Brittany 7

Brittany 7

Less details have been given relative to the Department of

Ille-et-Vilaine, at least as to certain portions of it which do not

offer much of interest to encourage a visit, and with regard to Loire

Inférieure only the truly Breton region of Guérande and S. Nazaire has

been included.

 

The following list of headquarters is recommended, whence excursions

may be made radiating on all sides. Places of little moment and regions

that need not occupy a visitor's time are omitted.

 

_Côtes-du-Nord._--DINAN. Thence Lamballe, Plancoet, Ploubalay, Dol,

Jugon, Becherel.

 

GUINGAMP. Thence Belle-Ile, Pontrieux, Plouagat, Bourbriac.

 

LANNION. Thence Perros-Guirec, Plestin.

 

LOUDÉAC. Thence Uzel, Plouguenast, La Chèze, Mur.

 

PAIMPOL. Thence Lézardrieux, Pontrieux, Plouha and Iles de Bréhat.

 

PLOUARET. Thence Plestin, Begard and Belle-Ile.

 

ROSTRENEN. Thence S. Nicolas du Pélem, Maël Carhaix, Goarec.

 

S. BRIEUC. Thence Etables, Châtelaudren, Quintin, Lamballe.

 

TRÉGUIER. Thence Lézardrieux, La Roche-Derrien.

 

_Finistère._--AUDIERNE. The Cap Sizun.

 

BREST. Thence S. Rénan, Ploudalmezeau, Lannilis, Plabennec, and

Ouessant.

 

CHÂTEAULIN. Thence Crozon, Le Faou, Pleyben.

 

CHÂTEAUNEUF-LE-FAOU. Thence Pleyben and Montagnes Noires.

 

HUELGOËT. The Montagnes d'Arrée.

 

LANDERNEAU. Thence Daoulas, Ploudiry, Sizun, and the Montagnes d'Arrée.

 

LANDIVISIAU. Thence S. Thégonnec, Plouzévédé, Ploudiry and Sizun.

 

LESNEVEN, the coast by Plounéour-trez.

 

MORLAIX. Thence Lanmeur, Taulé, Plouigneau, S. Thégonnec.

 

PONT-AVEN. Concarneau, Fouesnant.

 

PONT L'ABBÉ, the Penmarch peninsula.

 

PLOUDALMEZEAU, Lannilis, and the coast.

 

S. POL-DE-LÉON. Plouescat and the Ile-de-Batz.

 

QUIMPER may be made a centre for much, owing to several lines of

railway diverging from it. Briec, Rosporden, Douarnenez, Pont Croix,

Plougastel S. Germain, Pont l'Abbé.

 

QUIMPERLÉ. Thence Bannalec, Pont-aven, Pont Scorff.

 

_Morbihan._--AURAY. Thence Pluvigner, Belz, Carnac, Quiberon.

 

BAUD. Thence Pluvigner, Locminé and the Blavet River.

 

GRAND-CHAMP. Thence the Landes de Lanvaux, and S. Jean de Brévelez.

 

HENNEBONT. Thence Pont Scorff, Plonay, Lorient, Port Louis.

 

LA FAOUËT. Thence Gourin and Guéméné.

 

PLOERMEL. Thence Josselin, Mauron, Guer, La Trinité-Porhoet.

 

PONTIVY. Thence Cleguerec, Guéméné, the Blavet valley, Mur, Rohan.

 

ROCHEFORT-EN-TERRE. Thence Elven, and the Lande de Lanvaux,

Malestroit, la Gacelly, Questembert.

 

VANNES. The Morbihan, and Sarzeau, Elven and Grand Champ.

 

_Ille-et-Vilaine._--BECHEREL. Thence Tinténiac, Hédé.

 

DINARD. Thence S. Malo, Cancale, S. Servan, Châteauneuf, Dol.

 

DOL. Thence Combourg.

 

FOUGÈRES. Thence Louvigné, S. Briac-en-Congles, S. Aubin-du-Cormier.

 

MONTFORT. Thence S. Méen and Montauban.

 

REDON. Thence Allaire, la Gacilly, Pipriac, Fougeray, S. Nicolas.

 

RENNES. Thence Mordelles, Guichen, Château-Giron, Janzé.

 

VITRÉ Thence Châteaubourg and Argentré-du-Plessis.

 

_Loire Inférieure._-GUÉRANDE. La Grande Brière and the Saltmarshes.

 

LE CROISIC. Sea coast and Saltmarshes.

 

S. NAZAIRE, mouth of the Loire.

 

 

 

 

_Contractions_

 

 

Arr. = Arrondissement.

C.N. = Côtes-du-Nord (Department).

Chl. = Chef-lieu.

Com. = Commune.

F. = Finistère (Department).

I.V. = Ille-et-Vilaine (Department).

L.I. = Loire Inférieure (Department).

