Since 2006, you can visit the feudal castle of Léhon all year long (for free : week-end 10 am to 7 pm off-season).

Located on a small rocky peak, it was before impossible to walk to the fortress because the ruins were hidden in a green jungle, full of bramble bushes…
The town council of Léhon decided to stop the destruction of the castle so that one day archeologists would be abble to excavate the site and discover the history of this monument. They did not try to restore it as it used to be but just did strengthen the ruins to avoid the total erosion of the buildings. The site is an archaeological reserve and when time and money is available, they will begin the researchs…



But let’s talk about the story of this fortified castle. Léhon has long been a strategic place because of his ford on the river Rance and then its bridge. The Benedictine monastery was already built when the Lords of Dinan decided to erect a castle. They choosed to settle on a rock promontory to dominate the Rance river. They took part to the different wars of the time : against the English or the French or during the War of Succession of Brittany. And the architecture of the stronghold evolved in the course of the centuries to fit to the evolution of the war machinery...



In the year one thousand the castle was first in wood. The bishopric of Aleth (the future Saint Malo) was divided into several seigniories. The viscount of Dol inherits Léhon where he settled his capital. The fortress is destroyed many times during the 11C. End of the 12C, the place is even razed to the ground as a punishment following the peace treaty between France and England.



The structure of the nowadays stronghold was done at the end of the 13C : a surrounding wall with towers that fits the rock.




The architecture evolves with the War of Succession of Brittany (1341-1381). The castle was besieged and the walls between the towers destroyed. The archers used the loopholes to reach their enemies.



Those holes were useful because thanks to their shape, the attacks could not get in. Inside the tower, thanks to the openings placed on different points of the tower, the soldiers could defend most of the tower.



Firearms appeared during the 15C and the buildings had to fit to the new attacks of guns. The castle raised and strengthened its walls (the basis is solidified to resist to the guns), the loopholes were enlarged to be abble to shoot from the inside of the castle. But all these modifications were not useful as … the Duchy of Brittany was now part of France and French troops don’t fight inside the Duchy but on the borders of the Kingdom of France.
That the end of the medieval fortress !!! The castle is already in ruins at the end of the 15C and will soon be used as a stone quarry for the monks to extend the priory of Léhon during the 17C.
In one of the tower a new chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph was done during the 19C.



Inside the castle signs explained the story of the castle both in French and in English.





The small village of Léhon is also worth it…

Read it in French : Promenade dans les ruines du château de Léhon (Côtes d'Armor, Bretagne)<br />

... Once upon a time ... there was a time ... an usual war ... a war of succession between members of one family ... for a ducal crown ... and that, some time ago ... Middle Ages, back in the 14th century ... in Brittany
The Duke of small Britain dies without having choosen a successor ... The pretenders to the throne are two: the husband of his daughter (Charles de Blois, a nephew of the king of France) or his younger brother (Jean de Montfort) supported by the British ...

It will take more than 20 years ... 2 long decades of succession wars between Bretons ... but also between French and English to find a way out.
This Breton War of Succession (1341-1364) took place during the Hundred Years War (the war between the French and English, and ending with the death of Joan of Arc). Brittany is therefore the land of Franco-British confrontation ...



In short, many adventures will punctuate this period of struggles in Brittany in medieval times... And this tower is an episode of the story: the main protagonist is a star of the Middle Ages: the Lord Duguesclin.

Who is Duguesclin?
A Breton born near Dinan in 1380 ... He took an active part in the Franco-British confrontation, the Hundred Years War, which lasted so long... (1337-1453).

He delivered several battles and was imprisoned many times ... This Breton Lord, known to be a contemporary of Joan of Arc but unloved in Britain for supporting the French camp ...
That may be why the legend says he was short and not very beautiful (not to say ugly), greedy, pretentious ... But courageous, he was.

Duguesclin, no, Duguesclin wanted to reconquer the castle that the English had conquered ... The actual tower, we see today, is the remains of a 12th century fortress in the village of Grand Fougeray. This village is in a region called the Marches de Bretagne (literally the doors of Britanny), the border area between France and Britain, land of many battles ...
The castle is in the hands of the English troops... In 1354 Sir Du Guesclin will reconquer it thanks to a good trick. With some soldiers, having learned that a shipment of firewood would be provided, they disguised themselves as loggers and are allowed to enter the castle (the Trojan horse is back). The English did loose their conquest ....
You understand now why the constable Bertrand Duguesclin gave its name to the dungeon ... where he played an abominable trick to the hereditary enemies of the time ... our English friends ...

The castle will be razed during the 18th century, only the tower will be kept ... It has been listed in 1913. The Grand Tour Fougeray now houses a restaurant and is surrounded by a park of several hectares.
... For fans of cycling, a tour is proposed linking several villages in the area ... Green tourism !!!

Read this article in French : Le chevalier Du Guesclin et la guerre épisode de la tour du Grand Fougeray

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)

The zoo, a predictable success with children! Follow me ...

