Vioreau et les Arcades

Personnes concernées: 
Cavaliers
Distance: 
34 kms
Duration: 
1 jours
Percentage of paths: 
80 %
Length of urban area: 
0 kms
Car park address at starting point: 
Car park of the arcades.
Other car parks: 
Car park of Vioreau pond.
Description: 

Water in all its forms. During this excursion, you will travel around Lake Vioreau by following the small stream that flows into the lake.

The small stream feeding the Canal de Nantes à Brest contains many remarkable engineering wonders. By following it, you will go on a magnificent journey through the little-known heritage of the picturesque and historical region of the Loire Atlantique.

It connects Lake Voireau and its dam to the Canal de Nantes à Brest. During its construction, to ensure a constant slope of 14cm per km, while crossing the various valleys existing between Vioreau and the canal, it was necessary to build 4 aqueducts (known as Arcades) and a long 600m tunnel to avoid following the twists and turns of the contour lines.

Remarkable sites: 
Vioreau pond
Vioreau pond doesn't deserve its name; it should have been called Vioreau lake. It's a reservoir located in Joué sur Erdre municipality, in Loire Atlantique, north of Nantes. IIt consists of two ponds: "le grand Vioreau" and the "petit Vioreau" on a 200 hectares area.
Les arcades
Real civil engineering works of the feed canal, known as 'petit canal', four arcades compsed of arks to deliver water to the channel from Nantes to Brest ("Canal de Nantes à Brest").
Dangerous areas, restrictions: 
Multi-sport excursions paths, respect the direction of flow.
You must cross the arcades (aqueduct) from the bottom.
Cross the bridge onthe east side of Vireau pond, between the lake and the safety barriers.
Printable map: