Fall under the spell of the Monts d’Arrée, where an unspoiled, untamed and magical natural environment, lends itself as much to sporting activities as revitalisation through its calm and tranquility.
Breathtaking landscapes
This area of rugged natural beauty has varied landscapes with its barren crests, rocky outcrops, moorland, bocage or hedged fields, poor grassland, peat-land, bogs and lakes.
When you arrive in the Monts d’Arrée, you will reach the highest points of Brittany: Roc'h Ruz, Tuchenn Kador et le Roc'h Trévézel, which stands at 385 metres above sea level. The chapel on the top of Mont Saint-Michel de Brasparts, also known as La Motte Cronon, culminates at 381 metres and stands in the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional d'Armorique.
The cradle of Breton legends
Under the ever-changing skies, the peaks of l’Arrée surround the wetlands of Yeun Elez and the Lac Saint Michel which has become marshland. This wild and windy area in the heart of Finistère has create a unique oral tradition over the centuries, a whole host of storytellers and mystics.
This barren place, the windswept backbone of Brittany has fed man’s imagination for centuries. It is the cradle of many a Breton legend and is where stories about Ankou, the grim reaper, who takes the dead to the next life, and the washerwomen of the night, the korrigans (little people) and other beings from the depths of the time remain vivid in the minds of the storytellers from the Monts d’Arrée who maintain a strange relationship with the characters from myths and legends. Some even know where to find the entrance to hell : in Le Youdig, the bubbling pool in the marshlands of Elez.
A strange / mysterious past
Les Monts d'Arrée also has both historical and economic peculiarities. Until the middle of the 20th century, the poorer peasant farmers had a second occupation as they used to collect the worn fabrics from villages beyond the Monts d’Arrée to supply the paper mills in the area. They were known as « les pilhaouerien » and used to sing and tell stories to get people to encourage people to open their doors and give them their worn fabrics.
The use of peat for both cooking and heating is also specific to this area. The peat trenches have been abandoned since the 1950s but their use has left its mark on the landscape and the collective memory ( important seasonal work and festivities).
When you visit the Monts d’Arrée, come and meet the local people who will tell you about life in this land of legends and will make your stay a wonderful experience. Good humour and a genuine welcome, with the added benefit of the chance discovering or rediscovering the magic of this enchanted place.
Come and enjoy the natural landscapes which are unique to this part of Brittany and take beautiful walks in the heart of Brittany.