Chateau de Suscino at Sarzeau
This ex-residence of the Duke of Brittany is to the south of Vannes. It is extremely well preserved with stunning architecture. The fourteenth century floor mosaics are remarkable and well worth seeing.
Chateau de Josselin
With its three majestic towers this chateau dominates the valley of the River
Ouest. Its striking gothic design is well worth a look. Take a guided tour
and look and learn about its fascinating history (English tours as well as
French). Shots below of the front and back.
Located at Bignan near Josselin. This sculpture Park and contemporary art centre is definitely worth a visit. Basically it is a large chateau (below piccy) that you can walk around -all free of charge- set in hundreds of acres of gardens with numerous sculptures dotted around. The sculptures are all by contemporary artists and range from the bizarre looking thing in the photo below to stone carvings and an odd creation of 1000 red plant pots. It probably sounds a bit alternative and indeed it is. In addition, there is a rolling art exhibition in part of the chateau, again of modern art. We recommend that you take a picnic, as the grounds are a beautiful place to sit and eat lunch.
Churches and
Abbeys
Notre Dame Abbey.
You can visit the Abbey at Campeneac and see how the nuns live and work. If
you wish you may pray in their church. At the monastic shop you can find a
selection of the Abbey's products– home made chocolate, biscuits, cakes
and stuff/
Chateau de Rochefort-en-Terre
This medieval fortress is set in the beautiful ancient town of Rochefort-En-Terre
which, rather surprisingly, owes its fame to the fact that the famous painters
Alfred and Trafford Klots resided there. It holds
a collection of famous paintings and traditional sculptures. Even if you
are not interested in the chateau, you must go here just to see
the town itself, which is packed full of great places to eat.
Malestroit Church
Construction of this mediaeval church was started during the 100 year war and added to for several centuries thereafter. It`s worth a look when you are in the town square.
La Roche Goyon
`The Fort La Latte` (Roche
Goyon) draws its name from one of the oldest Breton Families. The Goyon`s
became very important. Many of them were members of the Brittany parliament.
They built the fort to be their `country residence` and it was designed
to display the strength, power and standing of the family. Three hundred
years later the castle was disposed of by the then `Ministry of War`
and scheduled as a place of historic interest in 1925. It has been restored
since then and is now open to visitors.
Saint-Savaur
Abbey
The Romanesque tower was built in the twelfth century on the orders of The
Duke of Brittany although the site itself was first declared holy in the middle
of the eighth century. The abbey later became an
important centre for trade between the interior and the coast.
The Fort National
Just off St Malo this granite fort built in 1689 was built to protect the northern
French coast. You can take an English tour of the castle and enjoy the magnificent
scenery and breathtaking views.
A lovely chateau that also has a fully fledged zoo within its grounds. A great visit and we have an annual pass we like it so much. You can walk through the gardens and the zoo which are really well laid out, see a display of hunting birds and then visit the chateau itself
Guer Chappelle
Just outside Guer is a small sixth century chapel which contains some extremely rare 15th century murals and artifacts. You can go there and get a tour in English on Sunday afternoons by the very enthusiastic curator for just three Euros per adult, free for children
Chateau des
Forges des Salles
This chateau is set in attractive surroundings overlooking the village of Forges
des Salles and its buildings house exhibitions and reconstructions of industrial
Brittany in the 18th and 19th century.
There are too many chateaux and castles to list in Brittany so I'm not even going to try. Needless to say that if these are your thing then you could quite easily spend a fortnight visiting them.
If you really want to see the full monty of local chateaux then why not ring up and order the free booklet describing them all for you. Tel 00 33 2 97 72 05 14
Gardens
The Floral Park
Described as the park of the thousand faces, these beautiful gardens near Montfort
provide an impressive spectacle. Laid out to both informal and formal gardens
with just about every flower/ shrub and even vegetable type possible, it’s
a nice place to see. You can even buy the organic produce growing there.
The Garden of
Wood
Set in the heart of Josselin this garden boasts a landscaped walk, which features
local plants and trees. In total, there are fifteen acres of pathways and it's
all free !
Parc Chateau Plessis
Near the town of Auray and overlooking the Golfe du Morbihan, this park
and chateau has a large collection of rare and ancient plants.
The Gardens of Brocéliande
These large gardens near Breal contain specialised plant collections such as
the French national iris collection. In addition, there’s a variety
of landscapes to explore, all with their own specialised plants.It`s really well laid out and very smart. The plants are well tended and labeled up so you know what you`re looking at.
Of special interest is the barefoot walk. Which as, it says a walk for about 20 minutes without shoes on. If you decide to go on it you put your shoes and socks in a locker there (self service) and set off down a path. The ground surface changes about every 30 metres to give you all different walking sensations underfoot. Well worth a go ! There`s also a play park for the children, a bar and cafe.
The Hydrangea walk (Circuit de hortensias).
This unique `park` is nationally famous and is part of the National Conservation Collection. It`s in a great setting next to the amazing Lac au Duc and boasts over 4900 plants !
Megaliths
Brittany is famous for its Megaliths (standing stones).
These are basically large upright (schist) stones placed in a variety
of patterns by ancient man. They are dotted around all over the place –the
nearest and perhaps the most famous being about two miles away at Monteneuf.
They are quite interesting. Monteneuf`s are worth seeing for two reasons.
Firstly, they are nearby and secondly they also have a recreation of
a bronze age village built around them. If you are keen, you can also
see them at Gavrinis and Locmariaquer.
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