Couesnon. It leads hikers, both young and old, of the Car! towards the magic labyrinth of the Bonnefontaine Castle, with its It is not forbidden to get out of Parc Romantique (Romantic Park) and its musée des Enchanteurs (the your car and benefit from the Enchanters’ Museum). And for more information during your hike, numerous activities to be found you may consult the different signs (church and washing-place at along the way. On the contrary! Tremblay, church and bridge at Antrain, church and cross at Saint Why not stop and enjoy the Georges à Chauvigné, churches at La Fontenelle, Rimou, Vieux-Vy- use of a picnic ground? sur-Couesnon, and Romazy…). 7 Pratical informations Looking for accommodations, a restaurant, documentation… The Couesnon Valley Contact Bountiful Discoveries Bazouges-la-Pérouse Labyrinthe Magique (Magic Labyrinth) • Office de Tourisme and Musée des Enchanteurs (Enchanters’ du Pays de Fougères Classical Italian-style garden… Museum) open, from July to August, daily 2, rue Nationale A romantic escapade from 10 PM to 6 PM. 35300 Fougères • Château de La Ballue Tel. (33) 2 99 94 12 20 La Ballue www.ot-fougeres.fr Tel. (33) 2 99 97 47 86 Mézières-sur-Couesnon Email : [email protected] www.la-ballue.com Email : [email protected] Canoe, mountain biking, • Office de Tourisme Open from 1st of May to 30 September, Fri- climbing…, de Bazouges-La-Pérouse days, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from A sequence of thrills 2, place de l'Hôtel de Ville 1 PM to 5:30 PM. And from 10 July to 25 • Base de plein air du Couesnon 35560 Bazouges-la-Pérouse August, daily from 1 PM to 5:30 PM. (Outdoor Centre) Tel. (33) 2 99 97 40 94 12, rue du Couesnon Sculptors, painters, ceramists… Tel. (33) 2 99 39 30 78 • Point info A unique encounter www.valleeducouesnon.net de Saint-Brice-en-Coglès in a charming little town Email : [email protected] 7, place du Général de Gaulle • Le Village, Open year round upon registration. Choice 35460 Saint-Brice-en-Coglès Site d’expérimentation artistique of activities: canoe-kayak, archery, orien- Tel. (33) 2 99 97 85 44 teering, climbing, mountain biking, discov- (The Village, Artistic Experimentation Site) ery of the environment. (Session = 2h). 2, place de l'Hôtel de Ville • Pays d’Accueil Touristique These activities are offered on the basis of a Tel. (33) 2 99 97 43 60 de Fougères package deal for 8 persons. For individuals, www.levillage-bazouges.com 23, rue Pasteur on demand. Possibility canoe-kayak rentals. BP 70558 Galleries open from April to December, every 35305 Fougères Cedex week-end from 2 PM to 6 PM, or by appointment. Walk, trot, or gallop…, Tel. (33) 2 99 94 60 30 From July to August, daily from 2:30 PM to 7 PM. Always plenty of thrills www.bretagne-fougeres.com • Ferme équestre Grain d'Orge Email : [email protected] Young and old…,Cast off!… in the Villecartier forest La Chaîne Rambourg Tel. (33) 2 99 39 30 24 • Port miniature de Villecartier • Comité du Tourisme Open year round on demand, except from Forêt de Villecartier de Haute-Bretagne Ille et Vilaine 20 December to April 1st.