Dinan and its environs in Brittany

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If you're seeking sunny, dry weather in the winter then Brittany probably isn't the first place most people would consider as a vacation destination. But the Mrs. and I had a longing for the ocean and were seeking a cozy beachside gîte with a fireplace to warmly pass the evenings and we found just such a place in the town of Erquy, which is situated on the Côte de Penthièvre just west of Cap Fréhel. If that doesn't ring a bell we were about 30+km as the crow flies west of Saint-Malo. Our gîte was a lovely 2 story townhouse style unit that was about a 200 meter walk from the beach in the Cap d'Erquy section of town. The area has steep rocky cliffs and hills sheltering sandy coves offering numerous beaches along its coastline and the town itself is pleasant with enough services, restaurants and amenities to make it a convenient and attractive enough place to use a base if you are looking to explore this region. We would definitely recommend this location and our gîte if anyone is interested in knowing such things. Here is the website link to our gîte if you're interest has been piqued. There are 4 attached townhouse style units in this complex and we stayed in the unit called Les Crabières.

www.lescrabieres.com/pages/Page1.html

Although we weren't expecting it our first day was indeed sunny and dry as we left Paris and headed for Brittany. Before arriving in Erquy we had planned to stop in Dinan, a place we had always wanted to visit. Dinan is a medieval village with large portions of its ramparts still intact plus the usual windy cobbled streets and old wobbly looking half-timbered houses. It is divided in two parts with the main village being perched at the edge of a steep hill leading down to the Rance river, where the port section of the village is situated. On arrival in Dinan we headed to the tourist office and got our map of Dinan and then off we went to see what would happen.
















It was about lunch time so we needed to get some food. Normally I don't ever do any research on where to eat and just walk around until I find something I like (i.e. cheap). But we wanted to eat someplace nice today so we researched before the trip and found two recommended restaurants. One of them was closed so we ate at the other one, called Le Cantorbery. The food was good (I don't remember what we ate) and I think the 3 course lunch menu was around 19 euros. The atmosphere was nice since it was in a charming old building full of character. We were the first ones there and arrived just as they were starting the fire to make the already atmospheric room a little more cozy.





The etymology of the name of Dinan supposedly comes from two Celtic words, Dunos and Ahna. Ahna was a Celtic goddess, protector of the living and guardian of the dead, revered by the Amorican people and the hill upon which Dinan sat was known as The Hill of Ahna. Ahna became Anne and her name can be found at each entry to the village (quartier Sainte-Anne, rue Anne etc.).

In the 9th century a group of monks take up residence on the old Roman way below the hill on the banks of the Rance river. At the same time the resident seigneurs built a wooden fortress on the hill to protect against invading Saxons and later the Normans. In the 11th century an important Benedictine priory was established and Dinan was born. By the 12th century it had been enclosed with protective walls and in the 13th century under Jean I it had stone ramparts, modified by the Dukes of Brittany to adapt itself to cannon-fire.

During the Wars of Succession of Brittany from 1341 to 1364 the ramparts proved their valor under Bertrand Duguesclin as they successfully resisted the attacks of the English and those Bretons loyal to Jean de Montfort. More stuff happened after this and there is still stuff going on today but I don't feel like talking about it so let's go look at the village instead.

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Having completed our stroll around the upper village it was time to head down to check out the river port area. The rue Jerzual leads you down to the river and I think this is the best part of the stroll through Dinan.






















That was certainly a pleasant stroll. It was pretty nice down by the harbor too. Several of the restaurants and cafés along the quay were open and with the nice weather, albeit a bit chilly, people were sitting outside on the terraces under clear blue, sunny skies.

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Next we decided to head up to the ramparts to get a view over the port and the valley. The stairs from the harbor to the village were under construction so we had to walk back up the main road before arriving at the base of the ramparts.












Continuing on we took one last look around the village to see anything we missed.










With the short winter daylight hours we didn't have time to do anything else except head for our rental and stop along the way for things that might look interesting enroute. Heading north from Dinan on the D2 we saw a road sign for a megalithic site. If you've read my other trip reports you know I'm a fan of megaliths (ancient, ceremonial stone structures for those who need to know). There is an icon for megaliths on the Michelin maps but they only indicate the location of those listed as official historic monuments, which probably accounts for less than 10% of all megaliths. Since Brittany has one of the largest concentrations of these features on the planet it is not uncommon to be driving along in Brittany and see a road sign pointing the way to a megalith. This is where the fun begins. To play the ''Let's Find a Megalith'' game what you do is turn in the direction of the sign for the megalith. Next you have to keep driving and see if there are any further signs or if you are being led on a wild goose chase. You get a sign to start but it never tells you how far away the megalith may be located. On we drove, one kilometer....two kilometers....three kilometers.....(on the D28 if you too want to play the game). Arriving in the village of Plesnin-Trigavou we finally saw another sign. We're in the right village, where next? You've already earned a few points if you've made it this far but you're also at the border of frustration by now. The risk of humiliation and your own stubborn pride spur you on nonetheless. Now this where you have to keep your eyes peeled since the final sign is likely to be hidden behind a bush or some other obstacle. For us the sign was turned backwards so as to be visible only to traffic coming from the other direction. But we've played this game before and are well aware of the tricks used to throw you off the trail. Not fooling us this time. We pulled into the parking lot, victorious.




