You stay in Roscoff and you want to have fun answering questions. The main one is : Why does Roscoff, a small city, have such a highway ???

Some more …

5 - The fishermen wanted a highway to transport their fish to Paris
6 – The wolrdwide reputation of Roscoff is due to algae and scoubidoooos…
7 – No, Notre Dame de Kroas Baz is the origin of the roscovite fame
8 – No, the exotic garden is the reason of this motorway
9 – Sainte Barbe, the little chapel on the coast gave his main road to Roscoff
10 – Non sense. It is just because it is the way to reach the island of Batz



5 - The fishermen wanted a highway to transport their fish to Paris



The fishtanks for lobsters existed already during the 19th century. Today it goes on thanks to the same phenomenon : the tides that go up and down and renew the water of the ponds every 6 hours.
The fishing boats lay traps under the sea and come back full of lobsters and crayfish.

6 – The wolrdwide reputation of Roscoff is due to algae and scoubidoooos…

Algae is one of the other lives of Roscoff. As I already explained this coast has a special climate due to Gulf Stream (it is probably going to change with global warming… it may move or disappear…) and is the home of hundreds of unique algae. Even the Japanese, the big consumers of algae, are intested in our marine plants.
Since a very long time, the region is aware of its algae wealth and they have been used as fertilizer for local agriculture for centuries…
Dr Bagot organized the first center of thalassotherapy Rock roum institute in France at the end of the 19th century. This place uses algae to treat rheumatism, bone disease… and it still does.
Today, scoobidoo is also a major character of the place. It is the name of a boat that has a long arm to pick algae in the deep sea.

7 – No, Notre Dame de Kroas Baz is the origin of the roscovite fame

Roscoff already existed in Roman times. In the Middle Ages, it depended on Saint Pol de Léon. As the hamlet was rich, it wanted to be free. Shipowners and merchants of the city wanted to baptize, get married or die without refering to the big Saint Pol. They managed in the 16th century to build the church Notre Dame de Kroas Baz.



These architectural constructions (16 and 17th century) with its gothic church, 2 chapel-ossuaries…is in granite. The church is carved with merchants ex-voto. …



Inside the wodd vault and the beams are colorful.



In the parish close, one chapel is dedicated to Sainte Brigitte where the engagement used to be celebrated. The other with no door but windows was used to store bones.



A commemorative plaque to Mrs Silburne, an english woman who helped the refractory priests during the French Revolution. (Those priests had to renounce to their beliefs or they would die).

8 – No, the exotic garden is the reason of this motorway

The exotic garden has subtropical spieces (the climate…). Built around the rock Hievec, this small height up to 18 m offers a beautiful view over the bay of Morlaix.
From the garden, you can make a beautiful walk on the coastal footpath till Saint Pol (you’ll see the island Sainte Anne and the castle Kernevez), it’s really nice.

9 – Sainte Barbe, the little chapel on the coast gave his main road to Roscoff




This chapel was built during the 17th century to protect the Christians from the enemies of the Church and the invasions of hackers, it is rarely open.
Located on a rocky hill, it supervises the bay and its white wall is used by seamen as a daymark.



10 – Non sense. It is just because it is the way to reach the island of Batz

The deepwater harbour is the departure to Irland or Great Britain. Downtown, you have the old port, depending on tides. It is here that you can catch the ferry to Batz. And they are many everyday to cross the small sea between the island and Roscoff.


Read it in French : Algues, thalasso, homards et exotisme à Roscoff

I have some friends who tested the thalassotherapy establishment at Billiers in Morbihan. It is in the Domaine de la Rochevilaine (20 km south of Vannes). And they say it’s so nice…



Brittany has a long tradition of thalassotherapies : the first one was created in Roscoff at the end of the XIXth century. Roscoff was and is known for his incredibly huge variety of algae and thalassotherapies use algae for their cures, their massages, their cosmetics. Since then Brittany has a lot of thalassotherapies on its coasts and each one has its speciality : dietetics, relaxation, dermatology, and its famous cosmetics …

Rochevilaine (Spa Vannes - Domaine de Rochevilaine,Pointe de Pen Lan, 56190 – Billiers tel: 02 97 41 61 61) is in a small peninsula – just for the thalasso- and offers a wide range of cures with a tasty gastronomic program.

