Rennes-Carhaix road Segment 1
Rennes (Condate) – Place la Salle

We start exploring the Rennes – Carhaix road from the Mordelaise Gate, dating from medieval time. The gate is located on the Gaul-Roman town wall of Rennes (*), on the site of the ancient Roman Gate to the West.

From here to place la Ménardière (after the crossing between route N12 and route N136) the layout of the street disappeared, swallowed by the modern city of Rennes.

Beyond la Ménardière the road continues almost straight for about 5 km oriented East-South-East and West-North-West.

After a small walloon it passes by the reservoir-tower of Vezin-le-Coquet and for about 1,5 km it mingles with the municipal border of Vezin-Pacé.

After place la Haye de Terre the road crosses route D288 and disappears for 500 m. Finally, from the locality of Launay Thébert, it leads to the locality of le Bas Breil and the ford of the river La Flume.

After the ford near to a place called in ancient times “Fenetra” usually attributed to roman ways, the Rennes-Carhaix way changes direction and goes towards E-N-E – O-S-O. The presence of a feudal “motta” (**) about 100 m South of the ford leads us to believe that it was used also at medieval times.

The road follows the border of the municipality of Pacé-l’Hermitage with a width of almost 10 m. It then crosses the Vaunoise river and the railway to reach place la Salle South of La Chapelle-Thouarault.

Thanks to the analysis of aerial pictures we presume that place la Salle could have been the site of the crossing (1st intersection) with an ancient North-South route.

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(*)Rennes worth a visit
(**) See motta in glossary