There are often great walking trails in many country villages and there is a network of such trails throughout the countryside near Dinan. Many of the walks are themed and there are often brochures available from tourist offices (and sometimes on the internet) so you can select a walk that suits your interests. The sign in the above photo is outlining a local walk called the Circuit of the Megaliths, a 13.5km circuit that will lead you past various megalithic sites while also leading you through fields, pastures, woods and pleasant scenery while mixing in a few other visits along the way. Here is a link a 56 page pdf file that will provide you with info about the various themed walks throughout the region. This particular walk is detailed on page 14 if you are interested. The link is actually to the downloadable tourist brochure for the Pays de Dinan (Dinan and its environs) and it is a treasure trove of info about this region. If you're visiting the area I highly recommend downloading this brochure and using it to research the region. You can also ask to have one mailed to you.

www.paystouristiquedinan.com/images/PTD_2009.pdf

We just had time for a quick visit and followed the path a couple hundred meters to the primary site, known as the Champ des Roches (Field of Stones) and alternatively as Cimitière des Druides (Cemetery of the Druids). The site consists of 5 rows of 65 menhirs, although originally there were many more.








This site is classified as a megalithic alignment, meaning it consists of several rows of standing stones (individually called menhirs), and dates to around 2,000B.C. Why such alignments were constructed is anyone's guess but they are often associated in folklore and legendry as places where fairies or other spirits resided. According to local legend a group of fairies passed this way, carrying large stones in their aprons destined for the construction of Mont Saint-Michel. In need of a distraction on their journey they stopped here and having found themselves tired from their difficult work they let the stones fall out of their aprons.

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Although built in the neolithic period their legend arises in the period of the Roman occupation when they were adapted to Celtic beliefs and became places of ceremony for Druidic priests and their followers. The rites and ceremonies begun by the Druids left a lasting memory that carried through the centuries. Local history recounts that in the 1850's the villagers held festivals honoring these particular stones. People of the community, joined by inhabitants from further afield, gathered here to hold banquets and other festivities carrying into the evening when great bonfires illuminated the night. The festivals must have taken on quite a pagan nature as the local priests were always trying in vain to stop them, more so since the festival fell on the day of Saint John and Saint Peter.

It was a beautiful setting and the low winter sun brilliantly illuminating the landscape and casting long shadows on the alignments really enhanced the myth and mystery of the site.












We headed back to the parking lot near the village, which was about as quaint and typical as a little Breton village could be.






Driving through the countryside I snapped a few pix out the passenger side window.






At the end of the D2 we picked up the main coastal route in Ploubalay.

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We stopped to pick up some groceries and household supplies before settling into our gîte. Since it was only a couple hundred meters from the coast I decided to take a walk and check out the oceanfront. Here's the beach at the end of our street.



Then I picked up the coastal trail to roam around a bit.










After sunset it was time to engage in the nightly ritual of lighting the fire. Notice in the background the Breton bed with the curtains drawn shut.






The next morning we decided to take a drive down to Erquy to check out our home village.




There's a nice beach in Erquy village but there are also many beaches on the whole Cap d'Erquy peninsula. If you're looking for a beach vacation there are loads of them here tucked in sandy coves between rocky cliffs. It was a lovely day on the beach in Erquy.

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Off to check out the village.










Erquy wasn't super charming but it was pleasant and there were enough services in the village to make it a good base. Like most Brittany villages, the old and the new exist side by side and you'll often have little pockets of old houses (the old hamlets) surrounded by more modern buildings.












I like the simple beauty of the typical Breton churches and their barrel-vaulted wooden ceilings, reflecting the maritime heritage of the region.




It was just after Christmas and the nativity scene was still set-up inside the church.



We see all the traditional nativity characters, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, some wise-men, animals and the Breton shepherd on the left. I don't remember reading about him in the Bible. .

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Below we see one of the typical stones houses of the region, built from the local pink sandstone.




I've noticed on recent visits to Brittany that there seems to be a return to tradition of building new homes, or at least facing them, in stone. I noticed several new homes being built with the typical concrete block frames but often being faced with the local stone. Typical stone details are also being used to dress the the corners of windows and doors.




After our village visit we headed out to the Cap to check out the coastline and some of the trails along the cliffs.














Here is the typical lande vegetation often found on the coast. I guess in English this could be called heathland.




The Cap d'Erquy was once an area of farmland and much of it is now a natural resererve characterized by its pink sandstone cliffs and rocks, wild heathlands, heather and gorse, pinelands, dunes and emerald sea.

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Our plan for the day was to head over to Cap Fréhel and take advantage of the great sunny weather to explore the coast so off we went. Here's the other church in Erquy, perched high on a hill overlooking the village below.






