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Trégastel
Trégastel A small seaside resort on the Pink Granite Coast not far from Lannion, with rocks and sandy beaches, a small harbour, plenty of restaurants and creperies plus shops. One attraction here is the Aquarium open from April to September. Places to visit in the area: Ploumanach, Trérbeurden, Perros-Guidec, Pleumeur Bodou (home of the biggest Planetarium in Europe, and the Museum of Telecommunications).
Website with photos showing how lovely it is there: http://www.ville-trebeurden.fr.st/
Aerial photo of the town, sea and islands: http://www.brittany-bretagne.com/pg/skyviews/trebeurden.htm
Trégur and Goelo - are located in the
area around the Jaudy and the Trieux estuaries on the north coast.
Perros-Guirec and Ploumanac'h are on the coast, and have fine beaches as well as the pink granite rock formations of the Granit Rose coast. Behind the cliffs is low-lying heathland, and at Perros-Guirec there is a sixty hectare ( 150 acres) area of protected natural landscape managed by the town. At the Maison du Littoral at Ploumanac'h visitors will find information on the natural history of the area, and there are guided walks through the nature reserve. You can find out more about Perros-Guirec and the area on this website, and learn about quarrying the pink granite here (in French). The soothing sound of gentle waves and a panoramic scene of rose granite rocks and the sea at Ploumanac'h can be found on this website: http://www.bretagnepanoramique.com/pagesvisites/ploumanach.html
Some good photos of Perros-Guirec are on here:
http://njussien.e-constraints.net/series/perros-guirec/perros-guirec-1.html
Lannion (pop. about 15,000) is the second main town of Cotes d'Armor, and has both airport and railway station. It is situated on the inner end of the estuary of the River Leguer, which meets the sea on the Cote de Granit Rose. The old town features narrow streets running down to the river, lined with picturesque restored mediaeval houses. The Thursday market is one of the best in the region, and there is a daily fish market in the Halle aux Poissons in Place du Miroir, every morning Tuesday to Saturday. North west of Lannion towards the coast is the Planétarium de Bretagne: http://www.planetarium-bretagne.fr/acces_horaires.htm
An attractive town 16 kms east of Lannion on the Jaudy river, with a harbour. The cathedral, St Tugdual, houses the tomb of St Yves who was a lawyer and priest (died about 1303). At Minihy-Treguier are a chapel and stature dedicated to the saint, and an annual 'pardon' that is apparently attended by lawyers in particular. The town was also the birthplace of Ernest Renan, writer and philosopher. Pontrieux This pleasant small town lies half way between Lannion and St Brieuc, north of Guingamp, on the Trieux river. Rail from Paris via Guingamp, nearest airports Lannion or St Brieuc. There is a marina, with a pub on a schooner. Ideal for boating enthusiasts, lovely countryside around, and not far from the sea. Tregor and Goelo - the area around the Jaudy and the Trieux estuaries on the north coast. The website has a map and lots of useful links. Listen to the Breton music of Loar Gann (Full Moon), from the Tregur area.
Guingamp lies inland south west of St Brieuc on route E50 (which leads to Morlaix). This is an attractive university town with plenty of cultural activity, nightlife and bars. The old town has some medieval walls remaining with narrow streets of shops inside, and part of a 15th century castle remains.Winding through the town is the River Trieux. There are two festivals - 'Gouel ar Bugale Vreizh' takes place in July, with a candle lit night procession and bonfires, and a traditional dance festival performed by children. In August the Féte de la Saint Loup brings a week of Breton music and dance to the town. Small towns/villages in the area include Bourbric and Plouagat. TGV trains to Paris from here. About 1 hour drive from Roscoff (74km); Brest is 104km (just over an hour on Route E50); St Malo 116km (about one and a half hours drive).
