Eurovelo #1 in Brittany

[bluenotebob]

This is a thread for anyone planning to ride Eurovelo #1 between Roscoff and Nantes in 2024.

At least two people intend to ride this route in September … @The Crofted Crest and @SafetyThird. I’ve also tagged @Cathryn and @roubaixtuesday - but I reckon you'll both be travelling further east and so shouldn't be affected by the following.

Eurovelo #1 between Pontivy and Redon, ie where it follows the Nantes-to-Brest canal towpath, has been badly affected by autumn/winter flooding in the Oust valley. This is a significant part – roughly a third – of the route between Roscoff and Nantes.

The floods have now receded but the towpath has been damaged and diversions are in place (or the towpath has been closed without any diversion signs). I suspect that not only has the towpath been damaged but there may also be a problem with tree roots – some of the plane trees that line much of the route may have become de-stabilised by the flooding.

The last time this happened was February 2014 .. and they were still re-surfacing the towpath in 2017 .. so I expect that a lot of these problems may still exist in 2025 and 2026.

If you’re happy to take the diversions, that’s fine (but remember this is France and signs for les déviations may be incomplete – or simply non-existent) – but you’ll find that some stages will take significantly longer to ride than they would have done last year, for instance.

I’ve split the route from Pontivy to Redon into three – and this is what I know so far:

Pontivy to Josselin: probably OK up to the point where the Oust joins from the north – east of l’écluse de Boju. I’m going to try and visit a couple of sections of the towpath here in April/May and will report back.

Josselin to Malestroit: the section from Guillac to Montertelot has been closed since October 2023 and a somewhat unpleasant diversion is in place. From Montertelot to Roc St André is OK, I think – but I passed over this section of the towpath on another Voie Verte last week and there was no-one at all on the towpath (which is unusual). The towpath is closed south of Roc St André with a large sign cemented into the ground saying ‘Towpath Access Forbidden’ and no diversion signs in place. I think it’s OK between le Pont de Bagotais and Malestroit .. I met a couple of cyclists who’d done it and they said it was OK (but a large section of that stretch is a canal cut, separated from the Oust, so it should be OK).

Malestroit to Redon: The section east of Malestroit is closed – I don’t know to what extent .. but it would be easy to find an alternative if you’re carrying a road map (or smartphone with map access on it).

Other than that, I was told the area south of Redon is OK – but I don’t know about SE of Redon – and it’s too far away from here for me to get down there to have a look.

I’ll update this thread when I have more information.

Bonne route, bonne chance et bon courage

 

[The Crofted Crest]

Thanks for that, Bob!

 

[SafetyThird]

Thanks Bob, that’s very useful info. Much appreciated.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

This is a thread for anyone planning to ride Eurovelo #1 between Roscoff and Nantes in 2024.

At least two people intend to ride this route in September … @The Crofted Crest and @SafetyThird. I’ve also tagged @Cathryn and @roubaixtuesday - but I reckon you'll both be travelling further east and so shouldn't be affected by the following.

Eurovelo #1 between Pontivy and Redon, ie where it follows the Nantes-to-Brest canal towpath, has been badly affected by autumn/winter flooding in the Oust valley. This is a significant part – roughly a third – of the route between Roscoff and Nantes.

The floods have now receded but the towpath has been damaged and diversions are in place (or the towpath has been closed without any diversion signs). I suspect that not only has the towpath been damaged but there may also be a problem with tree roots – some of the plane trees that line much of the route may have become de-stabilised by the flooding.

The last time this happened was February 2014 .. and they were still re-surfacing the towpath in 2017 .. so I expect that a lot of these problems may still exist in 2025 and 2026.

If you’re happy to take the diversions, that’s fine (but remember this is France and signs for les déviations may be incomplete – or simply non-existent) – but you’ll find that some stages will take significantly longer to ride than they would have done last year, for instance.