Here's a photo of the start of the really scenic stretch of coastline on the Cap Fréhel. I think this beach is called Pléhérel Plage.




Below you can see the lighthouse at the tip of Cap Fréhel.






It was after noon and we were getting hungry and finding yourself in the countryside outside tourist season usually means your restaurant options are limited. I looked at the map and decided we would head for the nearest village, called Plévenon, to see what we could find. The name Plévenon could mean the parish (ploe) of Menoen, an obscure Breton saint. It has always been home to sailors and in the 19th and early 20th centuries many ocean-going captains built beautiful houses in the countryside.






We saw a bar/brasserie open next to the church and thought we were in luck.



The bartender and his two regular mid-day local customers looked flummoxed when we asked if they had anything to eat but the bartender happily mentioned a restaurant just up the road. He sort of just pointed the way so we had to figure out what direction he was pointing but after a couple of kilometers we found it.




The restaurant sits by itself in a natural setting and it has nice views of the ocean in the distance, a really pleasant location. Here's the view from our table and of the restaurant..






There was only one other couple when we arrived but shortly after we ordered others began to file in, probably like us realizing that there was nowhere else to eat in the area. The guy at the bar/brasserie had probably sent all these people here. But we were in for a pleasant surprise because it was a really nice restaurant and the food was excellent. To the extent possible the owner uses local and organic products. Feeling in the mood for something local I took the plat du jour, called Kig ha Farz.



This is essentially a pot-au-feu to which was added a hearty chunk of buckwheat bread soaking in the broth. It was delicious. After our great lunch we headed for one of our destinations of the day, Fort-la-Latte. Fort-la-Latte is a stone fortress originally built in the 13th century and situated at the end of a rocky peninsula at the tip of Cap Fréhel. It is one of the primary attractions in the area. The parking lot is a short way from the fort and you follow a trail from there. On the way we were surprised that there was a menhir next to the trail.

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It even has a name and little story to go along with it. It is commonly referred to as Le Doigt de Gargantua, or in English Gargantua's Finger (gargantua being a mythic giant from old times who created many famous landscape features). It is said that as gargantua was on his way to one of his typical food orgies on nearby Jersey Island, he leaned back on his cane in preparation to launch himself and on taking off he planted his feet so hard when he jumped that he left his cane (the menhir) and his footprints behind. Actually, in doing a little research I discovered that it is not really called Gargantua's Finger. That is the polite name it has been given since it might be slightly more uncomfortable to explain to the chilren the legend of Gargantua's Penis (So kids, as gargantua was getting ready to leap he leaned back on his.....).












Fort-la-Latte was built as a châteaux fortress between 1341 and 1365 during the Wars of Succession. It suffered much damage under the revolts of The Catholic League in 1597 and between 1690 and 1715 it was transformed to a defensive coastal fortress. From that time to 1815 it protected the corsair ships and other French vessels which came to moor in the Bay of Fresnaye.

Its last attack came in 1815 during The Hundred Days of Napoléon when a few men from Saint-Malo tried unsuccessfully to attack the fort. During the 19th century it fell into ruin before being heavily restored between 1932 and 1938.

The views from the fort are stunning in all directions. The coastal region between Cap Fréhel / Fort-la-Latte in the west and Cancale in the east is called The Emerald Coast (Côte d'Emeraude) due to the color of the sea.

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When you ascend the tower to stroll the outer catwalk you have the option of making the brief final climb onto the tower roof. I saw several peole turn down this option since the stairs are more or less just the enlarged roof tiles of the tower and the only thing to hold onto is a rope. Not for those with a fear of heights.








There were a few rooms you could visit inside the tower. One of them had a really bizarre display of some sort with no signs informing the visitor as to what it was all about.




Here's the guard's house at the entry to the park. I think I'd like to be a guard and live here.




The final destination of the day was to head over to Cap Fréhel to visit the lighthouse.



As you might imagine, I have more pictures of the ocean to show you.




I saw some surfers who paddled out to catch the offshore swells.










Here's Fort-la-Latte in the distance.

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It was time to head back to our gîte as we wanted to arrive home before dark. I snapped some photos from the car along the way.












I mentioned earlier how sometimes the old and new in the village were side by side. On our way to and from our gîte we always drove through the the tiniest, cutest old hamlet consisting of no more than a dozen homes.




Here's our 4 unit gîte complex.




Ours was the end unit and I can highly recommend this place as clean, comfortable, modern, well equipped and even charming.




Time for the evening fire ritual. The landlord lived next door and they keep a large stock of firewood just outside their house which guests can help themselves too. I must have burned an acre of forest during our stay.




Our luck was bordering on incredible since we started the next day of exploration under once again clear blue sunny skies.




The plan for the day was to get lost wandering around inland looking for scenic countryside and charming villages.

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So you can follow along with the ride I'll give you some route numbers and the names of the villages I pass through in case you're looking to explore this region. Leaving Erquy we went south on the D89 passing through a few small hamlets before arriving in Hénanbihen.