The Domaine de Rochevilaine is a Relais & Château (the label Relais &Chateau means it has to be a really nice, charming, silent place with character and really nice food). To enter the Domaine, you have to go through a XIIIth century porch and you are in a beautiful garden and you soon discover the manor house.



The center is also known for its medieval sculptures and the exhibitions of modern artists.

You want to make a thalasso , well, you re in the ideal spot. You have all the facilities of a spa center : spa, sauna, hammam, fitness room. The whole establishment is surrounded by the sea. There are two sea water swimming pools , one of them is an out door one on the cliffs and you have the feeling you’re bathing in the sea (that’s what I’ve been told).

And the food ? You know how are the Frogs with their bellies… Well the restaurant is also really nice : large bay windows makes you feel like eating on the water. The courses are done with sea products (lobsters, oyster, bass…) and other local goods. And it is SO good (I quote my friends).



Once you’ve eaten well, relaxed a bit, you can walk along the coastal paths and discover the curiosities of the village Billiers. On your walk on the coast you’ll find the dolmen du crapaud, the port and the lighthouse of Pen Lan,



Saint Maixent church which is a seamark (seamarks are white painted markers such as walls, stones… that are done to be seen from the open sea). The abbey of Billiers (abbaye de Prières) with its sole’s stone (pierre à soles) that was used as a build for the soles fished by the fishermen…

If you want to mix health and pleasure, that’s the right place to go to…



Read it in French : Thalasso et gastronomie en bretagne : domaine de la Roche Vilaine à Billiers (Morbihan)

Brittany and specially the North coast is known for its high concentration in algae. They are famous abroad, above all in Japan, big algae consumers.




Roscoff, a small city on the littoral is pretty well endowed : 800 species out of 1500 compiled in Brittany in 2000. Probably others must have been discovered.

The location of Roscoff explains why it has such a wide variety of algaes : the Gulf Stream allows a water temperature that doesn’t change a lot. The Stream gives a good waterquality.

Now, look at the shore and at the algae lying on the sand. You’ll see 3 colors : green, red and brown.



Each color is on a specific place on the shore. The brown ones are under the sea, then you have the red ones and the green algae are the closest to the earth.

Here in Brittany we have had lots of problems with the green ones. Thanks or because of fertilizers and nitrates from our pigs breeding, they were too many. It used to be a real annoyance. It's getting better but before on some beaches you could not walk or swim because they were doing a really too thick cover on the littoral.

For a really long time, seaweeds were used as fertilizers by farmers.



If Japanese eat them for a long, long time, we are just starting to be interested in them.
We do use it as gelling agents : when you buy an applepie in a shop and you are amazed by the nice shaped apple segments, well don’t think too much : the compote has been mixed with algae to make those nice perfect pieces of fruits.

Algae are also used as dietary supplements. They are full of vitamins, minerals, calcium, proteins… Sprinkle them on your salad.

In thalassotherapy centers they are used to help your body to recover… Your wrinkles will dicrease, your orange peel disappear, your hair will be beautiful … Used in cosmetics, we make lots of products with algae extracts : from anti-aging creams to oil to fight cellulite, skin care products or algae shampoo… They are everywhere. And to use them, you need to mix them as algae can’t be dissolved in water !!!

Read it in French : Algues en Bretagne : de l'engrais de nos grands pères aux complémetns alimentaires et produits cosmétiques

It is a recipe that tastes good and smells my childhood. A nice mixture between my dad'pissaladiere with my Mum'puff pastry.



A pissaladière with Breton onions... The pissaladière is a type of pizza, a white one without tomato sauce, done with onions on a bread dough. Usually anchovies are also part of this pie.
The way I do it is a bit different : I use Breton onions, the one from Roscoff, called oignons rosés or may be the Johnny'onions.
They are quite good for this onion pie... because they're sweet. Like South European onions. You need to cook them a really long time... I don't use bread dough but puff pastry instead. It's not "the real one" but it is good !

Time: two hours for the onions and cook about 45 minutes for the onions'pie.

Ingredients
2 to 3 kilograms of onions (it has to become pureed)
A little olive oil
Black olives

One to two hours of gentle cooking.
The tart should be well covered with a thick layer of onions ... more than one centimeter ... au moins. At least. Onions reduce very slowly until it becomes very soft, almost like a puree and the colour becomes khaki brown.

