Inquiring minds will note that the main color of the stone houses of the region Brocéliande or in other places in Brittany, is red.
Red shale is a rock, very common here in the country Brocéliande near Paimpont, home of the knights of the Round table.



Once upon a time ...
A rock (the story does not date from yesterday, but from over 465 million years). Under the sea, this metamorphic rock (rock that is changed by heat) is of sedimentary origin (these sediments are often clay). Its color comes from its content of iron oxide (iron rust becomes red ....!).
When the sea receded some 250 million years ago, the rock became what we see today. The red shale is a friable rock. It comes in sheets and very difficult to carve. Therefore, it is used as building material.



The region is rich in red shale quarries, many buildings are built using this stone : houses and farms, walls, castles... Rennes, once it was a fortified city, was called Rennes, the red city (its fortification walls were in red shale). If you're dreaming of a red stone farmhouse, then you know now where to find your dream house.



The castle of Trécesson … is a beautiful building built in red shale. Located in the town of Campénéac, this fortress was erected between the late 14th C and it is listed since 1922. The castle is surrounded by water... The access by a bridge leads to a large gatehouse and two towers connected by a machicolation (the "balcony" at the top of the walls). It also has a hexagonal tower (the one facing you with 3 windows).
The site has been inhabited long before the construction of the castle. Many owners have lived in the property. It is still private.

The place is famous... by the legends that took place in the « château de Trecesson ».

We'll begin with the saddest ... la légende de la dame blanche (ou la mariée de Trécesson )... (Sensitive souls, go your way). The legend of the white lady (or the bride of Trécesson) ...
The story takes place in the middle of the 18th C. A lovely bride, in tears, will be buried alive under the eyes of a poacher (hidden in the tree where the girl will be killed). The witness, once the murderers gone, tells the story to his wife who decides to go to the lord Trécesson ... He will offer her a decent burial and looked in vain for the murderers.

The second is almost a fantasy novel: La légende de la chambre aux revenants
The legend of ghosts in the room is nicer: one room, in Trecesson is haunted ... A guest, of bravado, decide to sleep in the haunted place. That evening, an invisible door appears and servants install a game table for two men who will play cards .... The man, scared to death, fired on the players. The bullets have no result! He finally fell asleep. from exhaustion. The next day, when he woke up, a pile of gold coins (louis d'or) is the only proof left of that game.

The 3rd legend called le manoir du Pied d'Anon
A young Marquis de Trécesson loves to play in the salons of Versailles. He has lost everything. Fortunately, Firmin his valet, reminds him of a small manor, the mansion du Pied d'Anon (which was a small wooden hut perched on granite).
The intrepid plays again and regains everything he lost ... The story does not say if he then remained quietly in his castle Trécesson …

Read this article in French : Maisons et chateaux de schiste rouge en Bretagne

It is not a church like the others. Thanks to Father Gillard. Who was considered by the ecclesiastical authorities as an original... His ideas of tolerance were not appreciated. He was therefore send to the most remote parish of Morbihan... They thought hard life of the countryside will bring him back to more acceptable ideas.

The church was in a poor state, he decided to renovate it...(1942-1953) His own way and the result is what you see today: a church where the Arthurian legend, the Celtic world and Christianity are melted. Father Gillard considered that these three worlds had to meet ... The myth of the Grail helped him to get them closer.



References to the Knights of the Round Table are not very surprising... This small town of a hundred inhabitants is located very near the Forest of Brocéliande, the place associated with their epics.
The Celtic world has left many traces in Brittany ... (Druids gather every year in the forest) ... As for Christianity, it is everywhere here... when you're driving around.... notice the stone crosses on the roads.



The entrance of the church begins with a question : the door is inside (of course, inside of us).



The interior is also full of symbols. Helped by two German prisoners, a carpenter made the vault and bars, the other, a painter drew some illustrations of this chapel.

You'll see Morgane Le Fay (who lives nearby in the Valley of No Return in the Brcéliande forest) immortalized with the Knights of the Round Table...



or the Last Supper (the Last Supper of Christ Revisited) ...



