On your bike...

If Brittany was a land of bicycles, Lorient Bretagne Sud would be its capital. Here, the bicycle reigns supreme. It will serve you well on every hill, through forests and along paths.

There’s one for every style and level. Inland, in particular, there are some roads that your legs may or may not like. The coast allows you to alternate cycling and swimming, from creeks to beaches.

With the greenways, cycle routes in the 25 communes of Lorient Bretagne Sud and the famous Tour de la Rade (around the bay by bike), there are plenty of itineraries to get under your wheels!

Lorient agglomeration has also published a bicycle traffic plan: la petite reine.

A vélo le long de la rade à Lorient La Base.

Sport and Discovery

A travers la pinède, à vélo sur la voie verte des kaolins à Ploemeur.
©Emmanuel LEMEE. A travers la pinède, à vélo sur la voie verte des kaolins à Ploemeur.

An athletic ride...

The more athletic riders may like to follow the champion cyclist Warren Barguil on one of his outings on the local roads. He is from Inzinzac-Lochrist.

The more sporty ones go racing or mountain biking! There are plenty of options for mountain bikers, especially in the communes in the countryside of Lorient Bretagne Sud!

These mountain bike routes are available on the Rando Bretagne Sud app downloadable on the App Store and Google Play Store or you can consult and download them on the page  Mountain bike routes in Lorient Bretagne Sud and Quimperlé.

A vélo sur le quai du Péristyle à Lorient.
©Céline MADELAINE. A vélo sur le quai du Péristyle à Lorient.

...or just a wander

Some route are quite original as this cyclist from Grenoble explains:  “The Lorient-Gâvres route is a great ride for discovering the Lorient area with a special feature: you have to take the bateau-bus twice! No problem to take your bike on board. This great ride will reveal all the features of the region: seaside, countryside, town, up the river Scorff!! a bit of everything!

Around The Bay of Lorient By Bike

The tour of the Bay by bike is 29 km (one way) to discover the bay from Larmor-Plage to Gâvres, passing through Lorient, Locmiquélic and Port-Louis.

You can do the trip in one go or divide it into two big rides: the right bank route for the ports and the route from one side to the other.  The routes are marked with small signs with green text on a white background.

Caisses port de pêche Lorient
© Xavier DUBOIS. Caisses sur le port de pêche de Lorient.

Right-Bank Route The Ports : 14 km one way

Start from the Larmor-Plage Tourist Office to the quai des Indes boat terminal in Lorient centre.

You will ride along the shore and the beaches of  Larmor-Plage. You go through  Kernevel marina and then around the bay as far as Lorient La Base. The route then takes you to the fishing port, via the slipway and its boat lift. You will discover the commercial port, cargo ships and cranes for unloading. You then head to the boat terminal (departures for the island of Groix) and end up by the marina in Lorient Centre.

There you can choose to go shopping in town or visit the port enclosure. For lunch, try one of the numerous restaurants in the city centre or picnic on the quays of the marina.

Check out the map of the Tour de Rade on the  Lorient Agglomeration website.

Festival Interceltique. Transport en bateau-bus au quai des Indes.
©Ville de Lorient- Festival Interceltique. Transport en bateau-bus au quai des Indes.

Route from one side to the other : 12 km one way

Departure from the boat terminal at quai des Indes in Lorient-centre. Take the bateau-bus (line B1) and get off at Pen Mané in Locmiquélic. Follow the route along the bay through the streets of the village of Locmiquélic with views of the bay and the port of Commerce. Go around the Loch marsh with its birds, before arriving in Driasker Cove in Port-Louis. The tour of the cover takes you to the marina and the Port-Louis boat terminal (bateau-bus to the fishing port in Lorient). From there, it’s just a quick ride to the Citadelle of Port-Louis and its museums (French East India Company and Marine museum).

A picnic or a restaurant on the beach, facing the island of Groix ideal to finish off this great tour: admire the comings and goings of the boats in the bay.

For the return journey, either back along the route or by batobus line B2 to the fishing port or line B5 to return to the Quai des Indes. It’s up to you, the bay crossing is also magnificent!

Another route: Locmiquélic - Port-Louis (10 km)

Departure from the Pen Mané boat terminal in Locmiquélic, towards Port-Louis (line B5).

Go along the bay, by the Sainte Catherine marina, around the Loch marsh admiring the birds on the way, and arrive in Driasker cove in Port-Louis. You pass by the Citadel and discover Port-Louis centre, with its cobbled streets and its church. Go to Locmalo port in Port Louis.

From there, you can extend the ride taking the batobus called “le Trait d’union” (line b4), to the Presqu’île de Gâvres and its Grand Site de France Dunes Sauvages, on the other side of the channel of the small sea of Gâvres.

This quiet, maritime route, will enable you to explore the historic town of Port-Louis and the fishing village of Gâvres. Along the way you will find museums, beach, sand fishing (depending on the tide), restaurants

For the return trip, take the boat back to Port-Louis, back to your starting point at Pen Mané, Locmiquélic (line B5).

Entrée du marais de Pen Mane, Locmiquelic
©Cath Le Bail. Entrée du marais de Pen Mane, Locmiquelic
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