M. = Morbihan (Department).

N.D. = Notre Dame.

P. = Pardon.

* = A convenient staying place whence to

make excursions, and where are

tolerable inns.

 

 

_Cheflieux and Surroundings_

 

ARGENTRÉ (I.V.) chl. arr. Vitré. In the neighbourhood are many small

lakes, forming one of the arms of the Vilaine, one of the sources

of which is in the forest of Pertré. The château de _Plessis_ is of

the 15th cent. and has been restored. In it is a portrait of Mme. de

Sevigné by Mignard. The circular chapel is of the 17th cent.

 

At _Primel_ is a chapel of the 15th cent. A calvary is in the parish

churchyard.

 

At _Etrelles_ the church is of the beginning of the 16th cent.

 

ARZANO (F.) chl. arr. Quimperlé. An uninteresting place, but some

pretty scenery on the Ellé and Isole. The neighbourhood is best visited

from Quimperlé.

 

* AUDIERNE (F.) a com. of Pontcroix. A large fishing village, at the

mouth of a tidal creek, into which flows the insignificant Goujen. The

entrance to the harbour is dangerous. The river front of the village or

town is occupied almost wholly by _buvettes_. Sardines are here tinned.

The church, originally dedicated to S. Rumon, the same as S. Ronan,

has been transferred to the patronage of S. Raymond Nonnatus. It is

well-situated, and of renaissance period, but has preserved an earlier

internal arcade. The south porch is of the usual 16th cent. type in

Lower Brittany, but with renaissance details. Ships are carved over the

church. The tower with gallery is mean. A curious recess with stoup

outside the W. end, with broken circle above it. An old house in the

street bears the date 1668. Audierne swarms with children who pester

the visitor with begging. It is an unattractive place, but has good

inns, and forms a centre for an interesting district. _See also_ Pont

Croix.

 

At _Primelin_ is the Chapel of S. Tugean (a Saint Antianus) in a

hamlet, surrounded with trees. It is a noble structure throughout,

in the flamboyant style. A noble south porch with statues within of

six apostles. The tower without spire is early flamboyant, and has a

curious side turret with spire. The W. doorway is good with the four

doctors of the church above it. The N. transept is double, divided by

round pillars surmounted by Doric capitals. The carved wood roof of

the chancel and N. transept deserve notice. Rich rococo altarpieces.

Paintings (1705) about the baptistery. A good statue of S. Tugean

represents him with a mad dog on one side and a boy kneeling on the

other. The Saint is patron against hydrophobia. Outside the chapel is

a cell into which were thrust those who had been bitten, and were not

cured. They were communicated with the Host, thrust to them at the end

of a stick, and there left to die. S. Tugean's key is preserved in the

church. The P. on the last Sunday in June is very famous. Near the

windmill is a small dolmen, or rather a kistvaen, the cover of which

has been lifted and propped on small stones. This was used by lepers to

lie in, expecting a cure.

 

_Plogoff_ has a church of the 16th cent., but possesses remains of

an earlier period, pillars with Romanesque capitals. The Chapel of

S. Collodec (Kenan, B. of Duleek) has a pretty spire, and a carved

granite cross. P. 1st Sunday in July. The Pardon at the Chapel of N.D.

de Bon Voyage is on the 3rd Sunday in July. The Enfer de Plogoff is

a chasm into which the sea enters. The Pointe du Raz rises 240 feet

above the sea, which is here rarely at rest. It commands a fine view

of the stretch of coast from the Pointe to S. Mathieu on the north,

and to Penmarch on the south. The _Ile de Seine_ lies nine miles away

to sea, west of the Pointe du Raz, the passage is dangerous on account

of the currents. It possesses little to attract a visitor, a couple of

menhirs, called the Fistillerien or the Gossips, and a dolmen.

 

The _Baie des Trépassés_ takes its name from the number of dead bodies

washed ashore in it after a wreck. A Byzantine writer speaks of this

bay and tells a curious story about it. He says that here the boatman

was called up at the dead of night to convey passengers to the Ile de

Seine. He took his oars and launched his boat, and heard a sound as of

people entering his barque, but saw no one. The boat settled deep in

the water, and he rowed over with his invisible burden. On reaching

the Isle of Seine, he could hear the passengers disembark, and coins

were cast to him, but still those whom he had ferried over remained

invisible. He had, in fact, conveyed the souls of the dead to the Isle

of the Dead. And this strange occurrence took place repeatedly.

 

The _Etang de Laoual_ is supposed to cover the cursed city of Is, where

Ahes, daughter of King Grallo, carried on high revelry and debauch. The

wrath of heaven was kindled, and the sea overwhelmed the city. Remains

of a Roman city remain at _Troguer_, and this was the termination of the Roman road from Carhaix (Vorganium). At the Chapel of S. They (the Cornish S. Day) the P. is on the 1st Sunday in July.