Ingredients for the puff pastry (pate feuilletée) to a 30cm pie
wooden spoon
160g flour
half or 80 g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
a small glass of very cold water

Cut butter into pieces (2cm to 1) in the flour. Pour the oil. Mix. Add water little by little and mix (no fingers but with a wooden spoon) until dough is held (not necessarily very well but it does not matter).
Avoid putting too much water, your dough will be hard. And do not touch the dough with fingers. These are the two secrets to succeed for a pate feuilletée !
Pour your dough on the table and with a rolling pin, spread roughly.
Fold it again and spread...with rolling pin. Repeat this operation 5 to 6 times. Fold one last time and store at least 15 minutes in refrigerator. The more you've folded your dough, the better the puff!
When the time expired, spread the dough and pour over your onions and black olives. For 45 minutes ... Your puff pastry is done.
Enjoy with a green salad.

Read it in French : Tarte aux oignons rosés de Roscoff sans anchois

You love questions! With no easy answers… And you’ve been to Roscoff ? Do you know why there is an expressway that runs from Roscoff, a small village of a bit more than 3000 habitants to Morlaix?

1 – This highway has been constructed because ferrys to England or Ireland leave from Roscoff ?
2 - Or because Johnny Halliday the famous French singer is behind the Anglo-French friendship!
3 - Or is it due to a love story between a Queen of Scotland and a French king?
4 - Or rather a history of shipowners, privateers and pirates!

1 – This highway has been constructed because ferrys to England or Ireland leave from Roscoff ?

If you are regular customer of the ferry, you have already taken the fast lane along the Bay of Morlaix. Ok, Roscoff is the port to Plymouth and Cork. But is it the only reason why there is this highway ? Why Roscoff rather than another port on the coast of Brittany?



… Well for economic reasons ... due to climatic reasons ... : The whole area around Roscoff has two major advantages: - A very regular climate with a low difference between the highest temperatures and the lowest due to the Gulf Stream (warm water current that goes in front of Roscoff).
- And a really good land for agriculture.
Yes, and then ... it creates unique conditions for an exceptional agriculture.

We harvest almost uninterrupted even in winter ... Agricultural products are shipped from Roscoff to Paris, Brest, in the ports of Holland and England, and particularly on the English coast of Cornwal l: in 187,5 7 803 055 tons of potatoes were sent, 2 million kg of artichokes ... the pier of the port is full of carts that provide vegetables for vessels. (Joanne Guide 1884)

It is not surprising that this stretch of coastline is known as the Golden Belt (ceinture dorée). Vegetables grow quicker than the rest of the Bay (3 weeks in advance) and the mildness of the weather allows a rapid succession of crops.More than 70% of French couliflower and artichokes are produced here.

If you take a walk on the coastal paths, you will see the agricultural wealth. Every parcel is cultivated.

And this production has to be sold. As the old port is depending on tides that empties it and impede commercial traffic, Roscoff had to find another way to sell its vegies.

The city needed a deep water port and the energy of a man, Alexis Gourvennec who, thanks to the capital of local farmers (and the help of the State that wanted to help economically this part of Brittany), created a ferry line to England to sell vegetables (1972). And then to develop tourism.... This is how the Brittany Ferries began cross-links.



2 - Or because Johnny Halliday the famous French singer is behind the Anglo-French friendship!

This connection with England is not new, and is not due to the fame of Johnny, the singer.
It is much more trivial…

Roscoff onions had already created the path. Yes, in 1828, one of the first Johnnie exported onions to England. They were called Johnnies because at the time they took with them their young children. And everybody knows (specially the British !!!) that all the Bretons sons then were called Yann (Jean in French).You nicknamed the youngs Johnnie…

Those Johnnies and fathers used to leave mid July, for 5 to 9 months with their bicycles covered of onions and were selling them across the sea. More than 1200 Johnnies made the crossing before the 2nd World War.
This breed of onion has been brought from Portugal by a monk (mid XVIth century) and was gradually introduced in the region. Indeed, it was a good product for the sailors fighting against scurvy (a disease caused by a lack of vitamins). Easy to preserve, the onion was useful for vessels, it could be taken on board and kept delaying the effects of the disease on the crews. Trade stopped after the war. A small museum in Roscoff commemorates this episode.

3 - Or is it due to a love story between a Queen of Scotland and a French king?

