Locmariaquer - Cycling tour - Le grand tour
Parking Wilson
56740 Locmariaquer
56740 Locmariaquer
Features of the route
Difficulty
Easy
Length
01:30:00
Distance
12km
Parking Wilson
56740 Locmariaquer
56740 Locmariaquer
Level of difficulty: Easy
This tour takes in Locmariaquer's major natural and megalithic sites: the town, the Table des Marchands, Saint-Pierre Lopérec, the Allée couverte des Pierres Plates, Kerpenhir and the entrance to the Golfe du Morbihan.
Departure point: From the Wilson parking lot, take the Rue de la Plage, then join the Route des Mégalithes via the cycle route at the Kerlud traffic circle, in the direction of Auray. Pass close to the Site des Mégalithes (open to visitors), home to several megalithic monuments: the Grand menhir brisé (4,500 BC), the largest man-made monolith of its time (21 m long, weighing an estimated 330 tonnes), the Tumulus d'Er Grah (a tomb 168 m long and 30 m wide) and the Dolmen de la Table des Marchands, a corridor tomb with several engraved slabs (excavated and restored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most recently in 1991). The site is managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (information www.site-megalithique-locmariaquer.fr).
How to get there
1) Drive along the Stade parking lot, towards Kerlogonan, turn left after the housing estate onto the road towards Kerlud, then right at the next junction towards Kerhelle. In Kerhelle, take the cycle route on the left towards Saint-Pierre Lopérec, then turn left again at the road to reach the dunes and Saint-Pierre beach.
2) Retrace your steps to the Kerlognan-Kerlud junction, turn right, cross Kerlud (see the Dolmen) and continue to Kerhéré. Continue on to Plage de la Falaise. On the right, discover the Allée couverte des Pierres Plates (warning: coastal path forbidden to cycles). This Neolithic tomb consists of a long, 24-metre-long angled corridor with a side cabinet in the corner. It leads to a burial chamber. The 12 pillars supporting the cover slabs are decorated with engravings. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1889, the monument has undergone several restorations. The stone in front of the tomb is actually a slab that was lying at the entrance. Continue along the Falaise beach. At the crossroads, turn left into rue Henri Ezan. You can go round the Pointe de Kerpenhir, where you'll find views of Port-Navalo and Quiberon Bay, and an orientation table (note that this route is not suitable for cyclists). On the left, see the Men Letionnec group of menhirs (one standing and several lying). Lines of menhirs extend underwater and are visible during high tides. It faces the Dolmen de Bilgroix on the other side of the river, in Arzon, now obscured by houses.
3) At the end of rue Henri Ezan, turn left into chemin du Bereu. Turn right into rue Philippe Vannier. Follow route de la Plage to Lehui, then turn right into rue Wilson and the parking lot.
This tour takes in Locmariaquer's major natural and megalithic sites: the town, the Table des Marchands, Saint-Pierre Lopérec, the Allée couverte des Pierres Plates, Kerpenhir and the entrance to the Golfe du Morbihan.
Departure point: From the Wilson parking lot, take the Rue de la Plage, then join the Route des Mégalithes via the cycle route at the Kerlud traffic circle, in the direction of Auray. Pass close to the Site des Mégalithes (open to visitors), home to several megalithic monuments: the Grand menhir brisé (4,500 BC), the largest man-made monolith of its time (21 m long, weighing an estimated 330 tonnes), the Tumulus d'Er Grah (a tomb 168 m long and 30 m wide) and the Dolmen de la Table des Marchands, a corridor tomb with several engraved slabs (excavated and restored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most recently in 1991). The site is managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (information www.site-megalithique-locmariaquer.fr).
How to get there
1) Drive along the Stade parking lot, towards Kerlogonan, turn left after the housing estate onto the road towards Kerlud, then right at the next junction towards Kerhelle. In Kerhelle, take the cycle route on the left towards Saint-Pierre Lopérec, then turn left again at the road to reach the dunes and Saint-Pierre beach.
2) Retrace your steps to the Kerlognan-Kerlud junction, turn right, cross Kerlud (see the Dolmen) and continue to Kerhéré. Continue on to Plage de la Falaise. On the right, discover the Allée couverte des Pierres Plates (warning: coastal path forbidden to cycles). This Neolithic tomb consists of a long, 24-metre-long angled corridor with a side cabinet in the corner. It leads to a burial chamber. The 12 pillars supporting the cover slabs are decorated with engravings. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1889, the monument has undergone several restorations. The stone in front of the tomb is actually a slab that was lying at the entrance. Continue along the Falaise beach. At the crossroads, turn left into rue Henri Ezan. You can go round the Pointe de Kerpenhir, where you'll find views of Port-Navalo and Quiberon Bay, and an orientation table (note that this route is not suitable for cyclists). On the left, see the Men Letionnec group of menhirs (one standing and several lying). Lines of menhirs extend underwater and are visible during high tides. It faces the Dolmen de Bilgroix on the other side of the river, in Arzon, now obscured by houses.
3) At the end of rue Henri Ezan, turn left into chemin du Bereu. Turn right into rue Philippe Vannier. Follow route de la Plage to Lehui, then turn right into rue Wilson and the parking lot.