Trail de Guerlédan

The Trail de Guerlédan is a 48-kilometer race with 1,200 meters of elevation gain, starting from Bon-Repos-sur-Blavet in the Côtes-d'Armor department. Lake Guerlédan, Brittany's largest artificial lake spanning 304 hectares, occupies a deep gorge carved by the Blavet river through the schists and quartzites of the Argoat — inland Brittany. This lakeside and forested setting, often compared to Scandinavian landscapes, offers unexpected trail terrain in the heart of the Armorican peninsula.

The course circles the lake along trails running on ridges overlooking the dark, deep waters. Runners move through the Quénécan forest, a vast 2,500-hectare massif covering the steep slopes of the Blavet gorges. Beneath the canopy of oaks, beeches, and conifers, the trails are wild and little-traveled, offering a sense of isolation rare in Brittany. Panoramas over the lake appear around bends, revealing spectacular perspectives over turquoise waters hemmed between schist cliffs covered with moss and ferns.

The 1,200 meters of elevation gain are concentrated in the climbs and descents that carve through the rugged gorge terrain. The profile resembles a mountain trail, with short but steep and repeated elevation changes. The forest terrain is technical: exposed roots, sharp and slippery schist stones, muddy passages in wet zones, and narrow off-camber trails above the lake. The lake shores, accessible in places, offer beach and undergrowth sections that are more runnable, allowing recovery between technical sections.

Bon-Repos-sur-Blavet takes its name from the Cistercian Abbey of Bon-Repos, founded in 1184 on the banks of the Nantes-to-Brest canal. The majestic ruins of this abbey, under restoration for decades by a passionate association, constitute one of the finest heritage sites in inland Brittany. The Nantes-to-Brest canal, a navigable waterway built in the 19th century to connect the two great Breton ports, follows the Blavet along this section and offers a peaceful towpath lined with oaks and beeches. The Forges des Salles, an 18th-century ironworking hamlet nestled in the forest, bears witness to the industrial past of this territory.

For international runners, the Trail de Guerlédan is the revelation of an overlooked Brittany — the inland one, far from the coasts and maritime clichés. The Argoat, land of woods in Breton, offers landscapes of surprising wildness just two hours by high-speed train from Paris via Rennes then Saint-Brieuc. Breton gastronomy — buckwheat galettes, farmhouse cider, kouign-amann, andouille de Guémené — and the legendary human warmth of the Bretons make this trail an authentic and heartfelt experience in a natural setting that breaks with the usual image of Brittany.