The connections with England existed long before this onion story ... Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland ... You know her… The legend said she resided here.
The future wife of François II landed at Roscoff in 1548 to join the Court of France, where she had to continue her education before marrying the king 10 years later.

But it is a legend, because the houses where she lived did not exist at the time! The chapel of Saint Ninien or rather what remains of it




(close to the watchtower, a remnant of the old city walls) commemorates the Scottish episode.

4 – Or is it rather due to an history of shipowners, privateers and pirates!




The relations with the British have not always been as peaceful as they are today. In the Middle Ages and beyond, Roscoff was repeatedly attacked and destroyed by the English troops. The honor of both side is safe because the reverse is also true.

It is a hole for buccaneers and an old nest for privateers, the Breton poet Tristan Corbière described it in the 19th century.
It is also a port that trade with Flanders, Spain or Portugal (linen, cloth, salt ...). During the French Revolution period it became a place for smuggling brandy, tea and gin with English ... The Wines and Beers are the worthy successors of that time!

This wealth is still encarved in the walls of the houses : sculptures still decorate the granite.



Read it in French : Roscoff : porte vers l'Angleterre et l'Irlande

5 good reasons to go on this island!

Getting away
One day walk and break
It can be visisted most of the year (late March to All)
Enjoy flowers and sea spray !
And finally, greet a seal!

After 15 minutes of ferry through currents and reefs, you arrive on Kernoc’h harbor.
As 600 inhabitants live on the island, there are ferries quite often to get there : out of season several times a day and in season every 30 minutes. Whenever you want to go there… it is possible… till 7 PM.



The island measures just over 3 kms long at high tide. Because at low tide ...the island is much bigger… One day walk, you have plenty of time to discover Batz.



And as each side is different, it is very pleasant to walk around it. One side, you’ll discover Roscoff and the mainland, opposite the ocean.

And the shore of the island itself is very various : rocks, dunes, shingle or sandy beaches of extremely fine almost white ... It's not all, depending on the tides, the landscape changes again and again.



And despite all, the island does not live only on tourism ... With its nearly 600 inhabitants, it also lives on agriculture ... And therefore has a real life ... It is the island of flowers, they grow everywhere thanks to the mild climate : flowers of the fields (wild cloves, wild gorse, poppies, camomile ...),



dunes flowers (eryngium…), or common garden flowers (hydrangeas, geraniums, ...) or even exotic flowers that have spread out from the exotic garden.
At the end of last century, Georges Delaselle installed a colonial garden on the east of the island. He grew tropical plants (the climate is very mild in Batz) ... After decolonization, the garden changed its name for the name of its founder.

The park has been abandoned for several years but since 1986 it has been rehabilitated, hosts tropical plants and trees. Cedar, eucalyptus and dracena (palms of New Zealand), agave (cactus from Mexico used to make Mezcal) echium are all around the island.



If you walk to the ocean side, you will find beautiful white sandy beaches ... you’ll disturb birds or even sometimes … seals ... Further, on the far west there is a chaos of stones called : Toul ar Sarpant, the hole of the snake. That side hosts also a swamp with its fauna and flora.



The last facet of the island is the sheltered side, which faces Roscoff. And there anjoy a crepe or a drink after your nice walk…

On your bike, with your foot, enjoy the island.

Read it in French : Randonnée sur une des îles du Ponant : l'île de Batz

Even if China and India share 70% of the world production, three-quarters of the French production of cauliflower are grown in the North West of France, on the breton coast ... If you arrive with the ferry at Roscoff, you'll see fields of cauliflowers everywhere... Prince de Bretagne the main supplier of vegetables of the region...



Cauliflower belongs to the very, very, large cabbage family ... that have so many different colors, shapes and even sizes. Cabbage season never stops... all year long...

Origins
Asia Minor. Cabbage is a very old food already eaten by prehistoric people ... Cauliflower disappears however in Europe after the Roman time and reappeared in Italy in the late Middle Ages. In France, it is cultivated again in the 17th C. In England, a bit earlier...

Vitamins and co
This vegetable plant has many advantages: rich in vitamin C (good for healthy bones, cartilage, teeth and gums ... It also protects against infections, promotes the absorption of iron content in plants and accelerates healing. ) It was good for sailors wishing to fight against scurvy (No fresh food on boats for days...a lack of vitamin C makes you loose your teeth!).
Studies say that cauliflower is also appreciated against cancers (lung, ovary and kidney). And good for pregnant women (contents folate (vitamin B9 used for the growth and development of the fetus ...).
It is a low calorie vegetable (high content of water: 20 calories per 100 grams).

