Distance: 4.6 km
Average duration) : min
Level: Easy-to-use
Vitreous
Labeled FFRandonnée
Follow the yellow markings (PR®) and green arrow n°30, clockwise.
Several variants from 1 to 3 km exist. Possibility to continue the path to the east along the Vilaine and along the GR 34. Be careful, the part that runs along the Vilaine can be muddy in rainy weather. Parking, picnic area, water point, toilets, supermarket near the start/finish.
This walk will make you discover Vitré between heritage and nature. The city of Vitré, labeled Vitré d'Art et d'Histoire, has a rich historical heritage, the main gems of which you can approach during this walk. Nature is also present at the gates of the City. The Vilaine river has shaped a bucolic landscape at the foot of the city and this circuit allows you to very pleasantly discover its various facets.
4.6 km signposted clockwise.
Several variants of 1 to 3 km and possibility of continuing the path to the east along the Vilaine and along the GR®34.
Find this route in the Topo-guide - Ille-et-Vilaine on foot (2020 edition). On sale in bookstores, in tourist offices in Brittany and on the official site of the FFRandonnée Bretagne - topoguides section
Your itinerary
Vitreous
This walk will make you discover Vitré between heritage and nature. The city of Vitré, labeled Vitré d'Art et d'Histoire, has a rich historical heritage, the main gems of which you can approach during this walk. Nature is also present at the gates of the City. The Vilaine river has shaped a bucolic landscape at the foot of the city and this circuit allows you to very pleasantly discover its various facets.
4.6 km signposted clockwise.
Several variants of 1 to 3 km and possibility of continuing the path to the east along the Vilaine and along the GR®34.
Find this route in the Topo-guide - Ille-et-Vilaine on foot (2020 edition). On sale in bookstores, in tourist offices in Brittany and on the official site of the FFRandonnée Bretagne - topoguides section
4.6 km signposted clockwise.
Several variants of 1 to 3 km and possibility of continuing the path to the east along the Vilaine and along the GR®34.
Find this route in the Topo-guide - Ille-et-Vilaine on foot (2020 edition). On sale in bookstores, in tourist offices in Brittany and on the official site of the FFRandonnée Bretagne - topoguides section
1
Step 1
Along the promenade Saint Yves, the visitor passes in front of the Porte d'Embas, the old city gate, built in the XNUMXth century. This door was used in particular by members of the Brotherhood of Overseas Merchants, owners of the half-timbered houses on this street, and who made their fortune with the hemp cloth trade in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. Below, you can see the back of the Barons castle, standing on its rocky outcrop.
2
Step 2
This XNUMXth-XNUMXth century washhouse was a high place of life. It is here that the washerwomen kneeling on the shale stones came to wash their clothes. This construction has the particularity of having a curved shape that follows the Vilaine river.
3
Step 3
Les Tertres Noirs offers an exceptional panorama of the Vitré city. At a glance, the visitor embraces the entire site: the fortress of the barons which now houses the town hall and the museum, the walled city and the remains of the urban wall, the suburb of Rachapt bathed by la Vilaine and the more recent developments of the city, to the south, with the railway station (1857), the barracks of Trémoïlle (1870) or the Jacques Duhamel cultural center. From this esplanade, there are three bell towers: that of Sainte-Croix (1420th century), that of Notre-Dame (1570-1868) and that of Saint-Martin (1895-XNUMX)
4
Step 4
Located at the top of rue du Rachapt, this XNUMXth century building replaces a medieval building dedicated to the Virgin Mary and other holy women of the same name venerated in the Middle Ages. Three types of materials make up the shell: rubble, plaster and shale.
5
Step 5
Le Pré des Lavandières, a garden designed by the landscape architect Erwan Tymen, dates from 1989. In this garden, perennial plants, close to spontaneous vegetation, occupy an important place, making the connection with the more maintained areas of the site. . The arboreal species of wetlands were favored. Its location, close to the city center but within a natural landscape, on the edge of La Vilaine, makes it a privileged place from where you can both admire the walled town, the castle, the Rachapt district. and the XNUMXth century Bouin tannery. In the XNUMXth century, the tannery was one of the main branches of vitreous activity, along with that of the canvas trade. The tanners worked in the neighborhoods surrounding the Vilaine, around the pond which stretched out at the foot of the castle, between the Rachapt district and the city walls.