Carnoët: Vallée des Saints and Chapels

Carnoët brings together the Vallée des Saints, hiking trails and historic chapels, offering different focal points for a stay. The Vallée des Saints is on a hill overlooking the Monts d’Arrée. When planning, it makes a difference whether you want to focus on a circuit around the grounds, additional trails or the architecture of the chapels. This lets you tailor your stay to your interests in the landscape, trails or architectural history.

Circuit, hikes and guided tours

The Vallée des Saints is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Guided tours on foot or by electric carriage are offered seasonally, from March through the end of October. Before your visit, check the latest official visitor information, especially if you are planning a guided tour.

The Circuit Rémi Lorinquer was inaugurated in July 2024 and forms a 3.2-kilometre loop around the 38-hectare site. The kilometre figure refers to the length of the circuit, while the hectare figure refers to the area of the site; these are two different measurements to bear in mind when planning. The route is shown on a board at the entrance and marked every 200 metres with wooden signs.

The Vallée des Saints is also the starting point for several hikes and walks. The GR 37 runs at the foot of the site and offers routes through the Fréau forest, while the Circuit is designed as a loop around the site.

Chapels and their architectural history

The Chapelle Saint-Gildas is a Gothic chapel dating from the 15th century. It was built by the workshop of Philippe Beaumanoir, from Morlaix, which was active between 1490 and 1520. The years 1490 to 1520 refer to the period when the workshop was active, not to a more precise construction date for the chapel. Saint-Gildas can be reached from the Vallée des Saints via a paved stone path. This lets you combine a visit to the site with a chapel whose history is further specified by a particular workshop attribution.

The Chapelle Saint-Corentin is a former subsidiary church (Trève). Its construction is believed to date to the 15th or 16th century; the roof turret dates from the 16th century. A roof turret is a small tower-like structure on a roof; its date applies to a single architectural feature and not automatically to the entire chapel.

The Chapelle Notre-Dame de Pénity dates from the early 16th century. The year 1675 is inscribed above a small door in the choir. The interior furnishings were probably completed by the middle of the 17th century. The construction period, the date above the door and the presumed completion of the furnishings refer to different aspects and should therefore not be combined into a single construction date.

Discover more destinations: Trémel, Illifaut, Troguéry, Pléhédel, Calanhel, Saint.-Servais, Plougrescant, Eréac

For the broader travel overview: Côtes-D’armor.