Paris1972-Versailles2003

Another wonderful monument to see riding along the D34 in Côtes d’Armor dept 22 of my beautiful Bretagne. This is at Cap Fréhel or some would say Plévenon. A wonderful cape at the end of the lands of Brittany facing the English anglo normand islands.

The town of Fréhel is known that started when text tells us that an abbey existed on the mound where the New Bourg was built in 1870. Under the name of Glayo abbey, it was cited in 1159 as a dependent of the Saint-Aubin des Bois abbey by cession of the Saint-Jacut abbey

In the town the main place and wonderful place to be is the seaside resort of Sables-d’Or-les-Pins ( see post)  created in the 1920s on the dunes along the great Minieu bay between Pléhérel Plage and Plurien. On August 14, 1944, a task force of the 28th American Infantry Division was tasked with attacking the nazis forces occupying Cap Fréhel. They arrived in Plévenon in the evening. The next day, August 15, with the help of FFI resistance fighters, it attacked the Frosh aerial reconnaissance station. The nazis surrendered around noon.

The Cap Fréhel or cape is a point of pink sandstone with a tormented relief that separates the bay of Saint-Brieuc to the east from the Bay of Saint-Malo, on the Channel coast. It is located in the town of Plévenon and not on the adjacent one of Fréhel, as the name of the latter might suggest. This cape is one of the most impressive in Brittany: the cliff dominates the sea from around 70 meters. The spectacular red cliffs show red sandstone dipping shallowly to the west and which is sometimes cut by large veins of diorite which rise almost vertically. Located 8.5 km from the center of Fréhel and 4 km from the center of Plévenon, access is via a coastal road D34, either from the east, passing near Fort La Latte ( see post), or from Sables- d’Or-les-Pins, (see post) to the west On a clear day you can see the Channel Island of Jersey. The wonderful beaches here are several such as the cove of Sévignés (at the foot of the cliffs of the cape), the Fosse (accessible by going down the dunes), or even the Grèves d’en Bas a recognized surf spot.

The old lighthouse or Vauban tower, in granite, was built under Louis XIV in 1701 by one of Vauban’s disciples, Jean-Siméon Garangeau. A more modern and taller lighthouse was built between 1845 and 1847, in place of the current one. It was electrified in 1886. Nazis troops destroyed it in August 1944. The current lighthouse, rebuilt in 1946, was inaugurated in 1950; with 32 meters high, its lantern dominates the sea from 103 meters. On a clear day, its light is visible more than 100 kilometers away.

In May 1694, Vauban inspected the northern coasts of Brittany and proposed the construction of a tower to warn of attacks by the English fleet. Around 1840, Léonce Reynaud, in front of the state of the building, plans to build a new octagonal tower 22 meters high that can support a Fresnel lens. Range of fire increases to 25 miles.

During WWII, the lighthouse served as an observation post for the Nazis army which dynamited the lighthouse on August 11, 1944. Only the old Vauban tower remained standing and supported a temporary fire until 1950. Begun in 1946, the construction of the current lighthouse is completed by the lighting of the fire on July 1, 1950. The electrification by the network is done simultaneously.

A small building is also built at the end of the cape, it is the mist siren.

The town of Plévenon in French: http://www.plevenon.fr/

The dept 22 Côtes d’Armor on the Cap Fréhel area: https://www.visitcotesdarmor.com/Explore/Iconic-sites/Cape-Frehel-Cape-of-Erquy

The tourist office of Bretagne on cap Fréhel and Fort de Latte: https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/cap-frehel-saint-malo-mont-saint-michel-bay/cap-frehel-and-fort-la-latte/

The DIRM Ministry of the Seas, on lighthouses such as this Cap Fréhel in French: http://www.dirm.nord-atlantique-manche-ouest.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/phare-du-cap-frehel-a131.html

The lighthouses of France on Cap Fréhel in French: http://www.pharesdefrance.fr/index.php/les-phares-a-voir/bretagne-pays-de-la-loire/phare-de-cap-frehel

And there you go a wonderful spot on my Bretagne and a beautiful lighthouse or phare! A nice place to visit me think, and beautiful views over the cliffs! Hope you enjoy the the tour.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Ok so we were in our best road warrior mode as was able to drive out and visit other areas. Sometimes we held back as even if can go many places are closed or in limited schedules in my belle France. Not the case in the dept 22 of the Côtes d’Armor in my beautiful Bretagne.