Located on the expressway Rennes - Saint Malo (Brittany, France), the zoological park of La Bourbansais is, as you guess, full of wild and exotic animals, … monkeys, wallabies, flamingos ...



lions, tigers and other zebras…In short, the classics are here.

Zoos today often are not only park animals but are also a place to save endangered species. That’s one of the goal of the zoo La Bourbansais.

The park is beautiful, you can stroll around and look at this wild world.

Animal shows are to be seen : flight of raptors, pelicans meals or giraffes care…



Wildlife is on…

Hunting dogs like to run around : a choreography of the French tricolor (name of the dogs), used for hounds.



You can also take a guided tour (fee) of the castle



which is listed since 1959. and admire the French gardens of the park.

At the end of the trail, a playground with inflatables (slides ...)… a delight for children.

A little walk on a corn maze and that ‘s the end of a busy day.

No surprise but no disappointment either. Around € 15 for adults and 12 for children.
Open all year.



Shows and events are only held during the summer. You can picnic there.

Read it in French : Visite avec des enfants du zoo et du parc du chateau de La Bourbansais (Ille et Vilaine, Bretagne)

Or how to introduce medieval life to your children and teenagers.

- Do you know what Middle Ages are ?
- Of course ! It is a period that lasted about 10 centuries : from 476 (Fall of the Western Roman Empire) to 1453 (Fall of Constantinople capital of the Byzantine Empire).
- And archaeology ?
- It’s a place (prehistoric or historic) that has been investigated… And where do you go with that ???
- In Brittany (France), in Melrand, you can visit an archaeoligical site that used to be a medieval village…



Melrand is divided into two parts : one where the historical remains are



And the other where the village has been reconstructed.

Signs as well as english guides (only summer time) help you through the site.



Lann Gouh (that is its breton name) has had a short “life”. During the Middle Ages the population of Europe increases and people are looking for new land to settle. Lots of villages, like this one, have been created in lands that were not really attractive (they were either land with poor soil or full of stones, forests or marshy land…). The only advantage of those lands was that the landlord was not too greedy then…

This place was deserted after the Black Death (1347) (one inhabitant out of three died) and the few survivors tried to gather and looked for more pleasant places… easier to exploit that are the “first“ villages in the valley…. Back to the start…

Only two houses have been excavated among the 17 (I think it is 17) found. Other researchs have been done in other villages in Brittany and thanks to those excavations, we can guess and understand better what the Medieval life in the countryside was.

The village was on a hill, surrounded by a fence : around the square were low-roofed dwellings. You can enter in the houses… and imagine…



Inside men and animals were living together (animals were the heating then), doors were low so that the warmth will not get out, and the ground was on a slope (the animal’s excrements will not run down in the living !!!). The fire was in the middle of the house… and smoke had no way out…

As the soil are acid in Brittany, you don’t find lots of useful objects… But we know that our ancestors used to eat in wood plates.

You’ll see the reconstruction of a baker’s oven and of a mantrap (wolfs were living in Brittany then).



You’ll also meet nice local breeds :
cows, sheep or goats…




Melrand is not an incredible place, it is just a medieval site that shows the modest life of countrymen. In february, it is a bit strange as nature is still asleep and as we were alone on the place. The botanic garden (100 plants of the Middle Ages) is not and is waiting for the spring to recover. It is a nice visit for a family holyday…

It is open from February to November. Winter time from 1.30 pm and from april at 10 am. 4 Euros for those who are more than 6 and 5 euros for adults.

You can drive around on the Blavet valley (you feel you’re on the mountains, it goes up and down, it ‘s incredible) and the road is really nice. You can also visit the Venus de Quinipily or Poul Fétan.



Read in in French : Site archéologique en Bretagne : le village de l'an Mil à Melrand (Morbihan)

Rohan is a famous name in Brittany, even now one of the deputee of Brittany is a Rohan. It was one of the three most important family of the Duchy of Brittany. Among others they have built the castle of Josselin ( a really nice town to visit) and helped William the Conqueror in 1066 when he crossed the Channel.
Rohan is also the name of a small village in Morbihan, there is no remain of one of their castle in Rohan except a chapel (Chapelle de Bonne Encontre). This small town is located at 10 kms south of Loudéac, about 20 kms east of Pontivy, on the canal of Nantes to Brest.
If you walk along the canal de Nantes à Brest and you’re lucky, you’ll find a mile-stone where the old name of Pontivy is written ; that is … Napoléonville. If you find it, tell me because I’m still looking for it… Why Napoléonville ? you know the french Emperor Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) who was defeated at Waterloo and had to exile in the island of Saint Helena where he died. Well, when he was emperor, he decided to convert Pontivy, a small city that agreed with the ideas of the French Revolution in a conservative Brittany into a military centre. Pontivy had a strategical position, located in the middle of Brittany and betwenn Brest and Rennes, it was the best place to control the region. In 1804 he called it Napoléonville. It changed names several times after that, it took also the name of Bourbonville and recovered its name Pontivy in 1870.