The church, also known as the Chapel of the Holy Grail, is dedicated to St. Onenne, the patron saint of Tréhorenteuc. She is the 22d child of King Judicaël (one of the kingdoms of Armorica), born near here. She does not want a life of princess and became a servant in a farm. She is represented on the windows with geese. Very pious, it did not work miracles but its qualities (piety and goodness) gave her the rank of saint.

If you want to better understand the building and all its secrets, visit the tourist office in front of the church, which offers brochures and guided tours to apprehend this original universe.



Read this article in French : Tourisme dans la forêt de Broceliande : l'église de Trehorenteuc

Sainte-Anne d'Auray is not only one of the biggest French catholic pilgrimage, it is also the place for a famous memorial to victims of the first World War.

10 millions people died between 1914 and 1918... about 20 million became disabled and France suffered more than one million deaths. In Brittany, about 110 to 130 000. It is the region that gave the more compared to its population.
The Great War began the modern world: new military equipment was used, the weapons changed, tanks, artillery pieces, powerful cannons (Big Bertha shot more than 9000 meters) chemical weapons with the gas in the trenches ... And the soldiers. A war that has drained France of his men. And above all Brittany.



Expalnations : for some, it is a deliberate sacrifice of the Bretons, because they were second-class citizens (in France the regional divisions were: the Bretons, the Normans ...).
Testimonies tells us about those Breton soldier, not being abble to speak French, unable to understand orders of the military elite and who were shot by mistake. Or this other Breton considered a deserter when he returns to seek treatment and could not explain what he was doing... Some of these soldiers have been rehabilitated. For others, the contribution of Britain is linked to its rural character and its extremely dynamic demography. Truth must be between the two.



This memorial in Sainte Anne d'Auray was originally dedicated to all victims of Brittany. Located next to the basilica it is a huge square surrounded with slabs engraved and at its center, an imposing altar.
Built in 1923, the site bears the list of engraved names of some 8000 soldiers, entire families (father and son!). But, not all the deads are honored here, no. Only the dead of the families who had enough money to engrave their names. Wealthy families or Catholics have subscribed. At least 100,000 names are missing!!!



The purpose of the monument has changed : it is now dedicated to the missing people of all wars and during the feast of St. Anne (July 25-26), the office is celebrated from the altar. A peace memorial ...

Sainte Anne d'Auray has also an important cemetery of victims of war (made up of Belgian soldiers and the wounded died in hospitals in the West).

Read this article in French : Le mémorial de Sainte Anne d'Auray : le monument aux morts des Bretons

If you're on your pilgrim's way... stop at Sainte Anne d'Auray...
It was a crowdy place before and even now... For several centuries Sainte Anne has been and still is a great place of Christian pilgrimage. A bit like Lourdes.

The basilica was built in the 19C, when pilgrims were too numerous to fit in the small chapel of Yves Nicolazic. Around 800,000 visitors travel here every year (it is the third place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes and Lisieux).
You'll be amazed by the number of hotels in this small town of 2,000 inhabitants. Sainte Anne d'Auray will be the best accomodation when nearby on the Morbihan coast all the B&B are sold out (the weekends of spring when the cottages and other accommodations are full ... I survived in Sainte Anne d'Auray).



Let's go back to the place of worship. It began in 1622 when, in the hamlet of Ker Anna, a farmer, Yves Nicolazic had "visions" ... Only a year later, in the night of July 25 to 26... Sainte Anne, the grandmother of Jesus will introduce herself ... And later still, when the mother of Mary led the farmer with some other believers to the statue of St. Anne … hidden in the place where once stood a chapel. Anne asked them to rebuild it... 924 years later.
This is the beginning of the legend ... Sainte Anne (St. Anne), mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus choosed Yves Nicolazic.The miracles continued and popular enthusiasm began: the farmer married for many years but with no children, will soon get 4. Pierre Keriolet, a contemporary of Nicolazic, native son, highwayman, rogue of the worst kind and libertine will convert too ... The catholic pilgrimage began...
If the place was venerated already during the 5th C, at the beginning of the evangelization of Britain, the chapel was ruined for many centuries. And the building to replace it soon became too small for pilgrims. A chapel, a cloister, a Scala Sancta and a miraculous fountain were added.