The origin of the towns name could come from an old Breton word meaning ''small, narrow lane'' or from the combination of two Breton words, hénan = old, and bihan = small. There used to be a dolmen, tumulus and another megalithic monument, meaning the place was inhabited in Neolithic times. Earliest writings mention a church of Saint Peter in 1163 and in 1213 the parish of Hénanbihen is mentioned.

I love when I found out about old traditions in tiny, country villages. In order to be able to have children, at the end of the 19th century, young girls went secretly at night to rub their navels against the stone statue of Saint Mirli in a nearby hamlet. This gave rise to the saying in town ''On Saint Mirli's day we rub our navel''. In order for a young girl to be engaged she would offer her prospective groom a drink and he would say ''To your health and the health of the one who walks on the ramparts of your heart''. She replied ''That is no one but you''. This response constituted a formal marriage agreement.










The next village we pulled into was Landébia.








We split off the D89 here and picked up the D16 and then the D28E. I should mention I'm getting route numbers from a 2007 Michelin map atlas and route numbers have been and still are being changed so if you have a newer map follow my route by the names of places and villages, not route numbers, athough there are plenty of route numbers that haven't changed.

Our first destination was Château de la Hunaudaye and it is quite an impressive site as you come around the bend of a country road and see this looming off to your right.



The Hunaudaye’s castle was built by Olivier Tournemine around 1220. In that time, this castle protected the eastern border of the Penthièvre (Lamballe’s area), which was involved in a feud with the Poudouvre (Dinan’s area).

The castle was destroyed in 1341, during the war of Brittany Succession, a civil war that ravaged the Brittany dukedom during two decades. At the end of the 14th century, Pierre Tournemine started the reconstruction of the castle according to the latest military innovations, the three bigger towers and the dwellings were built in that period.

At the end of the 15th century, the Tournemine family became powerful within Brittany dukedom. In 1487, they were granted the title of « Baron de la Hunaudaye ». By the 16th century, their seigneury represented more than 80 parishes. In addition, they owned various other lands, seigneuries and castles in the Tregor area and also others in the vicinity of Nantes.

The golden age of the castle began in the early 17th century, as the Tournemine family gently faded away. The Renaissance stairs of the western dwelling are the last elements built and the medieval castle was fitted to the new architectural standards. However, decline is on the way. The castle becomes less maintained. The lands and seigneuries are gradually sold out and the weeds begin to grow. The castle is raided and torched during the French Revolution. By the 19th century, people used the castle as a quarry for stone and thus many of its buildings disappeared. The northern part of the castle collapsed in 1922. With that, the French government immediately tried to save the castle by classing it as a historical monument and by buying it out in 1930.

So I took the preceding paragraphs from the château website, lest you think I knew what I was talking about. The château is open for visits from April through October with varying hours so if you want to find out more about visiting you can check the website at:

www.la-hunaudaye.com/en.html

The castle sits snugly on a knoll overlooking a little valley surrounded by a mix of fields, meadows, trees, a pond and a pretty little farmhouse next to the castle. To add some mystery to the castle visit it is even rumoured to have its own ghost, known as le soufflou since sometimes you can hear its melancholy whisper. Let's have a look at the castle.

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We pulled into the parking lot just after the castle and it was the most perfect setting, the castle, the old farmhouse, the fields, the meadows and the clear blue sunny skies.






















Near the parking lot we saw this sign.



It was pointing the way to a farm in a nearby village we knew nothing about so we decided to go have a look. We followed the signs into a little hamlet and arrived at the farm, which was an eco-musée (an eco-museum). They have a little farm set up here and you can stroll around and check out all kinds of stuff about old time life on the farm. It was a real farm that was abandoned and in 1974 it was restored as a Breton conservative site. It recreates exactly life on a Breton farm in the early 20th century. It was closed when we arrived but I'm sure it's open in season to attract all the visitors to the castle who have no idea what they are doing, like us. Here's the website if you want to plan a visit.

www.jugon-les-lacs.com/en/home/heritage/farm-of-yesteryear.html

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We headed back in the direction of the château, passing through a few small hamlets.

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The next village we approached was Pléven, an officially designated ville fleuri (flowered village).














We were more or less just randomly cutting our way across the countryside and at this point we were on a designated scenic stretch of roadway. The map had an icon for a tumulus nearby, which is most commonly associated with an ancient burial mound. So after Pléven we went in that direction.






It turns out that what the map was indicating was a feudal motte. There's not much to see.





It turns out there are quite a few feudal mottes scattered throughout the nearby countryside. They may not be great sites to behold but at least this one has a sign that tells you what you're looking at.