We set out from home but stop for lunch in Pontivy (see post) and from there continue to Cap Fréhel and surroundings! Beautiful area that had just bypassed rather quickly in the past. The lovely trip took us to the department road D34 along the ocean wonderful ride free soul, glorious road warrior trip, the best.

OF course, we stop, saw smell and took pictures that had not done before. However, the best was the car ride, the very best to go where others can’t fast and comfortable and again the D34 is gorgeous my pictures do not give full credit to it.

Let me share what the official tourist sites shows and my own points here on the scenic D34 department road.

From Fort-la-Latte,(see next post)  it is possible to reach the tip of the cape via the hiking trail along the Anse des Sévignés. Fantastic beach at low tide with difficult to access. This can be seen from the D34 department road. But before arriving at Fort-la-Latte, you will have bypassed the Baie de la Fresnaye, it borders the east coast of the cape, after Saint-Cast-le-Guildo. You can drive along its left bank, the small road will join the main route to the cape a little further. Before entering this road on the bank along the cape, you can turn left towards the small river of Frémur and its beautiful Chapel of Saint-Sébastien, Gothic, dating from 1536. The Château de Varouault, nearby, is worth the glance in passing. By road or by the sentier des douaniers path along the coast for about 5 km, you will arrive at one of the ends of the Emerald Coast. Cap Fréhel via the D34, here nature reigns supreme. No human construction. We are along , we breathe pure air. The pink of the cliffs is supported by the pink of lavender. The end of the cape being covered with a thick moor, the whole forming a very typical Breton landscape and conducive to legends! Cap Fréhel offers one of the most magnificent natural landscapes of the Côtes d’Armor ; that of a tongue of land tanned by the winds and covered with a low moor, which seems as if suspended seventy meters above the mountains. With its large pink cliffs, Cap Fréhel forms an essential natural and historical ensemble during a visit to northern Brittany.

In good weather, the eye looks from this promontory to the Channel Islands. Bird sanctuary, Cap Fréhel is a delight for lovers of iodized walks thanks to the path that goes around it. There are two lighthouses at the end of Cap Fréhel. Vauban at the end of the 18C, and the new one in 1950 built the old fortified lighthouse. Its lamp spins 103 meters above the sea, and is visible 110 km away. Great view from the top of the lighthouse, especially on a clear day. Many painters have let themselves be won over by these bewitching landscapes, both by the sunsets and the morning mists. The cape ,and its islands is an important ornithological reserve, and from the hiking trails, you can even see penguins (rare in France). West of Cap Fréhel, towards Saint-Brieuc (see post) by the D34, the Emerald Coast road with its capes, beaches, sensational coves, and hiking trails, is incredibly beautiful, especially in the summer after 16h, when the colors turn orange-red. The plage du Croc beach in Pleherel and its beautiful dunes is very beautiful. The church of the Old Town, next door, is worth a stop. Pass the Sables d’Or les Pins beach, or Grande Plage, the site was already inhabited in the 2C, since the remains of Gallo-Roman thermal baths can be visited there. Very beautiful seaside resort with its large beach, this village was built for tourism between 1922 and 1924. Large villas in Anglo-Norman style, and others more art-deco line the coast. The city grew very quickly during the Roaring Twenties and its growth stopped dead at the time of the 1929 crisis, which explains the feeling of unfinished business in Sables-d’Or. The magnificent Saint-Michel islet and its 1881 chapel are accessible at low tide.