The chapel of the 17th C will be replaced in 1865 by the present church. It still hosts thousands of pilgrims during the feast of Anne (25 and 26 July).
You can see the Scala Sancta in some movies where the pilgrims were climbing. Breton women in knee cap in reciting prayers roamed the stairs ... Another world ...



Near the basilica, a place dedicated to John Paul II, only pope to have come to Britain. More than 150,000 people came to see him in 1996.

You can also visit the house of Yves Nicolazic, which is located near the Basilica (free admission). And every year, at Saint Anne d'Auray, and for those who have not obtained the favors of Saint Guirec, the singles can meet, during a weekend held in May and find true love!



Read this article in French : Pélerinage à Sainte Anne d Auray : le pardon de juillet

Looking for a place to stay in Rennes... a place to camp : the camping des Gayeulles : a 3-star open all year (Rue Maurice Audin, 35700 Rennes Tel: 00 33 (0)2 99 36 91 22) and located in a really nice park... north-east of Rennes is done for you. You can enjoy the capital of Brittany and tour around... You're not far from the coast...

The camping place is located in Rennes largest park (100 hectares), you may even think you're in the forest but the place is a creation. Back in 1967, the city of Rennes decided to create a park that will open ten years later when the trees have grown a little.
If you're travelling with kids or teenagers, they'll love this place... Leisure facilities for everyone are available...Sometimes you feel like being in the countryside...



... And at times, you enjoy the leisure of the town ...




Soccer fields, tennis courts (02 99 36 59 71) and squash are provided for you... Golfers can try with the kids the mini-golf ... or all lovers of blue water can will have fun in pool area.

Kids will also use swings or slides. You have no excuse to avoid your traditional jogging in nature ...

If you love animals... you can visit the educational farm, located on the park, where children do things "like farmers" ! Rabbits, ponies, goats, chickens and ducks welcome you... Kids participate in daily activities: they feed the animals or press the apple juice to make cider .... You can go for a free visit: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Ferme pédagogique des basses Gayeulles, rue du professeur Maurice Audin, dans le parc des Gayeulles, Tel : 02 99 36 71 73).



Read this article in French : Ferme pédagogique, mini-golf ou balançoires : les loisirs de plein air au parc des Gayeulles à Rennes (Bretagne)

In Brittany, south, you have a nice little sea called le golfe du Morbihan (Gulf of Morbihan) where it is really nice to cruise.
And if you like old stones and megaliths, you'll be amazed by the island of Gavrinis and its cairns.
Back a few centuries ago, when the cairn was erected, the landscape was quite different : the gulf and its 42 islands did not exist. No cruise in the sun... no 10 minutes boattrip from Larmor-Baden ... to reach the island of Gavrinis … Land replaced the sea. There was just a beautiful hill.

The island is today divided into two : one part is a private property (Council of Morbihan would have liked to purchased it but they had no money) ... Stars from Paris bought it : the farm and the dozen hectares of the island became the property of a ... Parisian .... The other tiny part is the cairn !



Back to the huge cairn ...
... It was probably part of a more important megalithic site ... Leaving the island, you will notice that the island in front of the cairn has standing stones (discovered when low tide). They are still standing! Even after billions of tides ! The builders of the Neolithic time were working really well !!!



The monument was built around 3500 BC: it is composed of a dolmen (stone table) covered by a mound of dry stone ... ie a long corridor with stone slabs that leads to a room ... it seems that the corridor is the longest in Brittany and the room is the smallest ...
And as always, my answers/questions are assumptions : no paper trail, no skeletons (Breton soil is too acidic), only ideas and imagination to understand those prehistoric people. We still can not explain these singularities ...
By cons, it seems that the corridor has been intentionally filled with stones at a time ... (the spirits did not want curious minds to destroy the place, they wanted to wait until humanity will be mature enough and concerned to "discover" this awesome vestige) ...