On we went, next passing through the village of Plorec-sur-Arguenon. It's so tiny I won't tell you about it but if you want to learn about it then check out this link:

www.infobretagne.com/plorec-sur-arguenon.htm








The next village was Bourseul. At the end of this report I'm going to share some tips and pointers about how to research this area if you're planning a visit but one of the tools you need is learning how to research tourist office websites. You'd be amazed at how sometimes even the tiniest towns have them. And sometimes these tiny town tourist office websites have great info about places of interest in their environs. It's the kind of stuff you'll never find in a guidebook, or just about anywhere else for that matter. Bourseul had one of these websites so here it is:

www.bourseul.fr/

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Another tip about researching an area is to always visit tourist offices to see what kinds of info they have. I had visited the tourist office in Erquy and picked up all kinds of free pamphlets and brochures but the best thing they had was the Carte Touristique de Bretagne (Brittany Tourist Map). This was a map of all of Brittany and it had a series of a couple dozen icons designating points of interest throughout the region. My favorite icons and the ones I pay most attention to are those designating towns and villages as places of interest. There is the Ville Historique (historic village), Ville d'Art et d'Histoire (village of art and history), Petite Cité de Caractère (small village of character), Commune du Patrimoine Rural (rural heritage village), and Plus Beaux Village de France (most beautiful village of France). The next village, Saint-Méloir-des-Bois, was a rural heritage village.










There's an artisanal crêperie in town and another little store that sells local products but they were both closed during our winter visit.




Our next destination was Jugon-les-Lacs, an official Petite Cité de Caractère. It was almost 1:00 and we were hoping Jugon was large enough to have someplace to eat. Usually this is the case in the small villages of character and we were in luck in Jugon. Right as we entered the village we saw a restaurant in a little hotel so we stopped in for lunch.



There were only a few other people in there and we asked our hostess if we would have time for a stroll around town before we dined. She said it was a better idea to eat now since the cook didn't want to hang around and he was shutting the oven off soon. That's a good sign that you can be sure you're not getting microwaved food. We just wanted an inexpensive lunch and took the 12€ three course menu. I had a starter of seafood rillette in avocado with mixed greens and the main course was turkey breast and fries. I'm not a huge fan of turkey as I find it often dry and sometimes lacking in flavor but the chef must have been good because it was one of the juiciest and tastiest breasts of turkey I've eaten. Desert was the house tiramisu and for 12€ I felt like I'd gotten my money's worth. I noticed a lot of stuff on the a la carte menu that was fancier than what we ate so if your culinary expectations exceed my budget expectations then you probably wouldn't be disappointed eating here. Later I think I found some on-line reviews that recommended this restaurant. It's called La Grande Fontaine in case you didn't notice in the photo above.

After lunch the weather had turned cloudy and light drizzle/rain began coming down. That's why we travel with umbrellas so we grabbed them out of the car and began our stroll around town.

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The birth of Jugon goes back to 1034 when Eudon, the first count of the Penthièvre area, built a castle. The town was later attached to Dinan and its position in a valley crossed by two rivers was used to supply the castle with water and act as a defense. The castle became an important fortification for the dukedom and was attacked many times. During the Hundred Years War Bertrand Duguesclin took the castle from Jean De Montfort, who was supporting the English. Duguesclin made a saying on this occasion that Brittany without Jugon was like a hooded cloak without its hood, meaning it was a strategic place that needed to be protected. This saying is still the motto of Jugon and is on the coat of arms.

After being destroyed a first time in the 15th century the castle was destroyed for good in 1616 under the Governor of Brittany, Richelieu. After the disapearance of the castle the village became an administrative and commercial place and the architecture moved from military to a more sophisticated style.

In addition to being a Petite Cité de Caractère Jugon is also designated a Station Verte (tourist resort in a natural setting). Being that the town is crossed by two rivers and there is a 500 acre lake nearby in addition to its patrimony the town offers a number of water related activities for visitors such as canoes, paddleboats, windsurfing, fishing etc. as well as hiking, mountain biking, tennis courts, mini-golf and a heated open-air pool. There are guided tours of the town in July and August every Tuesday at 11AM that start from the tourist office (2.50€ for adults and 1.70€ for children). Since I like biking I discovered (this may interest bikers) that there is a ''bike resort'' in town, The Arguenon Hunaudaye Mountain Bike Resort, which provides a network of well sign-posted trails throughout the region. You can rent bikes and get maps at the Châlet Sports Nature




Below is a photo of The Hotel Sevoy.



The Hotel was built in 1634 near the site of the castle and is architecturally unusual in its blend of medieval style adapted to the fashion of the time: octagonal tower, circular windows, decorated pediment etc.



















Below is a photo of La Maison de la Tête Noire, the oldest house in Jugon dating to the late 16th century. Legend says there used to be a tunnel connecting this house to the castle.

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We finished up in Jugon and headed for our next destination of Lamballe, taking the slow way through the countryside and little hamlets along the way.




Here's the village of Plédéliac.








If you want to learn about Plédéliac there's a pretty good wikipedia entry for it.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pl%C3%A9d%C3%A9liac

There's also a small château on the outskirts of the village.










Here's the tiny village of Saint-Rieul.

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Riding along we saw a sign for the Menhir de Guihalon.




Time to play the megalith hunting game. We followed the first sign leading us down some country road not marked on our map waiting for the next sign. Twisting through fields and little patches of forest we found the second sign which led us on another unmarked road through more fields and patches of forest. This continued for a few kilometers until we arrived at the parking lot. Since there was no sign here I guess they assumed you'd be smart enough to follow the path through the woods that led away from the parking lot. We did that.






