Plessé: Étang de Buhel, water sports and historic trails

Plessé and the Étang de Buhel

The Étang de Buhel is an 11-hectare recreational lake close to the centre of Plessé. There is a developed beach by the lake, which is supervised in July and August. If supervision is important for your plans, check the dates before you travel. The Étang therefore offers a specific focal point for a stay in Plessé, with a beach and water close to the town centre.

A short circular walk also goes around the Étang. It is accessible to wheelchair users via a paved, level path. If you would like to combine a visit to the lake with a walk, you can find information here about both the route and its surface. The beach and the circular walk offer different experiences: the beach is for a seasonal, supervised stay by the water, while the walk follows a paved, level path.

Water sports and equipment hire

The Base de loisirs Wake Park offers kneeboarding, wakeboarding, water skiing and wakeskating. Private lessons with an instructor are also available on the small water-ski lift. The board sports are offered from the age of eight. This gives you a choice of several specific sports and lessons, rather than limiting water sports in Plessé to a single activity.

For stand-up paddleboarding, the facility rents out two-person boards as well as large models for up to eight people. These options give you a point of reference if you and your group are looking for a suitable board. Activities, lessons and rental equipment may change, so check what is available for your chosen date.

Cycling route and traces of history

The Boucle vélo de Plessé No. 17 connects the Étang de Buhel with the centre of Dresny and follows shaded roads. The route also includes a section of the Nantes–Brest Canal and the Domaine de Carheil. This cycling route can therefore be identified by several named features: it connects the two places mentioned and also passes by the canal section and through the Domaine.

The Circuit de la Marquise offers a different historical focus. It starts at the Pont Rialland lake in Le Coudray, Plessé, and follows part of the former Saint-Malo–Hendaye railway line, which passed through Le Coudray. The Marquise metal structure was saved by a resident of Le Coudray in 1982 and faithfully restored. The routes described therefore differ in their stated highlights: the Boucle No. 17 features, among other things, the canal, the Domaine and Dresny, while the Circuit de la Marquise features the former railway line and the restored structure.

The Randonnée Mazuet also connects a trail with the history of the places it visits. Posts along the route have QR codes that let you hear local residents from Plessé tell you about this history. This offers another way to learn about local history: through stories about the places along the route, rather than a historic structure by the trail.

Chapelle Royale de Carheil-Plessé

The Chapelle Royale de Carheil-Plessé has been listed as a historic monument since 1980. It is also described as the only remarkable site from the time of Louis Philippe in western France. The chapel is therefore notable for two different historical classifications: its status as a listed monument and its connection to this period.

The chapel is open on the first Sunday of each month from April to October, and visits can also be arranged on request. The ACCP organises these visits. Check the dates before you travel if you are planning a visit.

Discover more destinations: La Haie-Fouassière, Besné, Cheix-En-Retz, Ligné, Basse-Goulaine, Sion-Les-Mines, Saint-Hilaire-De-Chaléons, Guérande

For the broader travel guide: Loire-Atlantique.