How did those heavy stones get there?
The assumptions are : a river had to pass near the hill Gavrinis ... stones weighing several tons have been brought by reverse flotation (the guide will explain) near the site and then rolled on logs. One of the stones of the dolmen, which is the "roof" ... corresponds to one of the broken menhir in Locmariaquer ...a huge stone over twenty meters broken into three parts ... (do not miss it !)



How do we know that our ancestors did use it as it is recovered ?
As the slab is turned towards the sky, we would never have known it... but fortunatly the cairn has been damaged... a crater at the summit was showing a part of this carved menhir … Therefore no seek of the missing piece of the table des marchants!

Another interesting detail : each stone is decorated with geometric patterns or designs ... A true team of professionnal sculptors and engravers have worked for hours to get this result: perfect lines, without corrections, with regular spaces between curves, precision work on a very hard stone (try to carve granite, you'll see!).
Presumably, the community that built the monument had artists among them !

In short, the history of the monument is exciting ... The site guides will reveal more secrets about the cairn.
You need to pay for the visit and it is only possible from April to November. Book before you go, it is often full... (same thing for accommodation, we had to drive far inland to find a place to sleep !).
For once, if crowds are passionate, there is nothing to complain about!



Read this article in French : Croisière dans le golfe et les îles : Gavrinis

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

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

Why should you go and visit the French Côte d'Amour?

- because it is a long, long, long sand beach and a nice, nice, nice bay !
- because you are lovers !
- because we like nested Port, Pines and Promenade in Pornichet !
- because you’re lost and want to understand why there are 3 La Baule : La Baule Escoublac, La Baule Les Pins and La Baule

Located on the Atlantic coast, the beach of La Baule is known as one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. Well, it is up to you to judge but what is sure is that it is quite long (almost 8 kms) and facing South West, which is nice as the sun is concerned! .



The bay houses 3 different cities and 3 different moods… Pornichet, La Baule or Le Pouliguen… It is on the French Côte d’Amour (love coast which runs from St. Nazaire to Le Croisic). This romantic name was given during the 19th century after a competition organized by a local newspaper : their readers had to baptize this already trendy coastline…

Let’s begin with Pornichet, the first resort to have a touristic fame during the 19th century…

It used to live from the salty marshes but that’s not something special as all the cities from the Guérande peninsula were living on salt too. Dunes and marshes were the common landscape. And it was also the problem of the area.
These mountains of sand were moving and in the middle of the XIXth century threatening the next village Escoublac. It was decided that the bay needed to be fixed by planting pine trees.

As one problem is never alone (un problème n’arrive jamais seul as we say in French)… the salt trade was going down and the port silted up… They seeked a solution ... that came from the railroad which connected Pornichet to St Nazaire in 1854.

In 1860, the success of this bathing resort began…

Soon the new wood pine was divided and sold to build villas.


The development of Pornichet continued, the salt marshes were filled up and horse races began in 1907.

During World War II, Pornichet, as the whole Atlantik coast, was part of the Atlantic Wall (defensive wall built on the coast by the Germans). It was covered with bunkers. Walking around you’ll still see plenty of them.

Pornichet is a family resort and quite different from its neighboring, La Baule, more stylish...

Known as one of the most mundane beach of Britanny like Dinard, it is a nice place to enjoy luxury… or more simple activities. You can rent bikes all year long in Pornichet (as in La Baule) or (less expensive!) use your feet.

La Baule used to be Escoublac, the village that was (as I already said) gradually invaded by dunes. End of the 18th century, the village was buried under sand by a violent storm and had to move.

La Baule, or rather Bôle as it was spelled in the 19th century, comes from the Breton language (that is one of the few places in the east Brittany where breton was still spoken) and means marshy shoreline covered by tides (the equivalent of salt marshes of Mont Saint Michel). The spelling La Baule we know today was given at the end of the 19th century.