Culture and Consumption
It is an annual plant. Thanks to the mild climate of the region of Roscoff, we can eat them September to January.

How to choose a cauliflower
A fresh one will have still green water-soaked leaves and a white heart...
But ... very often, unfortunatly, the cauliflower arriving in our plates has done a long journey before ending in a saucepan of boiling water... Leaves are all dried, the white is often spotted (these are signs of decay).
However ... It is a very good food that I recommend as a dipping appetizer

Italian raw cauliflower recipe in spicy sauce

Ingredients
a cauliflower 800 g
Chopped parsley
Anchovies thinly cut
Juice of half a lemon
100g butter
Salt

For this recipe, the ideal is to have a cauliflower extremely fresh, white, with no trace of passing time ...
Remove leaves, divide the clumps of cabbage and soak in salted water.
In a saucepan, melt butter, add anchovies that you've previously cut into thin slices and parsley. After a few minutes, remove from heat.
Drain the cauliflower florets and arrange in a dish, pour sauce and lemon juice.
Serve as appetizer ...

Read this article in French : Le chou-fleur de Bretagne

The peak season for artichokes lasts several months : from May to November.




The artichoke is a domesticated thistle ... Have you seen it blooming ? The flower looks like the thistle’s one and it smells so good…

The reproduction of the artichoke is often done thanks to a rejection from an other artichoke that grows beside and must be replanted. The plant is almost a bush, which can reach 2 meters high and provides several artichokes (big ones) for 2 or 3 years.
.
Its name comes from the Italian language which took it from Arabic. Originally, the plant is Mediterranean. Already known in Italy during the 9th century, the marriage of the French King Henry II with the Italian Catherine de Medici (1533) who loved it made him popular in France.

Even if it is a Mediterranean plant, it grows well in Brittany- the culture began early 19th century-, specially on the North coast, where the climate is quite mild. The famous golden belt around Roscoff is the coast for early vegetables and 75% of the artichokes produced in France come from the area.



In France the favorite one is the camus de Bretagne,the largest species (2 to 3 kg per head), the one eaten peeled. The southern one is much smaller and often eaten like in Spain or Italy, in oil.

Read it in French : Artichaut de Bretagne

Where do oysters live?

Oysters are bred everywhere in the world. And of course in France, in Brittany the oysters of Belon for example... The mollusks like sheltered areas ... The sea has to be salty, but not too much (there is often a nearby river). Some live on the ocean floor and never watch the sky without water. And others are living on the shore and are lulled by the tides.
Different species grow in the West of France ( they are very often born elsewhere but then raised in Small Britain) ...

How to choose a good oyster ?

In France, oysters have names and numbers (from 0 to 5 for the hollow and up to 6 for the flat) ... which correspond to their sizes ... in reverse order ...
The higher the number, the smaller the mollusk ... For example, oysters number 2 are bigger than the number 5. An other example : an oyster number 0 is about 150 g, a number 5 between 30 and 45 g.



How to store oysters ? How to be sure they're alive and therefore good to eat ?

An oyster may be consumed up to 10 days after leaving the water if it has been maintained properly ... in the seaweed ... To be sure it is still alive, open the oysters and wait till it rejects the first juice, discard it and eat it when it has produced its second water (if it does not produce, it is not a good sign, it is probably dead !).

Open them

With a oyster knife ... This knife has a special form adapted to open oysters. Use also gloves, cloth or this little plastic handle ...



Composition and preparation

The oyster is full of good things: vitamins, minerals and especially of iodine ... You drink the sea when you eat it.... It is low in calories (75 calories per 100g)... And then it is an aphrodisiac ...
If they eat only plankton, you can enjoy it raw or cooked. With lemon or a shallot vinegar or bread and butter.

Life of a hermaphroditic snail

If oysters are aphrodisiac, it may be due to their specificity: they change sex several times in their lives (they are hermaphrodites). With 2 years old, they release between 20 and 100 million eggs and more sperm. It happens in summer when the oysters are milky (in full breeding season).
They are quite edible during this period even though the French proverb reminds you : ne pas manger les huitres dans les mois en R not to eat them in months with the letter R.
Only 10% of billions of larvae will become adults. After a few weeks, begins the work of the oysterman: the spat (the eggs) have to find a place to settle : oyster shells, tiles, plastic tube or rope ... Oysters will be cultivated and the oysters' bed will be harvested after some years.As adults, they stay in maturing basins where they expel mud and sand. Their eating quality, size and color will also change. They are then washed and graded, packed in baskets before ending up on your plate.

