BRETAGNE
MORBIHAN – ROCHEFORT-EN-TERRE
APRIL 2017
After leaving Dinan I crossed the Départemental boundary to enter Morbihan and stayed at the small and ancient town of Rochefort-en-Terre about 20 miles west of Redon which is itself in the south west corner of Ille et Villaine.
ROCHEFORT-EN-TERRE
Fortifications on a high cliff overlooking the narrow valley of the river Gueuzon were built here in Roman times and adapted in the 1100s and 1200s to become the castle of a powerful local Seigneur whose successors then modified it further in later centuries. A medieval town grew up around the castle and is mentioned in records dating back to 1260.
Fortifications on a high cliff overlooking the narrow valley of the river Gueuzon were built here in Roman times and adapted in the 1100s and 1200s to become the castle of a powerful local Seigneur whose successors then modified it further in later centuries. A medieval town grew up around the castle and is mentioned in records dating back to 1260.
Over the next 500 years the town grew to become the most important centre for many miles around but its former parishes of Limerzel, Questembert, Malansac and others have now eclipsed it in size and commercial importance but not as tourist attractions.
On 16 March 1793 the town was captured by thousands of peasants revolting against compulsory conscription into the revolutionary army with the loss of three republican lives. Ten days later professional republican soldiers recaptured it and several hundred peasants were killed or wounded - many of these were executed by firing squad.
During these battles the castle was looted and then left to deteriorate until it was acquired by the Juhel family in 1843. They converted the old stables into living quarters but sold the property in 1907 to the painter Alfred Klots, born in Paris to American parents.
Klots had a Renaissance-Style Manor House built within the battlements and encouraged local residents to decorate their buildings with flowers thus beginning an ethos of beautification that as been much expanded since.
The Manor House
The Chateau and House was used as a hospital for wounded American soldiers during both World Wars and ownership was acquired by the town from Klots daughter-in-law Isabel after she died in 2013 at the age of 96.
The Manor House is not open to the public but a museum has been established in the grounds and contains several paintings by Alfred and his son Trafford in whose names Isabel founded an “International Program for Artists” in 1989 that is administered by the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). MICA awards grants and runs residential courses at Rochefort and Léhon (see previous post).
The Manor House is not open to the public but a museum has been established in the grounds and contains several paintings by Alfred and his son Trafford in whose names Isabel founded an “International Program for Artists” in 1989 that is administered by the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). MICA awards grants and runs residential courses at Rochefort and Léhon (see previous post).
Rochefort-en-Terre has made the most of its Chateau, its Medieval Buildings and Streets, and these artistic precedents to promote itself as a ”Petite Cité de Caractère” and has won many tourist awards as one of the ten most attractive towns in France. Its a little too commercialised for my taste though.
Slate quarrying and shaping has been a local industry for a long time with the product being used in both the Chateau and Town buildings.
Fancy a New Roof?
Main Street
THE RIVER OUST AND THE NANTES-BREST CANAL
Napoleon ordered construction of the Nantes-Brest Canal to overcome the English Blockade of the Port at Brest and a brief history of its construction is given in the February 2017 post of my stay at Le Roc St André during September 2016. Here again is a map of my rides during that visit.
Napoleon ordered construction of the Nantes-Brest Canal to overcome the English Blockade of the Port at Brest and a brief history of its construction is given in the February 2017 post of my stay at Le Roc St André during September 2016. Here again is a map of my rides during that visit.
Rides in 2016
One of my reasons for coming to Rochefort-en-Terre this year was to pick up riding the tow path again at St Congard which was the farthest point on the waterway that I reached during the earlier visit. This I was able to do in three stages, leaving the car for the first two at St Martin-sur-Oust and for the third at Peillac.
In these rides I covered another 25-30 miles in each direction making a total of 50-60 between Josselin and Redon during the two visits.
Rides in 2017
First Ride
The first expedition was from St Martin to St Congard and back.
Rental boats at St Martin-sur-Oust
This ride was quite short being only about 5 miles in each direction with not a lot remarkable to photograph along the way except perhaps that the river was getting noticeably wider.
What was also noticeable was the state of the surface which was more like a field track than a cycle path for quite a distance with largish loose stones and many bumps and hollows. That was relatively uncomfortable and made the rise seem longer than its measured length.
The river is getting wider
What was also noticeable was the state of the surface which was more like a field track than a cycle path for quite a distance with largish loose stones and many bumps and hollows. That was relatively uncomfortable and made the rise seem longer than its measured length.
Second Ride
The second expedition also started at St Martin and followed the river as far as a road-crossing near Peillac. The village itself is up a long and quite steep hill but fortunately La Ciboulette Restaurant is located at the foot of the hill immediately adjacent to a road bridge over the river and of course to the tow path.
This establishment had an attractive verandah outside at which I would have liked to be seated but instead I was shown to a small table set for two in the interior after the hostess had a short conversation with some-one I couldn't see.
The reason for that became apparent when a young man carrying a plate of salami and other appetisers came and sat opposite me at the same table. He flashed a quick smile when I said “Bonjour et 'merci de me permettre vous rejoindre'” (Thank you for allowing me to join you) but made no reply and said nothing before leaving when he flashed another quick smile. He was clearly a workman with a short lunch-break.