As Pornichet, the same company seeked to stop the dunes with pine plantations.
400 hectares of pine trees (one hectare is about 100 m to 100) were planted : a magnificent pine forest grew and was called Bois d’Amour (love wood). Today a very small green spot still remains in the middle of La Baule Escoublac, close to the Parc des Dryades (nice park with 300 trees and playgrounds for children).

Soon, as in Pornichet, it was used to build villas.
The war (1939-1945) did its job too and used the wood for the implantation of bunkers, military structures or just as firewood. The ruins of a church are visible in the dunes, because it was under these trees that the old village is buried.

This wood is nice for long walks (when you want to escape the sea breeze).

The tourist boom of the station is linked with the railway (1879), 20 years after Pornichet ... Soon it became very popular and the need of a new church, the Chapel of St. Anne, to accommodate tourists was urgent (the population of La Baule increases so much during the summer time).



It is now a cultural center for concerts and expo. In the 20’s, the resort is quite successful and the erection of cottages continues. This is the beginning of a major urban development.

In the 30’s, the train station Art Deco is built at La Baule Escoublac.



There are three Baule : Escoublac the first one, La Baule Les Pins because of the wood and La Baule the international sea resort.

Today a large pedestrian walk (and road) runs along the bay, which has lost almost all its beautiful villas. Multi-storey buildings or hotels have replaced them. If you leave the waterfront, you’ll see the villas, which have made the reputation of the resort. Hundreds of them between Pornichet, La Baule and Le Pouliguen are to be discovered.
The plaza also houses luxury accommodations (this is a mundane city, do not forget it!): Hôtel Royal (built in 1896 combines British style and Belle époque)



or L'Hermitage (Anglo-Norman style)



host presidents, stars, singers and actors.

What to do

This is a very good destination for a long weekend anytime because many activities are possible throughout the year.

If you want to walk gently along the bay or enjoy cycling around the peninsula of Guérande (rentals available all year in Pornichet and La Baule).
If you love the sea and the elements : no problem for sea fishing (port Pornichet), sailing, waterskiing, kite surfing or kite flying.




Families, go to the Aquabaule (heated leisure pool).

Riding, golf or first flight, parachuting are possible if you’re bored !!!

But if you re looking for nice gastronomic restaurants or thalassotherapy centers you’re also in the good place.

The Pouliguen ends the bay .. and its wild coast await you.

A map to help you...



Read it in French : Tourisme sur la Côte d'Amour : La Baule ou Pornichet

The tumulus of Barnenez is at the end of the world, on a peninsula far north in Brittany… and it is a survivor in a way… because in 1954 it was almost leveled… and we are still lucky because one is left, but there used to be two or even more…



The others monuments are gone (they have been used, as usual, as stone quarry). And the one, we still can visit, almost subjected to the same fate when, what was at that time the heritage officials stopped the disapearance of the cairn.

It was already mapped in military documents during the XVIII th century, and soon in the touristic guides. But nobody was then aware of the importance of the this huge construction (72 meters long).

This neolithic tumulus (mound raised over a grave)is a stone mound of two different periods. It shelters 11 funeral chambers (dolmen or passage grave) with corridors open on the south east side.



Built between 5000 and 4000 years before Christ (the first cairn circa 4500 and the second circa 4200), the megalithic monument is a big pile of stones up to 8 meters high.

The place has been frequented for several centuries after its erection. The first mound (the one you see first) is composed of 5 chambers and is done with stones from the close surroundings. 2000 square meters, about 4000 tons of material. The archeologists think that 10 000 to 12 000 days of work were required tobuild the Barnenez cairn. That represents 10 workers working on it for 3 to 4 years.

That amount of workers could be feeded by a community of hundreds of people. Something that was not so incredible but quite possible…

The second one is an extension of the first one. 6 passage graves built in an other kind of stone (granite).



Probably because the other stone was exhausted. And they had much work because that material was more than one kilometer away. Specially because the second construction is two times more important than the first one and needed four to five times more work. Some chambers have stone walls weighting several tons and … what a job to carry them on the top of the hill.