I’ve split the route from Pontivy to Redon into three – and this is what I know so far:

Pontivy to Josselin: probably OK up to the point where the Oust joins from the north – east of l’écluse de Boju. I’m going to try and visit a couple of sections of the towpath here in April/May and will report back.

Josselin to Malestroit: the section from Guillac to Montertelot has been closed since October 2023 and a somewhat unpleasant diversion is in place. From Montertelot to Roc St André is OK, I think – but I passed over this section of the towpath on another Voie Verte last week and there was no-one at all on the towpath (which is unusual). The towpath is closed south of Roc St André with a large sign cemented into the ground saying ‘Towpath Access Forbidden’ and no diversion signs in place. I think it’s OK between le Pont de Bagotais and Malestroit .. I met a couple of cyclists who’d done it and they said it was OK (but a large section of that stretch is a canal cut, separated from the Oust, so it should be OK).

Malestroit to Redon: The section east of Malestroit is closed – I don’t know to what extent .. but it would be easy to find an alternative if you’re carrying a road map (or smartphone with map access on it).

Other than that, I was told the area south of Redon is OK – but I don’t know about SE of Redon – and it’s too far away from here for me to get down there to have a look.

I’ll update this thread when I have more information.

Bonne route, bonne chance et bon courage

Merci bien!

Have by happy coincidence just been looking at route planning this morning; we'll be on roads and coming from the North through to Redon then on to Nantes, so I think unaffected.

From St Malo, have just booked a chambres d'hôte in a little village called St Malon sur Mel, then we'll stay in Redon, then Nantes.

Anything worth seeing en route in that area? The Menhirs de Monteneuf look convenient for a look see.

 

[bluenotebob]

Merci bien!

Have by happy coincidence just been looking at route planning this morning; we'll be on roads and coming from the North through to Redon then on to Nantes, so I think unaffected.

From St Malo, have just booked a chambres d'hôte in a little village called St Malon sur Mel, then we'll stay in Redon, then Nantes.

Anything worth seeing en route in that area? The Menhirs de Monteneuf look convenient for a look see.

Je t'en prie.

I think you'll be OK from Redon to Nantes - but if I hear anything to the contrary, I'll let you know. When are you travelling? in May?

I know St Malon-sur-Mel - I've visited it a couple of times on the bike - it's a bit of a grind uphill from the west but perhaps you'll be coming in from the north. Yes - it's a sleepy little village, just on the outskirts of the Forêt de Paimpont - and only about 20km east from me.

Just to the south-west of St Malon - maybe a couple of kilometres - is the Fontaine de Jouvence - and very close to that there's an allée couverte (burial chamber) ... known as "Merlin's Tomb" (le tombeau de Merlin). It was very busy when I was there - a hot day in June, I think - so I swerved it - but it would be worth a few minutes of your time.

There are a couple of Vélo Départmentales (longish-distance cycle routes - on roads but quiet ones) in that area and the VD6 which passes through St Malon takes you straight to Merlin's Tomb. If you carried on south from there on the VD6, it'll take you to Plélan-le-Grand and a few kms further on (east of Plélan) you can connect with the VD7 which will take you all the way to Redon - and past the standing stones at St Just which, apparently, are definitely worth seeing.

I assume you've already nailed down a route from St Malon to Redon - but the above might make an attractive alternative.

I know of the menhirs at Monteneuf but have never visited them (to my shame). I would have thought they were a bit too far west from an ideal route from St Malon to Redon - but they're worth a visit all the same, I'm sure.

If you want more info on those two Vélo Départmentales and can't find anything on t'internet, let me know and I'll PM you the pdf files.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Je t'en prie.

I think you'll be OK from Redon to Nantes - but if I hear anything to the contrary, I'll let you know. When are you travelling? in May?

I know St Malon-sur-Mel - I've visited it a couple of times on the bike - it's a bit of a grind uphill from the west but perhaps you'll be coming in from the north. Yes - it's a sleepy little village, just on the outskirts of the Forêt de Paimpont - and only about 20km east from me.

