Hennebont Hingair Circuit

Located on the right bank of the Blavet at the foot of the ancient motte-and-bailey castle of Hennebont's Old Town, mentioned in the 11th century, the parish of Saint-Caradec was detached from Caudan in the 13th century. A small village with a square and narrow street grew up around its church. The current building, with a nave behind a tower-porch, dates from 1777. Two side chapels were added in 1903. In the cemetery stands a venerable yew tree, almost 400 years old, and right next to it an old tomb, which tradition attributes to Saint Caradec, the Welsh evangelist who gave his name to the place. The neighbourhood still features single-storey houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, mostly rendered in pastel colours and with shuttered windows.

Following the old Chemin du Hingair, which joins the ancient Roman road from Vannes to Quimper a little further north, you enter the wood of the same name. Part of the department's Sensitive natural zones, it is managed by the Office National des Forêts. Its 37 hectares are home to hardwoods, chestnut, birch and oak, as well as conifers, which you'll see as you pass along the paths and wide forest avenues.

Aside from the Blavet, which criss-crosses the parish for almost 14 kilometres, Hennebont's river network is modest, with 7.3 km of permanent waterways and 16.4 km of intermittent waterways. After crossing and passing along Saint-Caradec stream, you cross the Hingair stream, fed by several springs. At its mouth, this modest stream powered a cereal mill owned by the Abbaye de la Joye around the year 1500. Sold as national property in 1791, it ceased to operate around 1850 before it was destroyed.

Le Hingair comes from the Breton word hen - old or ancient - and Ker softened to gêr - meaning village. It still has two sets of houses with courtyard, well and bread oven. These old farmhouses, with their round-arched and rectangular bays, date back to the 17th century. Behind the hamlet, the Hingair stream flows into the Blavet, where the mill once stood. We're in the immediate vicinity of an oppidum, a veritable Gallic town, which dominated the right bank of the Blavet at a place called Polvern.

To your right, this discreet floral stele pays tribute to Georges Glais, a former teacher from Hennebont. Also involved in associations, fishing and hunting, he helped to repopulate roe deer in the Blavet Valley.

This vast meadow offers a beautiful view over the Blavet estuary. The 163-kilometer river rises at Bourbriac in the Côtes d'Armor department. Connected to the Nantes-Brest Canal, it was channelled between 1806 and 1825. As far as the gates of Hennebont, bridges, ports and locks were built, and a tow path used to facilitate barge traffic.  Polvern is visible upstream with its dam and lockhouse. It is the 28th lock in this system. This is also where the tides stop, as they travel up the estuary for some fifteen kilometres. Sometimes, during very high tides, the rising tide passes over the dam. The landscape shows this meeting of fresh and salt water, in the mudflats and seaweed seen at low tide.

This is a sporty route along the wooded ridge of the Blavet Valley, where granite outcrops offer panoramic views of the river and its left bank. Here, you can see the House of the Confessors, one of the few remains of the Cistercian women's abbey Notre-Dame-de-Joye, founded in 1275 by Blanche de Navarre, Duchess of Brittany. Built in 1669, this residence was used by the priests officiating at the abbey. The national stud farm was built on the upper part of the estate in 1857. It was established to breed horses for the cavalry and for farming. Today it has been converted into a horse museum with guided tours, events and equestrian shows.

Back in Saint-Caradec, take a moment to relax on the quayside. Set off to discover Saint-Caradec and Vieille-Ville. At the bottom of rue Le Saëc, admire the Saint-Caradec fountain, also known as the bridal fountain: young women used to come here to throw a pin in the hope of finding a spouse. Dated 1732, it is typical of the Morbihan fountains of the period, with its circular pillars and pavilion roof. Don't miss the last remaining evidence of Hennebont's important tannery activity, a hide dryer hanging from the top floor of a house. Go up rue Sainte-Catherine. Admire the houses and the fountain-washhouse, along which runs a path that once led to the Sainte-Christine chapel, destroyed in the 19th century. Keep your eyes up as you explore the rue du Sel and the rue de l’Eau. In Place Vieille-Ville and Place du Roc'h, you'll find the last sections of the wall from Hennebont's first defensive “castel” and the Hôtel Lhermitte dating from the 16th century. Go back down via Rue du Vieux Château and the hillside path.