La Vicomté-Sur-Rance: Hiking and Local History

A stay in La Vicomté-Sur-Rance can combine hiking trails along the Rance with local history. The municipality offers clearly distinct highlights: a river route and viewpoint, loop and destination hikes, and a dolmen, mill, and parish church. Whether you focus on trails, history, or both shapes the character of your trip.

Trails along the Rance and into the town center

The municipality’s trails reach the boundary between the maritime and fluvial Rance. The Sentier de l'Eperon Barré runs along the fluvial Rance; the Mont Joly viewpoint above the river is on the same trail. A loop passes through Ville Es Pois and follows a route reserved for pedestrians and cyclists into the town center. The routes therefore differ in where they lead: the Sentier focuses on the river and viewpoint, while the loop leads into town. Since April 2020, volunteers from La Vicomté-sur-Rance have maintained the municipality’s hiking trails.

Hikes by distance and elevation gain

The Tour de La Vicomté-sur-Rance is a 13 km loop hike with 150 meters of elevation gain. The hike to the Dolmen du Bois Rocher covers 4.8 km with 74 meters of elevation gain; the Sentier de l'Eperon Barré is 5.5 km long and has 158 meters of elevation gain. The Sentier du pont de Lessard loop covers 3 km. The routes therefore range from 3 to 13 km. The Eperon Barré trail is 0.7 km longer than the dolmen hike, but has 84 meters more elevation gain. In turn, the longer 13 km loop has 8 meters less elevation gain than the Eperon Barré. Distance and elevation gain provide two separate points of reference when choosing a route; distance alone does not provide a reliable basis for comparing climbs. The routes also differ by destination: the 4.8 km hike leads to the dolmen, while Mont Joly and the route along the fluvial Rance are part of the Sentier de l'Eperon Barré.

Dolmen, river history, and mill

The Dolmen du Bois Rocher is a Neolithic covered gallery. The description brings together two features: its dating refers to the Neolithic, while “covered gallery” describes the monument’s form. A hike to this destination thus connects a named trail with a specific cultural and historical site. In the distant past, the Eperon Barré served as a refuge for Gallic tribes, including the Coriosolites. Morgrève is a refuge for the last “carrelets” on the Rance. At the Moulin du Prat, visitors can learn about its former use for grinding wheat or buckwheat. These historical points of reference differ: the dolmen is associated with its form and period, the Eperon Barré with its former role as a refuge, and the mill with its former milling work.

Building history of the parish church

The parish church adds two construction dates to the local history. It was built in 1867; in 1923, the architect Dugenet altered the upper part of the tower and the roof covering. The chronology distinguishes the construction of the church from later changes to two specifically named parts: the upper section of the tower and the roof covering. The sites in La Vicomté-Sur-Rance thus range from a Neolithic gallery and historical connections to the Rance to specific building phases of the parish church.

Discover more destinations: Lescouët-Gouarec, Le Leslay, Saint-Connan, Plourac'h, Dolo, Saint-Nicodème, Trévé, Kermoroc'h

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