Lassy — Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne, France)
At the parking lot, as I’m putting on my hiking boots, a man speaks to me. I only understand the word randonnée, smile and nod. And then I say oui before getting back into my shoes. It’s a small parking lot opposite the local church, the Église Notre Dame de la Nativité.
From this parking lot, we set off on our first major hike since arriving in Pipriac. We quickly reach the end of the village and enter a forest. The ground is still partly frozen and water points are covered in a thin layer of ice. In the distance, two mighty horses stand in a field, covered by a thick blanket.
In the forest we come to a large stream with a few forks. It seems to have overflowed, as it flows around trees and has flooded our path. We decide to walk through the forest, fighting our way through dense undergrowth, most of the time alongside the stream, then up a large hill. There we finally come to a hiking trail.
We follow this until we reach a hill from where we can look down into the valley. Further down the path, we come to an old mill and cross the stream. As we have strayed from the path due to the flooding, we are now on the right path from the other side. From here, we turn back and continue along the actual route.
Up there on the hill, I didn’t yet know that this would be the highlight of this hike. Because what comes next is a bit of an adventure. But also a challenge, especially for my nerves. The rest of the route is mostly through muddy terrain or even through small streams that have chosen our path as their natural river.
The first part of this route was wonderful, the second a torture. Although it’s sunny the whole time, the temperatures don’t rise above 1° or 2°C. It gets uncomfortable when we get into shady areas, the body heated up and sweaty. The most agonizing part, however, is the muddy and largely uneven path. It’s often more like a stream that we have to walk through carefully.
This hike takes a lot out of me. Afterwards, but even during the walk, I am totally exhausted. I can’t enjoy it and am glad when we finally get back to the car. It’s good to have been outside, but the hike at this time of year was not a good idea.
Activity: Walk the Circuit des Landes in Lassy
Distance: 10 km
Total time: 3 h
Star/End: 47°58’45.2”N 1°52’14.0”W