Brittany. Huelgoat and surroundings
#Huelgoat , a small town in the inland of Brittany, located 30 kilometres from the Brittany North Coast (Morlaix, Roscoff) and 50 kilometres from the South Coast. The surroundings of Huelgoat can be called the most beautiful part of Brittany interior. Green forests dotted with large boulders alternate with gray moors.
We are in the center of Huelgoat, on the square Aristide-Briand, a rectangular, cozy square with a creperie, a café, tabac, pharmacy, newspaper shop and church. A typical center of a small Brittany town. You walk along the rue des Cendres, north of the place Aristide-Briand, you pass the lake and suddenly you find the 'Chaos du Moulin', a more than picturesque rocky area surrounded by greenery. We literally dive between the rocks and reach an iron staircase that takes you to the Grotte du Diable. This place, also known as Trou du Diable, would be the beginning of the road that leads directly to hell.. Not to hell, but to La Roche Tremblante, a path leads north. La Roche Tremblante, a 7-metre-long and 3-metre-high rock lump, small compared to the surrounding boulders, lies so unsteadly on the ground that Breton boys and girls manage, bending down in a certain way, to rock the stone back and forth. La Roche Tremblante is used as a touchstone for the fidelity of a married woman or husband. When a man or woman pushes against the stone and the stone swings, he or she can be sure to have a faithful wife or husband. If the stone does not move, then that is proof of the infidelity. And indeed after a lot of trying and pushing in the right place, the rock indeed moves. Wonderfully surprising like the whole of Brittany.
Cave of King Arthur and others
Not far from this place is another huge boulder called Le Champignon. The road continues and descends into the valley. Constantly following the road to the right, you arrive at a cavity between the boulders. This place is called Ménage de la Vierge, after the shape of the stones reminiscent of pots and pans with some imagination. Descending along the river, the Sentier des Amoureux leads to the Grotte and Fontaine d'Artus, it is said to be the residence of King Arthur. The road continues to the middle of the forest situated 'Mare aux Sangliers', a quiet, mysterious lake surrounded by boulders. The road that turns left at the Grotte d'Artus leads you to the remains of an army station, known here as 'Camp d'Artus.. A double wall encloses an area that archaeologists claim to be dealing here with an Iron Age fortification. The farmers in the past, now rather the tourist office in the area tell us that the Camp d'Artus is haunted; at night people hear crying and the farmers warn everyone not to come here after sunset. We are now at dusk, secretive it is certainly but unfortunately real spirits do not show themselves.
Rivière d'Argent and Le Gouffre
We've strayed far from the river by now. Descending back and crossing the road you reach the path of the canal. A branch of the Argent Riviere leading to the old silver mine. Another such imaginative past. This was once an industrial area where silver was extracted. We walk to Le Gouffre, the place where according to legend Dahut, son of King Gradlon 'faisait étrangler ses amants avant de jeter leurs corps dans ce précipice'. Stories keep coming, but we must go back before the darkness swallows us up.. We climb out of the 'Gouffre' and return to Huelgoat via the paved road.
Strange stories, myths and legends are peculiar to the region. And I must say that the impressive oak forest, the dark valleys and the immense boulders really appeal to the imagination. So, is it just imagination or is there more going on here?
Practical information
The Parc Naturel Régional d'Armorique in the Finistère region (West Brittany) was founded in 1969 and is one of the 27 regional nature parks in France.. The park covers 172,000 hectares and stretches from the Presqu'île de Crozon peninsula, south of Brest, to the Monts d'Arrée, just below Morlaix. You will find a variety of landscapes here: forests (Huelgoat), moorlands, hedge landscapes and of course rock coasts. The region is dotted with menhirs, dolmens and other megaliths. The park offers several tourist attractions (ecological museums, abbeys, old Breton dwellings, churches and crossroads) and despite the tourism you will hardly meet other people on the hiking routes. #brittany