And bingo, there it is!



Legend says the fairy Margot rested here while carrying her heavy load of stones and left some behind. The menhir nearly disappeared when one day an individual, persuaded by the belief of treasure, tried to blow it up with dynamite. It is 5 meters high and is the largest stone in a cromlech (stone circle) of smaller stones, which are scattered about and hard to discern as being an organized circular feature.








It's always a good idea to strike a pose in front of a menhir.



In doing research on this I stumbled on yet another great website about called Chemins de Bretagne and it has all kinds of great stuff about art and history trails or patrimony trails in various parts of Brittany. It's loaded with great info about where you can find those off the beaten path gems that you couldn't learn about elsewhere. Essentially it outlines a continous trail you can follow from around Vannes to Saint-Malo and then all along the coast and then inland to Quimper. Here is the link:

chemins-bretagne.com/index.php


After our menhir visit we were only 6-7km away from our destination of Lamballe, a designated Ville Historique.






Our arrival in Lamballe was greeted by the disappearance of the clouds and the return of sunny blue skies.

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Lamballe was the capital of the Duchy of Penthièvre as early as the 10th century and was one of the most important strongholds in Brittany. During the Breton War of Succession (1341-1365) the old castle suffered much damage and was later finished off under Cardinal Richelieu in the 17th century. The ramparts and towers were also torn down and this erased the distinction between the fortified town and surrounding hamlets. Lamballe was always a place of craft and commerce and also has an important equestrian association since it is the location of a Haras National, or a National Stud Farm for horses.

Here's the 15th century Eglise Saint-Jean.










Lamballe is the chief town in its district and as such has a good amount to offer in terms of services, shopping and things to do making it an attractive place to base in the area. It is also situated midway between Saint-Malo and Dinan and a really scenic stretch of coast (Côte de Goëlo) extending north to the pretty port town of Paimpol. It is just over an hour's drive from the famous Côte de Granit Rose (Pink Granite Coast).










Here is the Notre Dame Collegiate Church. Built in 1202 it was originally the private chapel of the Dukes of Penthièvre and was part of the castle grounds.

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There are various historic signboards placed around town to inform the visitor. There was one next to the church depicting what the original castle complex looked like and it was nothing less than quite impressive.






















Here are a few pictures of the buildings and grounds of the Haras National.

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On the way back home we took a little detour through the beachside resort town of Le Val-André just to see what it looked like and it was a nice little resort place with a great beach.




Arriving home it was time for the nightly fire ritual.




The plan for today was to visit Dinard and then explore the coast between it and our base back in Erquy. We've both been to Saint-Malo but not Dinard. As much as I already knew that Saint-Malo was more appealing to me than Dinard I felt I had to discover it and see for myself so I could say I did it. The weather today was pretty mixed. Mostly gray and overcast with periods of light rain. But then there were other times of brilliant patches of blue sky between gray clouds that let through brilliant beams of sunlight and made a really dramatic shadow and light effect, accentuated by the low winter sun.

We picked up the D786 heading east. There are a couple of scenic stretches when the road borders bays and estuaries.












Along the route we were taking the Michelin map showed an icon for a megalith so I guess you know what that means. It was sort of vaguely marked so we had to figure out which road to take to find it. I pointed the Mrs. To a road on our right leading up a hill.



There were some pretty orchards and pastures there but no megalith signs so we went back to the main road and continued, keeping our eyes peeled for a megalith sign. Despite the fact that she was driving the Mrs. was paying attention while I was looking at the map and her sharp eyes spotted this sign at the side of the road.



An allée couverte is a type of dolmen (large stone burial chamber) with a long corridor and often two to three separate chambers inside. There was a little parking lot but as usual no sign pointing which way to go and it was up to you to assume that you should take the path leading away from the parking lot.




After about 100 meters the path forks left and right. And there are no signs. Luckily we saw a couple returning down the path to our left so we (smartly) assumed that they were coming back from the dolmen. We turned left and continued and then followed the path left again into an adjacent field where was saw the dolmen.

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Back to the car and down the road entering Ploubalay.






We arrived in Dinard and parked on a residential street a few blocks from the downtown and adjacent to the port. There is promenade along the bay starting in the port so that's where we began our stroll.




You can see Saint-Malo across the bay in the left of the photo below.



Here it is in close-up.










Below you'll see some of the seaside villas for which Dinard is renowned.

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Dinard was a small fishing village at the beginning of the 19th century. It began to look like a resort in the mid 19th century coincidentally with the arrival of train service and the ensuing bathing enthusiasts who followed. Property development reached its height in the1870's through the actions of Count Rochaïd Dahdah, who was to be the developer of the resort.

More and more villas, hotels and tourist facilities were built and changed the way the town looked. By 1889 Dinard became the place to see and be seen by national and international high society. It was considered France's top resort at the time, playing host to the aristocracy and nobility of the times, famous members of Europe's royal families and personalities from industrial, trade, political, literary and artistic circles.