Find the D786 then the D34 towards Erquy this port is the first for scallop and prairie fishing. Erquy offers the architectural charms of its many pink sandstone houses. Jointly, the Erquy and Fréhel capes have joined the network of major sites in France. Erquy offers some very beautiful walks, and first and foremost at Cap d’Erquy with colors a little similar to those of Cap Fréhel. One can also see on the cape the ruins of a fort, and a ball oven. Admire the Château de Bienassis, built in 1400 but was partly destroyed during the wars of the League. It was confiscated during the French revolution then transformed into a prison, then acquired by the family who still own it since 1876. Inhabited, the castle can nevertheless be visited. The castle’s pink granite mass is surprising. The interior was renovated in the 19C.

A trip by car that I recommend to all lovers of the free road! The D34 we will be back for more time and already one of our best pretty areas of my beautiful Bretagne. Hope you enjoy the ride and walks, and bike rides.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So we went after Pontivy to Cap Fréhel and found this, Sables-d’Or-les-Pins , a wonderful beautiful place we should be back for more! We were amaze of the scenery and the beach Grande Plage or big beach there and the typical anglo normand architecture.

Sables-d’Or-les-Pins is a seaside resort located in the Côte de Penthièvre, in the towns of Fréhel and Plurien. It is mainly built on dunes leveled when the resort was created. , on a coastal spit at the mouth of the Islet river. It extends on a hill rising towards the plateau on which a golf course has been established. If the beach is so beautiful, you should know that it has formed an immense dune space, sculpted by the wind and the weather … As you walk along the beach, you will see that it continues in a surprising point of sand ! Locals will tell you that here it is nicknamed “the dune spit”.

Large family beach of fine sand of 3 km with a view of the Saint-Michel d’Erquy islet. At the end of the beach on the left, the Pointe de la Flèche Dunaire opens onto the small beach facing south towards the Sables d’Or les Pins marsh. This marsh fluctuates according to the tides. At low tide, a nice playground for children, sand as far as the eye can see. At high tide, children can splash around in the water. This beach is sheltered from the wind.

At the end of the day, escape into the alleys surrounded by beautiful and old villas built in 1922. These Anglo-Norman houses were designed to attract English customers and to compete with the Deauville resort. Today you can still admire the architecture and splendor of these large buildings, which date back to the Belle Epoque period.

A tourism guide to Sables-d’Or-les-Pins: http://www.sablesdorlespins.com/visite-guidee.html

The tourist office of dept 22 Côtes d’Armor: https://www.visitcotesdarmor.com/Explore/Iconic-sites/Cape-Frehel-Cape-of-Erquy

The tourist office of Bretagne on Cap Fréhel, and al. https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/cap-frehel-saint-malo-mont-saint-michel-bay/cap-frehel-and-fort-la-latte/

The town of Fréhel is in the Côtes-d’Armor department 22 of the region of Bretagne. It is known that started when text tells us that an abbey existed on the mound where the New Bourg was built in 1870. Under the name of Glayo abbey, it was cited in 1159 as a dependent of the Saint-Aubin des Bois abbey by cession of the Saint-Jacut abbey

In the town the main place and wonderful place to be is the seaside resort of Sables-d’Or-les-Pins: created in the 1920s on the dunes along the great Minieu bay between Pléhérel Plage and Plurien. On August 14, 1944, a task force of the 28th American Infantry Division was tasked with attacking the nazis forces occupying Cap Fréhel. They arrived in Plévenon in the evening. The next day, August 15, with the help of FFI resistance fighters, it attacked the Frosh aerial reconnaissance station. The nazis surrendered around noon.

This is a wonderful beautiful area which you can tell we like a lot and will be back with more time. It always amaze me the beauty of my belle France and especially beautiful Bretagne and its coast. Hope you enjoy the tour.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!