Read it in French : Rohan

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)

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

If you 're trolling through the region of Brocéliande in small Britain, place of the Arthurian romance legend...you can stop and admire an ancient tree, thousand years old ...



My name is Eon Guillotin and I am thousand years old. I am an oak tree, over 20 m high and nearly 10 m in circumference.
I was born during one of the passages of Halley's comet ... in 1144, but I hardly remember, it's so far back and I was so young ...
Eon the hermit baptized me ... He took refuge in the Brocéliande forest. He has lived near my young branches like a highwayman... and he got caught and did end in a dungeon in Reims in 1148 ...

200 years later in 1352, I was already centennial, I saw this fratricidal battle between Bretons, the Battle of Mauron which pitted French and English soldiers... or another one that took place in 1364 and opposed our countrymen again …

Until 1370... another battle... a famous one when Lord Duguesclin besieged the castle of Comper and made fire and sword ... The castle has been dismantled in 1598 by King Henry IV when visiting Britain (Go visit it, it is not far ...).



During the French Revolution ... I saved the life of a man Guillotin. That's my second name! It was not safe to be a believer at the time. The priest Guillotin was chased by the Sans-culottes (knee-breeches... meaning the poorer members of the Third Estate). He hid in my trunk.
The anti-clerical soldiers arrived in front of me and didn't see Guillotin : a huge web had been woven on my trunk. Notre Dame de Paimpont had become a spider to save this priest and it saved him.

If you knew what I know... all the laments of love that I've heard, the first kisses I've seen, the owls I've saved, the thunder I have supported, all the kids that climbed me, the cows that I have protected from the sun (the heat wave of 2003, remember), the birds I've nested and the births I have helped and the fear I've had hear when carpenters are seing me as tables or floors ...
My old bark marked by time could tell you so much ...

Read this article in French : Arbre remarquable de 1000 ans : le chêne à Guillotin

Poul Fétan (56310 Quistinic, Tel: 02-97-39-51-74) is an hamlet in the middle of nowhere (and quite hard to find!!!) but it is really nice.



This village belongs to Quistinic and was renovated 20 years ago (from 1979 to 1994). It is an “entertainement” village, open from April to September and it shows how farmers used to live during the 19th century.



Houses are older (16th century) but are characteristic of the country architecture : thatch roofs, outside stairs… Here is the garage,



the pub (euh only if you like cider).



You 'll see animals (local breeds) or the vegetable garden (with old plants). It is the perfect place for an historic entertainement : you’ll discover a potter or a baker making bread or cakes, you can also try the milk or the butter produced in the village. Kids will enjoy seing actors dressed like « before ». A tavern cooks typical meals like kig ha fars for exemple.

When I went there, it was closed, nobody on the place. You can just walk in the village and surroundings and look at the countryside.



Out of season, it looks a bit like a too mythical place : I guess last century for over 100 years, the countryside was full of mud, of dirt, of smells (good and less good)… and this place is too clean to copy the old farmer life !!! Anyway past is past and today is different… in those beautiful houses, and thanks to the actors, it must be fun.
Kids under 6 don’t pay. For the tariffs as it changes in the season, look at their website.

If you’re visiting the region don’t forget to stop at Melrand the medieval village. Have a look at the Vénus de Quinipily near Baud.


Read it in French : Visite d'un village rural du XIXe siècle avec des enfants : Poul Fétan, Morbihan, Bretagne, France

This year, French fashion will be striped... stripped T-shirts... If you don't wear a top T-shirt or a navy striped sweater, you'll be old-fashioned... Fashion is stripped and the wardrobe of babies, children, women and men, youngs, … even old ones, Parisians and Froggs... are full of them. You have to wear some...

The reason for stripes ...
Initially, these stripped clothes have a history and a very specific use ... Fishermen and sailors used to wear (and still do) stripped clothes ... And for good reason ... A man overboard is easier to find with this type of clothing ... That's what the legend says ... I did not try !

No wonder that great clothing brands are French, even Breton : Armorlux for example... has an entire collection of marine clothing... Long or short sleeves, blue, white, red, yellow stripes... Nautical trend is back...

And to buy them cheap, you can either plan to go to France, even Brittany and buy them there on the Armorlux company at Quimper... Or get them on websites Brin de mer, for example, another marine clothing brand, where they sell the last year collection online … cheaper... at really low prices...

Other clothes are originally sailor « wardrobe »... la vareuse , a cotton jacket really thick that protects you from the wind ...

There's also the yellow rain slicker ... The emblem of stormy weather in Britain, of wet and drizzled weekends ... I discovered that its history starts in 1960, in France when a man tired of waiting his friend in the rain, (he was a clothing manufacturer) had this great idea... Before there were oiled jackets... waterproof ... but it was a different time ...

The sailor sweater, buttoned on the shoulder, has had its period of glory ... It used to be wool, 100%, … now they use cotton or other materials...
In short, these stripped tee shirts are trendy ... With the first sunbeams, everyone is wearing them... And you ?