Just to the south-west of St Malon - maybe a couple of kilometres - is the Fontaine de Jouvence - and very close to that there's an allée couverte (burial chamber) ... known as "Merlin's Tomb" (le tombeau de Merlin). It was very busy when I was there - a hot day in June, I think - so I swerved it - but it would be worth a few minutes of your time.

There are a couple of Vélo Départmentales (longish-distance cycle routes - on roads but quiet ones) in that area and the VD6 which passes through St Malon takes you straight to Merlin's Tomb. If you carried on south from there on the VD6, it'll take you to Plélan-le-Grand and a few kms further on (east of Plélan) you can connect with the VD7 which will take you all the way to Redon - and past the standing stones at St Just which, apparently, are definitely worth seeing.

I assume you've already nailed down a route from St Malon to Redon - but the above might make an attractive alternative.

I know of the menhirs at Monteneuf but have never visited them (to my shame). I would have thought they were a bit too far west from an ideal route from St Malon to Redon - but they're worth a visit all the same, I'm sure.

If you want more info on those two Vélo Départmentales and can't find anything on t'internet, let me know and I'll PM you the pdf files.

That's great, thanks, I'll take a look at routes via those.

It'll depend on weather on the day,; anything from a main road blast to a slow meander!

 

[Cathryn]

Thank you so much! So useful!

 

[bluenotebob]

A short update ... the section of Eurovelo #1 between le Pont-des-Deux Rivières and Montertelot is now open ... but between Guillac and le Pont-des-Deux Rivières it is still closed - and seems likely to be closed until at least early June. A new (and more official) diversion is in place and if I get the chance, I'll cycle it. There's a simple cut-round anyway - on quiet roads - if the diversion is iffy.

I'll keep adding to this thread as and when. If I leave it, I'll forget. Around the middle of June, I'll do a complete review of the section between Pontivy and Malestroit (I should have cycled all of it by then).

This is the scene that greeted me at le Pont-des-Deux Rivières (looking west) this afternoon .. the sign reads 'HALAGE DEGRADE', ie the towpath (le chemin d'halage) is in a poor state - to be honest, it wasn't great before the flooding..

 

[The Crofted Crest]

Thanks for the update, Bob. Much appreciated.

 

[bluenotebob]

A short note to say that yesterday I cycled 26.6km along Eurovelo #1 (the Nantes-to-Brest canal) from Cadoret to Keroret (just N of St-Gérand) without any significant problems.

There had been problems with closed sections blocked by fallen trees (perhaps after Storm Nelson) but barriers and tapes have now been moved aside. There was still a problem with a fallen tree near l’écluse d’Hilvern but it was simple to push the bike around the blockage.

In places, the surface of the towpath is quite rough – worse than I remember it – but it is OK if you take it gently (I wouldn’t like to cycle it on tyres less than 32mm wide though).


Position at 18 April 2024 (heading SE):

Pontivy to Rohan (24.1km) .. first 9.2km untested – final 14.9km OK

Rohan to Josselin (also 24.1km) .. first 11.7km OK – final 12.4km untested

Josselin to Montertelot (13.7km) .. first 11.1km untested – 1.3km section between écluse de Blond and Pont-des-Deux Rivières closed – final 1.3km OK

Montertelot to Malestroit (11km) – first approx. 2.5km OK – final 8.5km untested

Malestroit to St Congard (about 9km) – unknown but was closed in late March


Not sure when I’ll get round to cycling the 9.2km from Keroret to Pontivy: school holidays start this evening and last until May 5… so it probably won’t be until after then.

In the meantime, I will try and tackle all (or parts of) the other sections.

There is every possibility that all will be fine by August/September when two of you will cycle all – or part – of this route but I will provide periodic updates in case anyone else reads this thread and is planning to ride it earlier.