After my arrival other tables were soon filled with people who were obviously expected. Mostly they were elderly and almost certainly locals who enjoyed a gossip with one another and friends.
The meal itself was another of the 'wholesome fare' variety consisting of a simple and cold 'help yourself' starter, a plate of chicken and chips with a creamy sauce and a piece of 'Tarte de Pomme' as dessert. I also had 25 cl of wine and a coffee and the whole lot only cost € 14 so I couldn't really complain though I would have preferred to be on the veranda where others had been accommodated by the time I left.
The meal itself was another of the 'wholesome fare' variety consisting of a simple and cold 'help yourself' starter, a plate of chicken and chips with a creamy sauce and a piece of 'Tarte de Pomme' as dessert. I also had 25 cl of wine and a coffee and the whole lot only cost € 14 so I couldn't really complain though I would have preferred to be on the veranda where others had been accommodated by the time I left.
Third Ride
The third ride was much longer and scenically more interesting than the first two.
To begin, I returned to the bridge near Peillac because there was a large car park there at which I could leave my car without fear of it being in any-one's way or of accidental damage for lack of room.
I set off east again, following a well-surfaced cycle track along the old tow-path and soon came to a lock and weir combination.
Lock and Weir near Peillac
After this change of level the river started meandering until it wandered so much the canal engineers had decided to take a short cut.
The canal takes a short-cut
The canal and river merged again some four miles later and a little farther on the valley narrowed as it passed between sizeable hills with rocky outcrops on either side. On one of these, on the right bank I was riding along, a commercial enterprise with the name “Escapades Verticales” had been created.
This looked to be great fun and very popular with several instructors and many young people clambering upon and standing at the foot of rocky outcrops festooned with fixed ropes, pegs and climbing aids. I was a little puzzled when I saw a number of rather anxious-looking parent-figures with their backs to the rock face gazing up into trees lining the path along which I was riding.
All became clear when a small figure came zooming out of the leaves on a “Flying Fox” and after a fair distance but short time ended up on a small ledge on the rock face perhaps 25 feet above ground level. Balance was restored with a few quick heaves on the suspension wire and safety established with transfer of a clipped-on security line from suspension wire to one fixed to the rock face. Thereafter descent to ground level proved to be a doddle.
What a great activity for young people!
After these excitements the rest of the outward ride was a bit of an anti-climax until nearing the large regional city of Redon. Here the canal ran beside a busy road but fortunately I was on the right bank away from the traffic fumes that must have descended on the opposite pathway.
Then, after passing a few factories on the opposite bank I found myself close to the city centre with a view of the Abbey Church's spire.
Only a few yards farther on I was indeed right in the centre of traffic entering the city as I found myself at one end of a rotating bridge over the canal originally built to permit both rail and canal traffic to enter the city. It is no longer in use but alongside there is a traffic-congested road bridge and to the right of that a large marina with a surprising number of sailing yachts moored to pontoons.
Marina at Redon
Neither at the time nor later was I strongly motivated to fight my way through the busy streets but my curiosity was aroused and to satisfy that I have since investigated on the internet and so can compile the last entry in this post.
REDON
The city is geographically significant as the place at which the rivers Oust and Vilaine meet whilst they are still some 30-40 miles from the Atlantic coast.
As early as 832 AD, Conwoion, a scion of a Romano-Gallic family, founded a hermitage at the confluence of the rivers that was soon attacked by Vikings coming upriver from the coast. He and his followers withdrew further inland and sought protection from the King of Brittany who supported them in the foundation of a Monastery that soon became known as that of Saint-Saveur.
The Monastery became the focal point of a town rapidly growing in size that seems to have escaped many of the ravages of war during the middle ages and to have prospered through trade with the interior as it effectively became an inland port by virtue of its direct connection to the ocean (that also explains the presence of masted yachts in the marina).
The Monastery became the focal point of a town rapidly growing in size that seems to have escaped many of the ravages of war during the middle ages and to have prospered through trade with the interior as it effectively became an inland port by virtue of its direct connection to the ocean (that also explains the presence of masted yachts in the marina).
By good fortune or judgement of its civic leaders Redon also seems to have escaped most of the ill-consequences of the revolution. The local monks and nuns seem to have accepted instructions to adopt a secular life with much less resistance than in other parts of Brittany or the Vendée and thereby to have escaped the persecution and massacres that afflicted others. Perhaps an example of the philosophy that “If you can't beat them join them”.
A further development favouring Redon was its special situation at the crossroads first of the waterways in Brittany with completion of the Nantes-Brest and Ille-Rance Canals and then of similarly connecting railways. In the 19th and 20th centuries these advantages resulted in Redon becoming an attractive place in which to invest capital in new factories for a variety of industries.
In the 21st Centuries, these advantages are less significant than they used to be and some wonder whether Redon may be left behind as Globalisation of Industry creates poverty in once prosperous areas.
In the 21st Centuries, these advantages are less significant than they used to be and some wonder whether Redon may be left behind as Globalisation of Industry creates poverty in once prosperous areas.
