Péaule combines a bocage landscape with its proximity to the Vilaine, traditional villages and well-preserved sites. Bocage refers to a cultivated landscape divided by hedgerows. For your stay, you can focus on signposted hiking trails, mountain biking routes or historic architecture.
Hiking Trails and the Vilaine
Péaule has five signposted circular hiking trails maintained by the Association Péaulaise Nature et Patrimoine (APNP). Detailed route maps are available as brochures at the town hall. The five APNP trails are circular walks; the GR 39 runs from La Baule to Saint-Malo and passes through Péaule along the banks of the Vilaine. The 22 km Circuit des Deux Vallées is a hiking trail included in the departmental hiking trail plan. Part of the Transmorbihannaise can also be used for walks in Péaule.
Mountain Biking Routes in Péaule
Several mountain biking circuits cross hilly terrain and offer different levels of difficulty. In Péaule, the La Roche-Bernard mountain biking area includes routes 4, 5, 6 and 7. Official Circuit 6 starts at the chapel in the hamlet of Saint-André. It is 23 km long and involves 540 metres of ascent. Along the banks of the Vilaine on Circuit 6, you will find riverside landscapes, hills, meadows, forests and rocks. If you plan to ride this route, check current trail conditions before setting out. The Circuit des Deux Vallées (22 km) is one kilometre shorter than the 23 km Circuit 6, which has 540 metres of ascent.
Churches and Historic Buildings
The present-day Church of Saint-Gaudence has a choir termination dating from the 16th century and was rebuilt in the 19th century. The Ancien doyenné was apparently built around the middle of the 15th century and altered in the 16th century. It is partially protected as a historic monument. The protected elements include the fireplace with an inscription dating from 1534, which was protected by an order dated 25 September 1928, as well as the façades and roofs of all the buildings, including the north gate of the enclosure and the dovecote, which were protected by an order dated 27 September 1965.
The Chapelle du Temple de Fescal in Péaule is a rectangular Gothic building. Its window has radiating tracery with trefoils and quatrefoils. A trefoil and a quatrefoil are three- and four-lobed shapes, respectively; here, both motifs are part of the window ornamentation. These details offer different perspectives on the history of the buildings: for the Ancien doyenné, its period of construction and the scope of its protection are important; for the chapel, its Gothic window ornamentation is noteworthy.
A description dated 17 June 2020 dates the Gothic buildings of the Cour de Couëguël to the late 15th century. The description notes that the buildings were not open to the public; they could be viewed from the outside during a walk.
Discover more destinations: Ploemel, Le Roc-Saint-André, Arradon, Cournon, Campénéac, Plaudren, Damgan, Plumelec.
For the broader travel overview: Morbihan.