The lasting legacy of this era is the majestic villas that dot the coastline. Their architectural eclecticism makes them today protecded by a Zone de Protection du Patrimoine Urbain et Paysager (Protection zone for architectural urban and landscape heritage sites).











We had arrived at La Pointe de la Malouine to do our stroll the famous neighborhood of seaside villas. Until 1865 the Pointe was a vast promontory when the Duc d'Audiffret Pasquier bought the six hectares of the point and constructed a château, called La Malouine. Due to its exceptional view points the terrain attracted developers and in 1879 Auguste Poussineau acquired the château and its grounds and launched a vast operation of creation and promotion through subdivision of the land (lotissement), succeeded in 1910 by his son Gustave. And there you have it. Oh yeah, the château was destroyed during WWII. Forgot about that.

Dinard has an excellent website and on-line there is a downloadable brochure to guide you on a walking trail through this neighborhood. It is very thorough and will describe in detail the history of some of the most famous houses you will see on the walk. Here is the link to the pdf doc for the brochure. It only seems to be in French, however. You can also trace the link back to the home page to get more info about Dinard.

www.ot-dinard.com/uploaded/malouine%20finale%208p.pdf

There's also a pdf doc to the other peninsual at the east end of the bay with lovely villas and beautiful walks and here is the link.

www.ot-dinard.com/uploaded/plaquete%20moulinet.pdf

What the heck, here's the link to the home page of the Dinard tourist office website.

www.ot-dinard.com/index.php?secteur=2&rub=52&parent=2#null

As usual, if you spend some time digging into the tourist office website you'll find lots of info on things to see and do and how to plan a vacation or a visit. Before I continue I'll just say I'm not going to recount the names and history of the houses I'll show you since you can find out all about them in the brochure. Let's go have a look at some big fancy houses.

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After having our fill of the lifestyles of the rich and famous we went back into town to fill our stomachs.




There are villas scattered all over town and not all of them are Belle Epoque era, such as this art deco residence in town.




We headed right to the main plaza by the beach in tourist central to select our touristy restaurant and found the most touristically located tourist restaurant we could find and took our seats. I don't often remember much about dining experiences but I remember the food was decent, prices were reasonable (I'm cheap, remember), I liked the atmosphere and the service was friendly. We ordered a menu which included a 1/2 pichet of wine and got a 1/4 pichet instead and we didn't even notice. Our waiter noticed this walking by and immediately brought another 1/4 pichet and apologized. Then a guy next to us ordered a desert but after a few minutes the waiter noticed he hadn't touched it and asked if there was anything wrong. The client explained no, that he made a mistake in ordering and thought he was getting something else. So the waiter asked if he would like another desert instead, to which the client politely refused, because he wanted to make sure the client was happy with his desert. So the service here was honest and I liked the waiters. My desert was kind of comical though. I ordered the tiramisu. Apparently they have their own house recipe which consists of a cup of blueberries covered in cream. I didn't care. I liked it anyway. And I liked the restaurant. I'd go back. Back into the car we headed west along the coast.










At the outskirts of Dinard we arrived in one of its little burroughs. It was much more calm and quaint than central Dinard and had some stores and things and a nice beach.








One of the little towns we passed through on our way was Saint-Briac, a former fisherman's village and a sea resort of inspiration for artists. It's a charming little place with lovely views but we just drove through and had a look since we wanted to see the coast in two neighborhing towns before dark. In hindsight I wish we had paid a visit because I know it's a charming little place with a historic old town with narrow alleys and clustered around a 17th century belltower. It's also reputed to be on one of the most scenic bays in Brittany, between river and sea with remarkable tides. As usual, the tourist office website is loaded with great info and it's even got a good English version so here is the link.

www.tourisme-saint-briac.fr/decouvrir.php

I only got a picture of the 19th century Château du Nessay.




I found a website with some good aerial photos of the château and village.

www.linternaute.com/mer-voile/littoral/photo/le-littoral-breton-vu-du-ciel/chateau-du-nessay-saint-briac.shtml





Note the rainbow below.



Now that I know I want to see Saint Briac I guess I'll just have to come back here again.

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Our next stop was a little peninsula with a town called Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer. I loved this little town. A cental street cuts through the center of the old village with little cul-de-sacs lining it at right angles and the whole place is developed with charming old stone Breton houses. Saint-Jacut has deep connections to early Christianity in the region as an abbey of the towns namesake was founded here in the 5th century and is still here today, albeit without the 5th century buildings.




















On exiting the old village we arrived at The Abbey of Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer.




And from there we drove to the scenic coastline at the end of the peninsula.

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After Saint-Jacut we made a quick detour through Saint-Cast-le-Guildo to have a look but didn't stop since it was getting dark. I felt a fire coming on.




Our last full day was a day devoted to countryside driving to charming villages. Our destination was a region west of us known as Le Trégor, roughly the area around Tréguier. It's about 25-30km east of the better known Côte de Granit Rose. To make time we took the main roads, making a couple brief stops until we arrived at our starting destination of Tréguier. One of our little detours took us through the village of Lanvollon.

