Val sans Retour

What it is

The Val sans Retour, the valley of no return, is a narrow valley of red rock and heath next to Tréhorenteuc, on the west side of the Brocéliande forest. It is the most emblematic place in the forest: a small pond at the entrance, the Miroir aux Fées, rock ridges above and, in the middle, the Golden Tree, a gilded work that commemorates a fire.

The legend

Here reigned Morgan le Fay, the fairy half-sister of King Arthur, who punished the unfaithful. She turned a young man, Guyomarc'h, and his lover into stone, and left them trapped in the valley's red rock: it is the Rocher des Faux Amants, the rock of the false lovers, which rises above the pond. Then she enchanted the hollows of the valley with invisible walls that held disloyal lovers, who lost all sense of time. Lancelot, with a magic ring given to him by Vivian, broke the spell; the prisoners came out, but their youth was gone.

What you see

• The Miroir aux Fées, the fairies' mirror: the little pond at the entrance. In Celtic tradition, the other world is reached by crossing water, and this is the threshold.
• The Rocher des Faux Amants, above the pond.
• The Golden Tree, created in 1991 by the artist François Davin in memory of the forest devastated by the fire of 1990. Its branches recall a stag's antlers and its trunks, swords. It is the most recent legend of Brocéliande.
• The ridges, with a view over the valley and the heath.

The route

The walk through the valley, the Miroir aux Fées, the Golden Tree and the ridges comes to about 2 km, and the tourist office keeps it open in autumn and winter too. The ridge section climbs over rocky ground: wear footwear with a good sole.

For a long route, the circuit of the Gurwan heaths and the Val sans Retour (no. 66) starts from the place Abbé Gillard in Tréhorenteuc: 15 km, about 4 h 15, medium difficulty. It passes through the valley, the Château de Trécesson and the so-called Tombeau du Géant. The circuit's page has GPX and PDF. Note: it is forbidden from 1 October to 31 March and discouraged on Thursdays and Fridays from 15 to 30 September, because of hunting.

The Grail church in Tréhorenteuc

Before or after, go into the village church, at 1 place Abbé Gillard. Abbé Gillard, who arrived in 1942, transformed it to unite faith, Celtic tradition and the legend of the Grail. After the war, two German prisoners, Karl Rezabeck and Peter Wisdorf, painted the Stations of the Cross with forest landscapes and villagers as models. In the chancel, Rezabeck painted the legend of the Barenton spring, the appearance of the Grail at the Round Table and the royal family of Saint Judicaël. Look for the white stag with the golden collar. The visit is free, from 9:00 to 18:00, with hours that may change according to the season.

Getting there and parking

Tréhorenteuc is about 13 km from Paimpont, some 25 minutes by car. Park only in the signposted spaces. The Tréhorenteuc tourist office is on 02 97 22 36 43 and the Paimpont one on 02 99 07 84 23.

When to go

In the summer holidays the valley is very busy: the office recommends going first thing or at the end of the afternoon. In low light the red rock and the gold of the tree shine more. May, June and October are good months for the forest. In rain, the rock on the ridges is slippery.

With children and with a dog

The short walk is fine for children who can already walk; on the ridges, hold hands. Telling the legend of Morgan le Fay before going in works well with children. Dogs on a lead, as throughout the forest.

Eating and sleeping

For eating and sleeping, go back to Paimpont: the Crêperie La Fée Gourmande and Le Relais de Brocéliande. If you have another afternoon, combine it with the Barenton spring.