A reminder of how pretty the canal is at this time of year (between St Samson and Rohan yesterday, heading south)

 

[bluenotebob]

Over the last month or so, I’ve cycled approximately 67km of the canal from Keroret (9km east of Pontivy) to Foveno (3km east of Malestroit) and, apart from the closure of the 1.3km section between the écluse de Blond and le Pont-des-Deux Rivières, it’s all open. The quality of the surface varies a lot but it’s all cyclable.

In June, I will try and cycle the sections between Pontivy and Keroret (and possibly some of the stretch up to Guerlédan) and between Foveno and St Congard (and possibly on to St Martin-sur-L’Oust).

I’ll also keep an eye of the closed section of towpath between Blond and le Pont-des-Deux Rivières. If it looks like it’ll still be closed after mid-July, I’ll provide details on how to deal with it.


Position at 25 May 2024 (heading SE):

Pontivy to Rohan (24.1km) .. first 9.2km uncycled – final 14.9km OK

Rohan to Josselin (also 24.1km) … all OK. There’s a rough section of about 600m opposite the usine at Caradec but it’s fine if you take it very slowly.

Josselin to Montertelot (13.7km) .. first 11.1km OK – 1.3km section between écluse de Blond and Pont-des-Deux Rivières closed – last 1.3km OK

Montertelot to Malestroit (11km) … all OK.

Malestroit to St Congard (about 9km) – first 3km to Foveno is OK … not cycled the rest (yet).



Photo from yesterday of the approach to Josselin from the east

 

[bluenotebob]

@The Crofted Crest and @Cathryn - here's an update.

I haven’t made any progress on checking the state of the towpath outside of the stretches that I listed on 25 May…. poor weather and a general unwillingness to say “bonjour” 20 times per kilometre has meant that I’ve avoided doing any lengthy rides on the canal over the last couple of months.

The last time I crossed the canal was the 24th June and the section between the écluse de Blond and Pont-des-Deux Rivières was still closed with diversion signs in place. Apart from removing a fallen tree and spreading some gravel between the two bridges, no work has been done to the surface of the towpath.

As promised in my last post, here are my suggestions as to how to deal with it.

1. You could follow the diversion but I suggest you don’t. It’s a lengthy (perhaps 8km) loop north then south which involves some climbing on mostly sandy/earth tracks. I did follow this route 21st April and wrote about it in the ‘Your Ride Today’ thread. A couple of the diversion signs were missing at that time (but they may have been re-instated now).

2. You can push/walk your bikes along the ‘closed’ section (it’s only about 1300m long). A friend rode it back in April and said it was “OK but very bumpy” – but he was on a gravel bike rather than a laden tourer.

3. Leave the canal at l’Herbinaye (about 2km before the écluse de Blond). Someone has set up a créperie in a caravan next to the bridge which should help you identify the spot. Cross the bridge heading south towards Quily. After about 1km turn left towards la Ville Nayl (you’re on the opposite side of the canal to the towpath here). Continue through la Ville Nayl – keep going and you’ll arrive at la Touche Carné. Take a half-left at the mini-roundabout and you’ll meet the V3 Voie Verte. A choice here – turn left (going north) to rejoin the canal towpath at la Pont-des-Deux Rivières and continue to Montertelot – or turn right (south) and rejoin Eurovelo #1 at la Chapelle Caro, either by doubling back by the paper mill or by following the D766a (cycle path on right-hand side of the road) which takes you over the river. Then cross the road and rejoin the canal.

The choice of route is yours obviously – but the easiest way would be to simply push your bikes through the closed section (if they’re not too heavy).

I hope this is of some help. I won't post here again unless/until I'm aware of any new problems.

 

[The Crofted Crest]

Thanks for all the updates, Bluenote.

 

[Cathryn]

Thanks so much!

 

[bluenotebob]

I doubt if this is of any interest but FWIW there's currently a 2km closure of the chemin d'halage (towpath) north-west of Malestroit. It's a minor inconvenience - EV1 is re-routed onto the norther bank of the canal and follows a quiet but bumpy road until it rejoins the towpath by the écluse de Malestroit.

The closure is scheduled to end in February 2025