The second cairn was used as a stone quarry and "thanks" to that mistake, we can see the inside structure of four chambers.

One is a megalithic room : big squares of stone are used as walls and roof.
Another is the symbol of the stone cupola using the technic of corbel arch done with stones.



Another mixes the two architectures.



Stone slabs were not often used : first of all, because they were heavy and hard to transport to the top of the hill… or because they were rare or because with the experience, the builders had noticed that the slabs did brake because of the heavy weight (tons of stones on them) they had to carry.

All these chambers were graves, individuals (important people even women) or collectives. And the people entered them thanks to a passage way…
This incredible monument is located on the top of a hill in a nowadays peninsula. At that time the sea level was different and under. But the place was choosen on purpose. The neolitic architects liked to admire the sea or … to be admired from far away.





Go and visit it. It is a fabulous monument… the French stonehenge…



Read it in French : Les dolmens de Barnenez : un tumulus du Finistère (Bretagne)

You’re visiting Britanny and specially the South Coast. You have to go to the Gulf of Morbihan, a small sea surrounded by peninsulas. The place is really unusual with its inland sea, an incredibly high number of islands... it's worth it.
And on the presqu'île de Rhuys, one of the peninsula that closes the Gulf, you’re close to an historical place the tumulus de Tumiac, where the legend says that Caesar did watch the naval battle between the most powerful tribe of Armor the Veneti and the Roman fleet.



Gallic War. Here we are, back in 56 before Christ when Caesar decided to conquer Brittany.
In 57, Roman already tried to dominate the peninsula. One year later, when they came back, they had to do it again. Veneti did resist and were known as good sailors. Ceasar decided to attack them, here on the South Coast. The legend said the Emperor watched the encounter from the top of this hill.



220 large sailing ships faced the Roman fleet, which was easy to move. And Romans had sickles tied to long poles that were quite useful to cut the sail down. The sailing ship could not move anymore and the soldiers just had to board the ship. And that ‘s how Caesar won this unexpected struggle… and the wind did not blow to help the Armor tribe.

That’s the legend… and now the truth about this little mound. It is on the main road that goes from Sarzeau to Port Navalo. Stop on the parking place and go on a small path that leads you to the top of the hill.



You can no more visit the underground… because of degradation…

86 m high, 20 m diameter of clay. Underneath, there is a grave (5000 before Christ).



A stone coffin 4 meters long and 2 meters wide where an important man from that time was burried. In 1853 excavations did reveal human bones which is rare in Brittany –acid soils do “eat” bones-.

Read it in French : La butte de César : légende historique ou site préhistorique du Golfe du Morbihan

Prunus spinosa (also called sloe or Black thorn) is a small tree you can find in lots of Breton hedges. And it has its specific uses here in Brittany…

The tree is quite an old one : during the New Stone Age, stones were found in the houses of our ancestors…
It has other specifities : birds and insects like to rest or even more... in the bushes as it is full of spines.



Its bark was used to dye wool or flax in red. Its flowers are helpful when one suffer from digestive disorders or constipation.



In Brittany, its more common use is to make an alcoholic beverage…with its fruits.

Read it in French : Le prunellier : un arbuste aux qualités multiples

The statue of Vénus de Quinipily is a mystery down here… Is it a Roman statue or a Egyptian goddess or a Gallic idol ???

I’ve been investigated and I’ll tell you its long story…

This 2 meters high granite statue is located in the walls of the now destroyed castle of Quinipily, a few kilometers away from Baud (Morbihan).

To find it, drive to Baud and follow the signs…



Stop in front of the portal and walk in. you’ll have to pay 3 euros to visit the park to see the Venus, the remains of a fountain and a nice heather garden.