EDIT "At Plouaret, in the department of Côtes-du-Nord, is a curious subterranean chapel incorporating a dolmen. The dolmen was formerly partially embedded in a tumulus, and the chapel, erected in 1702, was so constructed that the great table-stone of the dolmen has become the chapel roof, and the supporting stones form two of its sides. The crypt is reached by a flight of steps, and here may be seen an altar to the Seven Sleepers, represented by seven dolls of varying size. The Bretons have a legend that this structure dates from the creation of the world, and they have embodied this belief in a ballad, in which it is piously affirmed that the shrine was built by the hand of the Almighty at the time when the world was in process of formation. "
Le Vieux MarchéThe village of Le Faouët lies in the beautiful wooded valley of the River Elle, between Callac and Belle-Isle-en Terre. It is famed for it's 16thC timber-framed market hall with a beautiful bell-tower. The river, with it's wild tumbles of rocks, has signposted walks, and is good for fishing. The town has a large supermarket, a lot of restaurants. 40 minutes drive to the coast from here. Photos on the Breize culture website. Callac A market town of about 3,000 inhabitants. Railway station. Medical centre, dentist. Market day is Wednesday. Supermarkets, banks, petrol station, cafes and restaurants, creperie, newsagent with foreign newspapers (including English). Post office, railway station, chemist. other shops. A botanical garden is located in the town. Nature trails, fishing and canoeing lakes, woodlands and beautiful countryside. 30 minutes away is Armoriparc (open in the summer) at Begard has plenty of activities for all, swimming pool with long winding chute, trampoline, bowling, restaurants, and more. Guingamp: about 19km (motorway; trains to Paris) Roscoff: Just under an hour (75km) St Malo: 1 1/2 hours
lie just off route D790, which runs from St Brieuc in the north, inland down to Rostrenen, near Morbihan in the south of Cotes d'Armor. It is not far to Lac de Guerledan with its beaches, water sports, safe swimming, creperies, and fishing. Also in the area is the Abbey Bon Repos (Cistercian, 12thC), which has a Son et Lumière in August. Local performers re-enact the factual and legendary history of the area from Roman invasion to Revolution. The Abbey is set in a beautiful location, with weirs, salmon stairs, a former water mill, mediaeval stone bridge over the river, plus a restaurant and a fossil shop.
A quiet town with shops and restaurants, surrounded by rolling countryside. It has amenities such as shops, banks and restaurants, and an outdoor heated swimming pool. Not far away is the beautiful Lac Guerlédan in Morbihan, with it's water sports, sandy beaches and eateries. Nearby are villages such as Kerigochen.
This village lies to the south west of St Nicolas-du-Pelem; it has post office, bank, tabac, shops, a leisure lake, and scenic countryside around. Not to be confused with Carhaix-Plouguer, which is not far away to the west in Finistere.
East of Rostrenen along route N164 is Gouarec, on the Nante-Brest canal, surrounded by lovely countryside. In the village itself are some good restaurants and bars, shops, bakers, an indoor swimming pool, and other amenities. Local attractions include the ruined abbey of Bon Repos, idyllic routes for walking or cycling, and pre-historic sites of megalithic tombs. This is where to find the local organic farmers' market on Sunday mornings. This is a good place for road access to the Nantes-Brest Canal; five buses per day call here on the Carhaix - Loudeac route.
in the Vallee de Perche, south-east of St Brieuc About 1 hour's drive from Rennes. By rail, from St Brieuc (see SNCF http://www.sncf.com/indexe.htm). An interesting and attractive small mediaeval town that was a centre of linen weaving in the 18th century. Attractions include the Chateau (13th C, rebuilt later) with it's collections and exhibitions, the Notre-Dame de Deliverance Basilica and the the Workshop Museum of the Fabric of Quintin. There are several annual festivals. The Quintin Lake offers fishing, canoeing and kayaking, and the Gouet stream for walks. There are 13 monuments in the area. Much more besides, see these websites: http://www.quintin.fr/francais/pages/actualites.htm http://www.brittany-bretagne.com/pg/quintin.htm.
A village of about 1000 inhabitants, with shops and other facilities. Interesting attractions here are a horse museum, a Romano-Gallic site, and a ruined castle.
Situated in the south west of Cotes d'Armor, south of Guingamp, Rostrenen is known as the crossroads of Brittany - being central, the area offers easy access to all three Brittany coasts. Central Brittany is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt areas of France. Flowing through it is is the Nantes-Brest canal, with a tow path for country walks or cycle rides. An old railway line is now a cycle path, leading to Gouarec and Carhaix through deep countryside and woods. Rivers and lakes add to the attraction of the area. The Nantes-Brest canal loops to the south of Rostrenen, then up to Gourac. Villages in the locale include Gouarec, St Nicolas-du-Pélem, Glomel, Mellionec. Glomel, a village west and a little south of Rostrenen features a single menhir in in it's centre (Le Korong Menhir). Here you can go rock climbing, and pony trekking. Nearby is Lac du Korong. Canoeing, windsurfing and pedalo hire are available on the lake and there is also a man-made beach and children's play area. It is also an excellent coarse fishing lake, and nearby is a trout stream. During the summer there is a childrens club where the children can learn to windsurf, canoe and abseil.
Directly south of St Brieuc, in the far south of Cotes d'Amor, is the mediaeval town of Loudéac. All the usual town shops and facilities, plus Aquatides 700 m2 of pool with Giant waterslides and a swirly 'river'. Pools for younger children as well. Loudéac is close to forest and river.
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