This is where the Canal de Nantes à Brest truly sets itself apart from La Vélodyssée: from Carhaix, the route leaves the shared line and continues alone toward Brest in the west, on a stretch noticeably quieter than the section shared with La Vélodyssée.
The stage crosses the canal’s watershed, a discreet ridgeline where the route switches from the Atlantic side to that of the Brest roadstead — a symbolic moment in the crossing, marked by a slight uptick in elevation gain compared to the entirely flat previous stages.
Châteauneuf-du-Faou, a village perched above the Aulne known for inspiring several post-impressionist painters in the early 20th century, offers a pretty view over the valley before reaching Châteaulin, a town shaped by its past as a river stopover, with houses built into the hillside.
Indicative distance for this stretch.