Pearl oysters

If you're an oyster's lover, you have surely found one day a pearl in the shell (layers of nacre covers the object : sand or parasite). All oysters can produce pearls, but the production is often related to specialists in warm countries. The work of a professional is necessary to get a nice roundness.

Read this article in French : Les huitres : les choisir, les conserver et les ouvrir

Cauliflower is mainly Breton in France: 75% of the French production comes from the North coast of Brittany, also called the golden belt.
If you're touring by there, you'll see signs: Prince de Bretagne (the main supplier of cauliflowers here) has many partners that deals with their vegetables : restaurants, shops... And probably those you get over the Channel come from here and are send by the Brittany Ferries from Roscoff.

Caulyflower has a second name Cyprus cabbage... because... even if it was known during the Roman time, the culture of the vegetable declined and disapeared until the late Middle Ages... It was brought back probably from Cyprus and called then coleworts Cyprus.

West of France today dominates the French market ... There are also varieties of purple or orange.
Cauliflower can be eaten from September to January. It is a good autumn vegetable, ideal for weight watchers (full of water, low in calories and rich in vitamin C and B9, the famous folate for pregnant women).

Cooking
Cabbage is not appreciated by everybody ... Because some people don't supporter well, they suffer from flatulence ...
Well, you have two solutions:
- Growing it in the garden, collect and eat it the same day ... It won't bother you...
- The second, for almost anyone, is to cook your cabbage in two waters. It will be more digestible. And to keep it white, add lemon to the cooking water.

Conservation
You can eat the leaves of cauliflower. Cut them into small pieces for the same cooking time as the cabbage.
These recipes are possible with cabbage or broccoli Romanesco or both.
My great grand father was Italian... I do like these two ways of eating it but they're unusual... Italian cuisine...



Baked Italian meal with Cauliflower

It is a sort of gratin made with an olive oil bechamel with thyme.

Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower
Butter
Crumbs
100g grated cheese

For the sauce

3 tablespoons flour
2 cups cooking water
5 tablespoons olive oil
Thyme (1 tablespoon dried thyme or a little less fresh)
Salt
Cut leaves, wash the cabbage and separate the bunches. Let it boil in salted water. If you are cooking with two waters, the second (5 to 10 minutes depending on cabbage) for a cooking al dente.
Cook it in butter.
Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Warm the oil. Remove from heat, mix the flour, cooking water, a pinch of salt and thyme. It's a sort of bechamel sauce.
When the sauce is homogeneous, pour over the cauliflower. Sprinkle with grated cheese and some breadcrumbs.
Bake for 20 minutes at 6 (180 °) until a beautiful golden crust.

Italian cooking : cauliflower with olives and provolone

Ingredients
1 cauliflower (good size)
150 g provolone (Italian cheese)
100 grams of black olives
1 onion
1 glass red wine
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Toast

Wash and separate cauliflower parts.
Cut into thin slices provolone and onion.
Pit the olives and cut them into pieces.
Put in a saucepan with oil, onion, a layer of cabbage, some slices of provolone and pieces of olives. Spice with salt and pepper.
Repeat with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with oil and add the diluted wine with a glass of water.
Put the saucepan on the stove and cook over low heat for an hour. Avoid cooking too fast. If during the cooking liquid has evaporated add boiling water. Cauliflower should be tender.
Serve with toasted bread and a salad of beans and julienne carrots.

Read this post in French : Deux recettes à base de choux-fleurs au four ou à la casserole

TRUE OU FALSE

The island of Batz was connected to the mainland during the Iron Age (8th to 6th BC)
A village is buried in the east of the island
The island has never sent a soldier to the Army
The lighthouse of Batz has 500 steps
Enez Vaz means Dragon Island
Algae have replaced the trees on the island
British people settled fortifications on Batz
The island is a paradise for early vegetables and organic farmers

By bike or on foot, go and get the answers ...