A leaflet in English will tell you the story of this statue… but I’ve got some more details to tell you…



Extracts from my old tourist guide from 1883 :
At that time, they were remains of the castle and the statue was standing in the park ((where it still is)… The guide explains that it used to be in another hamlet where it was the object of a pagan worship.
Offerings were given by farmers, it was touched to be healed, young people who wanted to get married used to have wrong behaviours in front of it… Lustful habits … specially because it was naked…
Reading that, it is easier to understand that the clergymen used to considered it dangerous and that they wanted to destroy it. They tried several times with no success. Then they decided to throw it in the Blavet river (1661 and 1690) but again the farmers discovered it and started again to worship it.
The statue moved in Quinipily after a trial in 1701 between two local landlords (Lannion and Rohan) who wanted the Venus.



But we still don’t know if it is Egyptian, Roman or Gallic…

The official website of the breton inheritage gives some more informations :

The statue is not the original one. The “first”one has been destroyed and this one has been done by the landlord of Lannion. The carved date 1696 is probably wrong as the trial took place in 1701 and the statue was moved to Quinipily after it…

If you go up you’ll see the remains of the old chapel of Saint Michel.



And it is not a coincidence that it floors a dragon as the dragon represents the popular beliefs… that have to disappear.



Drive around as the place is really nice and visit also Poul Fétan or Melrand (le village de l'an Mil).

Read it in French : Patrimoine paien breton la Vénus de Quinipily près de Baud (Morbihan, Bretagne)

I ‘ve read the novel THE WOLF HUNT from Gillian Bradshaw. She wrote this historical novel in 2001.



The book takes place in France and specially in Brittany in 1098. The heroin Marie de Chalandrey, 19 years old, is waiting for the return of his father and brother from the Crusade. But soon with no family (her father and brother died), she is taken to the Duchy of Brittany. She learns the life of the breton court and meets a strange man Tiarnan de Talensac who has a double life at night…

Gillian Bradshaw is an American writter (1956 Virginia) and has lived in different countries : youth in Chile, America of course, France, United kingdom and Chile. She is quite famous, as she wrote plenty of historical novels, books for children or science fiction books.

The novel is interesting because it takes place in Brittany, beetween Rennes, Fougères, Talensac… during the Middle Age. And you feel what were the superstitions of the time… Gillian Bradshaw always tries to be informed about the historical period she writes about and it is quite nice…
Some of her books are translated in French, German or Spanish.

Saint Malo is really nice but it is so crowded !!! 2 millions visitors a year… Let’s go on on our discovery of the less touristic Saint Malo, I’m still talking about Saint Servan.

If you already walked along the coastal path, you arrived in front of church’s remains : the cathedral of Aleth,



the former cathedral of Saint Malo. Actually Saint Servan is the first human settlement of the coast, it was inhabited before the Roman’s colonisation as it is explained on the sign.



The first future bishop Malo arrived from Great Britain during the VIth century and wanted to convert the region. The religious building was destroyed many times by the Norsemen, the Frank (VIIIth), the Norsemen again (Xth century). And the bishopric was transferred during the XIIth century to the actual Saint Malo (where the Grave of the Saint was) because it was a place easier to secure. The importance of the remains (43m long)



shows the catholic fervour of the medieval times…

Saint Malo soon became an important trade center and Saint Servan lost its leadership.
In front of you, a tower (tour Solidor),



is also a witness of the different occupation periods of Saint Servan. The foundations are Gallo-Roman. When Saint Servan, under the leadership of Saint Malo, revolted against the taxes of Saint Malo during the XIIIth century, the castle that was there was destroyed and that tower rebuilt on it.



The medieval donjon is made up with 3 towers joined by curtains (that are the walls that connect the fortifications), it was rebuilt in 1382 to control the estuary.



When wars were over, it was transformed in jail and it is now a Museum. The Musée des Cap-Horniers tells the story of the seamen that crossed the Cape Horne (cape that is on the far South of South America). Saint Servan during the XIXth century lived from cod fishing. The small harbour,



on the right of the tower, used to be the departure for the ferries to Dinard (in front of you).

The dam on your left was built during the 60’s and houses the tidal power plant.



Keep walking in the village, you’ll discover nice old houses, nice gardens…




Read it in French : Balade dans Saint Servan (Saint Malo, Bretagne)