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Our good luck streak with the weather finally came to an end on this our last full day of vacation, pretty much gray and occasionally rainy skies. It put a damper on my ability to get any good landscape photos but it didn't put a damper on our mood since we knew we would be visiting some lovely places so there was that to look forward to.










A little further on we noticed an icon on the map for a ruin with the word ''Temple'' writen next to it. We had no idea what to expect but if they marked it on the map it must be good. And who doesn't like a scenic set or ruins? We pulled into the tiny village of Lanleff.








And ahead on the right we've got our temple, and an unusual looking one at that.






What we were looking at was called The Temple of Lanleff, a circular chuch in the Romanesque style. Early archaeologists, intrigued by its circular form, mistook it for an ancient temple in honor of idols or the sun. It was in fact dedicated to The Virgin Mary. Nowadays experts believe it was built in the late 11th or early 12th century in imitation of The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

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Here we have arrived in Tréguier.




Tréguier is situated at the head of an estuary river and we parked next to the riverfront port. It was lunch time and we were hungry and there was a crêperie right next to where we parked so we went in. I think I remember we liked our crêpes and the place was in an old building with a fireplace and nice atmosphere. After lunch we started our stroll to see what we would see.




















The cathedral in Tréguier is counted among the most beautiful in Brittany and dates from the 12th to 15th centuries.

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Tréguier is another Petite Cité de Caractère and it certainly was living up to its billing during our walk. It's the historical capital of the Trégor region and I'll now give you a link to the regional tourist website for this area where you can learn about some of the villages and places of interest in the area. And it is also in English and another example of how great tourist office websites can be.

www.tregor-cotedajoncs-tourisme.com/en/attractions/


We didn't bother with a stop at the tourist office but if you go there you can get a map of the town that will outline the tourist trail and point out the various buildings, monuments and attractions. A number of noted Breton writers and artists have connections with Tréguier but none that most people have ever heard of. If you're smarter than me (good chance of that) then you might have heard of them. If you are planning a vacation in this region it makes an excellent base. The town is lively and large enough to have ample services, restaurants and amenities for tourists yet still retains the feel and atmosphere of a village. And it is very centrally located to have at equal distances the scenic Côte de Granit Rose (about 25-30km to the west) and the equally scenic but less famous Côte de Goëlo starting 13km to the east in the lovely port town of Paimpol. Finally, it is well positioned for exploring the charming inland villages and countryside. Dinan and Saint-Malo are still within driving distance at 1-1/2 hours and just under 2 hours respectively.

Tréguier was founded in the 6th century by Saint Tugdual, one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. Little is known of him, other than through legend, but after his arrival an agglomeration crowded around the monastery he founded and he was consacrated Bishop of the area in 542. He was the first Bishop in a historically important episcopal seat in Brittany up until The Revolution. Because of him the town was an important stop on a pilgrimage trail. The village was destroyed and abandoned during viking raids in the 9th century commanded by the famous viking Hasting, who spent the better part of 4 decades sacking and pillaging his way through some of the most famous places in France and Spain. The list of places this guy sacked and pillaged is long and impressive. He must have been fun to party with.

Later in history Tréguier suffered the typical ravages of The Breton Wars of Succession, The Hundred Years War and The Wars of Religion. Like in Dinan, a bunch of other stuff happened after this but I only like the parts of history with ancient legends and vikings so I'm stopping here. If you want to learn more about the history of Tréguier and what the town has to offer in terms of services and amenities then you can check its official website:

www.ville-treguier.fr/patrimoine-treguier/


There's a famous old traditional song about Tréguier called Sur le Pont de Tréguier. When the Mrs. was a young girl she used to annoy her parents with her incessant singing of this song which she had learned at school. Now she annoys me with it. Anyway, the lyrics recount a story where a girl is crying on a bridge and a young man asks her what is wrong. She explains that she dropped her ring in the river and would reward him with a kiss if he brought it back. The young man dives in the river and spies the ring. With a smile she encourages him to dive deeper, causing the young man to drown. From a distance the father of the young man watches the scene unfold and cries that this is the third son he has lost to this woman. And you thought the fake gold ring scam in Paris was bad? At least an unsuspecting tourist will only lose a couple of euros if they get suckered by that trick. Nobody drowns.

Let's continue with the visit.


















With our visit to Tréguier complete we got back into the car and headed into the country to begin our exploration. The next village we came to was La Roche Derrien, another Petite Cité de Caractère and here is its website, with the usual great information (but in French only):

www.larochederrien.com/

Like just about every town in this region it was sacked by Jean Montfort during The Wars of Succession who in turn was eventually defeated by Bertrand Duguesclin. Then other stuff happened. We arrived in the village and parked near the church, which dates back to the 13th century and is noted for its organ which came from Westminster Abbey.




It has several half-timbered houses dating from the 15th and 16th century. After this time it became the practice to construct buildings in stone.