This 5.3 km circuit allows you to walk in the footsteps of these men, to imagine their lives in this "Kerfank", a Breton word meaning "mud town", affected by epidemics and under-equipped because the weapons promised by Gambetta never arrived.
The French army's defeat by the Prussians in September 1870 prompted the new republican government to build up troops to fight back. The Conlie camp, the first of the 11 defence and training camps set up in France, could accommodate up to 50,000 men, mainly mobilised troops from Brittany.
This 5.2 km tour lets you walk in the footsteps of these men, imagining their lives in this "Kerfank", a Breton word meaning "mud town", affected by epidemics and under-equipped because the weapons promised by Gambetta never arrived.
About 11km south-east of Sillé-le-Guillaume
On the road :
- Turn left at the totem pole and walk along the roadside facing the direction of traffic.
- After 90 m, cross the D304 towards the cross and "La Jaunelière".
- Cross the railway line, and at the top of the hill, on the right, is the farm "La Jaunelière".
- Another farm called "Notre Dame des Grouas" served as headquarters.
- Go through the hamlet of Crannes, passing under the railway line.
- When you reach the D304, turn left and drive along the side of the road (facing the direction of traffic). To be on the safe side, cross at the sign for "Le Petit Cranne".
- When you reach the "Monument des Bretons", make a U-turn and take the path on the left.
left. Further on, take the track on the right, skirting a wood. Take the central gap. On the left: a hillock planted with trees.
- Leave the gap and continue to the right. At the crossroads, turn left and then right onto "rue des Jeunes mobiles". Turn right into the cemetery.
- At the end of the driveway is the monument to the mobilised Breton soldiers.
- Retrace your steps to the crossroads. Take "rue du Grand chemin" and return to the museum.