The island of Batz was connected to the mainland during the Iron Age (8th to 6th BC) ?
Yes, you could walk there at low tide. Last century, thirty neolithic graves (4000 years old) were discovered by Georges Delaselle, the founder of the colonial garden. He dug a hole, protected by a hedge of cypress and pine trees, on the east end of the island (where the garden is now) to house his exotic plants.

A village is buried in the east of the island.
Yes, the present village (where the ferry arrives) is recent.
Until the 17th century, the village was located on the east side of the island, where are the prehistoric tombs. This place may have been continuously inhabited since the Iron Age, as other traces of human presence were found. In any case, the village is covered by 6 feet of dunes.

You’ll understand better if you go to the chapel of St. Anne. This Romanesque church is half hidden in the dunes.



Its square pillars replaced the monastery built by Pol Aurelian, a Welsh arrived in the 5th century to convert Britain. Towards 530, he created a monastery then destroyed by the Vikings in 878.
At the end of the 11th century, when calm has returned the monks rebuilt a church.
When the sands were threatening, it has been gradually abandoned for the Kernoc’h bay. The ruins of the church have been used as an artillery warehouse shortly before and after the French Revolution. Today a mass in the open air is celebrated for Sainte Anne (Holy Ann) end of July The chapel and the cemetery are listed since 1980.

The island has never sent a soldier to the Army.
That is how the tourist guide Joanne (1884) presents the island. On this island, all men are sailors. The soil is grown exclusively by women. And some of them let their name in the history of Batz.
A native Yves Trémintin began to serve the State as a pilot. Soon, he fought with courage against pirates and lost a leg. He finished his life on his island limping ...
There is also a Portuguese privateer ... Balidar, who hated the English and therefore helped the French during the Revolution ... With his vessel, he was hidden in the channel and awaited the enemy ... The Batziens (inhabitants of Batz) prevented him when ships were in sign and he attacked.



The lighthouse of Batz has 500 steps.
It was built between 1836 and 1852. But you have to deserve it… 210 steps to climb…



Enez Vaz means Dragon Island
No, Bazh means in Breton language stick. And it has no link with the legend of the island…
There once was a dragon ... who was terrible.
In the early centuries of the Christian era, Pol Aurelian arrived in Batz to convert the island. The governor of the island begged the saint to set the island free from the monster ...
With the help of another gentleman, he went dressed in his priestly vestments, to the lair of the beast. There, without being intimidated by the wrath of the animal, he surrounded the neck of the dragon with a stole*. And led him to the sea where it disappeared.

On the north of the island, the place known as "Toul ar sarpent", the Trou du Serpent, still has the claw of the dragon printed in the stone.



The two heroes were rewarded. The gentleman was given the privilege to go to church with the sword to the side. As for Pol, he received many presents : a palace that he turned into a monastery. He also made some more miracles : a spring gushed out and healed 3 blind men, two mutes and a paralyzed.
Around the year 600, he was buried in Saint-Pol-de-Léon.
*The stole is retained in the new church of Batz.

Sometimes in Brittany, in legends, snakes replace dragons (because dragons were frequently linked with fairies and fairies are not working all over). The serpent is also more familiar and therefore more credible. These legendary figures are in any case often a symbol of the pagan religions that have to disappear...

Algae have replaced the trees on the island ...
There were very few trees on the island ... Islanders used algae and cow pats dried in the sun as combustible to cook or heat the houses (Tourist guide Joanne, 1884).
The more difficult was to harvest them… at low tide or in water up to the knee, women pulled wrack out of the sea ... Not always easy ... being a woman in Batz!

Today the harvest is done by tractors



or with scoubidous these strange boats, with long arms that gather laminars on the seabed.

British people settled fortifications on Batz
Yes, there are many vestiges of fortification against the English…
4 batteries (18th C) used to defend the Bay of Morlaix : the Penn Ar C'hleguer one is after the exotic garden, the battery Bilvidic, on the opposite edge and the other two on the remaining points.
There are also remnants of the Atlantic Wall (German defensive system of the Second World War) with bunkers .... But the vegetation today hides them well ....

The island is a paradise for early vegetables and organic farmers
The parcels are sheltered by small walls or hedges and fertilized by seaweed. Potatoes, fennel, rhubarb grow ... with a few weeks ahead… early agriculture. 3 harvests a year, sometimes the collection is done by hand.
Half of the island is grown in organic agriculture.
The island deserves its label…

Read it in french : Les histoires de l'ile de Batz : prétexte à une balade