Discover Goven: Heritage and Hiking Trails

Goven brings together architectural and religious history with hiking. The Château de Blossac and the present-day Église Saint Martin highlight different historical and architectural aspects. Several trails offer another perspective on the area, with specific distances and landscape features. When planning your trip, you can weigh up whether you are more interested in cultural history or hiking.

The Château and the Church

The Château de Blossac is a 17th-century château in the commune of Goven, in the Ille-et-Vilaine department. Construction of the present château began in 1672. The château is set in a 19th-century English landscape garden. The outbuildings around the château include an orangery, stables and a kennel. The construction date of the château and the later date of the garden point to different periods in the history of the estate.

The present-day Église Saint Martin dates from 1850 and is dedicated to Saint Martin and Saint Goulven. It has three naves and a Latin cross-shaped floor plan; its architectural features also include a rib vault, a bell-tower porch and a Neo-Gothic style. The Latin cross floor plan refers to a cross-shaped arrangement of a long nave and a transept. In a rib vault, ribs divide the vaulted ceiling into sections. These features describe different aspects of the building: its layout, the form of its vault and its stylistic classification.

Religious History and Tradition

The monument to Saint-Samson, erected in 1880, depicts Saint-Samson beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary and a Christian cross. It was probably built using stones from the former chapel.

The Chapelle Sainte-Anne de l'Hermitage is a traditional pilgrimage site. Every year, many people gather there to pray on the Sunday closest to July 26. The reference point is therefore a movable Sunday near that date, not a date fixed annually on July 26. The pilgrimage adds a recurring religious tradition to the site’s architectural history.

Hiking Trails by Distance and Landscape

The trail lengths can be compared directly: the Circuit des Landes de Caffort is an 11 km circular route, while another hiking trail in Goven is 14 km long. The Circuit des Landes de Caffort is described as easy and takes more than three hours. It starts at the car park of the Chapelle de l'Hermitage in Goven.

The Circuit des Landes de Caffort passes through heathland, woodland and rocky outcrops in the Canut valley. The valley is a Natura 2000 site where many birds can be found, including several protected species. The 14 km hiking trail passes near forests, ponds, manor houses, chapels and châteaux. The two routes therefore offer different landscape experiences, and their stated distances also provide a concrete basis for comparing them when planning your hike.

The GR n°37B crosses Goven, passes near the Chapelle de l'Hermitage and then follows the former railway line towards Baulon. The railway line’s former use remains part of the route description. The routes and waymarking for the Circuit des Landes de Caffort, the 14 km hiking trail and the GR n°37B may change; check the directions for your chosen route before setting out.

Another named trail is the Circuit de l'Ermitage. It leads through a forest downhill to the Étang de la Roche. Along the trail are outcrops of red shale and heathland vegetation. The pond and rock outcrops define this route’s description; by contrast, the Canut valley and its birdlife are the main features of the Circuit des Landes de Caffort.

Discover more destinations: Louvigné-De-Bais, Luitré, Le Vivier-Sur-Mer, Meillac, Chantepie, Étrelles, Chavagne, Tremblay.

For the broader travel overview: Ille-Et-Vilaine.