Le Tronchet: Forest, Trails and Heritage

Le Tronchet is a good choice for planning a trip focused on forests, marked trails and architectural history. The town’s highlights include the Forêt du Mesnil, two routes with different uses, the Saint-Malo Golf Resort, and several religious and monastic buildings. If you’re looking for a hotel in Le Tronchet, you can choose what to focus on based on your plans: nature, hiking, cycling, golf or heritage.

Forêt du Mesnil and marked routes

The Forêt du Mesnil is a 592-hectare state forest managed by the French National Forestry Office (Office National des Forêts). Broad-leaved trees predominate, especially oaks and beeches. Conifers make up a quarter of the forest. The forest provides a habitat for roe deer, wild boar, badgers, stoats, weasels, foxes, squirrels and numerous birds. This makes both the forest’s composition and the animal groups found there interesting topics for nature lovers.

The 11.5-kilometre Circuit de la Forêt du Mesnil is marked in yellow and starts at Le Tronchet town hall. It heads towards Pont d’Agou, a very old bridge built from dry stone. Another marked route is the 18.2-kilometre Circuit de Mireloup, intended for horse riders and mountain bikers. The two routes therefore differ both in length and in their stated use: the Circuit de la Forêt du Mesnil is a hiking trail, while the Circuit de Mireloup is a route for horse riders and mountain bikers.

Golf with course details

The Saint-Malo Golf Resort has two courses with nine and 18 holes, respectively. The Old Course is a nine-hole, par-36 course measuring 2,646 metres, with a slope rating of 124. The Old Course offers views of the Étang de Mireloup and the Forêt du Mesnil. If golf is part of your stay, you can consider the course details separately from the landscape setting described here.

Abbaye du Tronchet and religious buildings

The surviving remains of the former Abbaye du Tronchet include the church, the cloister and several rooms built onto its south side. Each side of the cloister at Abbaye Notre-Dame du Tronchet is 75 metres long. Each side consists of eight round-arched bays. The number of bays adds a specific detail about the cloister’s layout to the measurements. Monks grew vegetables and medicinal herbs in the gardens there. The cloister is also home to a remarkable holly tree planted in 1643.

The parish church of Notre-Dame in Le Tronchet was built between 1659 and 1679 and has the ground plan of a Latin cross. A 14th-century window was reused above the west portal. The ground plan describes the church’s shape; the older window is a specific architectural feature that was reused.

The chapels also differ in their recorded dates and dedications. Chapelle du Haut Mesnil was built in 1875 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Chapelle du Mesnil des Bois was blessed in 1866; historically, a pilgrimage took place there on the first Sunday of every September. The cemetery chapel is the family chapel of the Surcouf family and probably dates from the 1860s.

Restaurant in Le Tronchet

Le Jardin de l’Abbaye is a fine-dining restaurant on L'Abbatiale in Le Tronchet. Its bistronomic cuisine is described as authentic, seasonal and sustainable. Business details may change; check the latest information before visiting.

Discover more destinations: Tinteniac, Chavagne, Étrelles, Lassy, Cesson-Sévigné, Thorigné-Fouillard, Mellé, Saint-Domineuc

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