Paris1972-Versailles2003

There you go folks, on my road warrior ways again of my lovely Bretagne! I was going into new towns, new finds, and all beautiful! This town sure merits a return as soon as possible; lively ambiance, great beach, and nice monuments to see; what my belle France is all about! I just happened by chance near the plage val André (see post) to find this Chapel Notre Dame ,therefore , here is my take on it. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Again for reference,the town of Pléneuf-Val-André is located in the Côtes-d’Armor department 22 in my lovely Bretagne region. It is known as a family seaside resort, located on the east coast of the bay of Saint-Brieuc, known as the “Côte de Penthièvre”. 25 km east of Saint-Brieuc and 13 km north of Lamballe. This is our first time here and it was magical, we will be back !!

There is not much written on the Chapelle Notre Dame du Val André but it is worth the detour in city center of Pléneuf Val André! 

The Chapelle Notre Dame du Val-André is in the shape of a Latin cross, it includes a nave of four bays, one of which has a gallery, a transept on the north wing of which opens a gallery, and a choir on which opens the choir of nuns. It was built with the blessing of the first stone which took place on November 21, 1896, that of the chapel all finished on April 11, 1899. It houses a modern statue of Saint Yves, It was the former chapel of the Sisters of the Community of Jesus and Mary (now extinct), The statue by entrance of Saint Symphorien was done in August 2020.

The town of Pléneuf Val André on things to see/do ,other than the chapel: https://www.pleneuf-val-andre.fr/tourisme/

The local Cap d’Erguy Valandre tourist office on Pléneuf Val André : https://www.capderquy-valandre.com/en/pleneuf-val-andre

There you go folks, a nice find in city center Pléneuf Val André and across from the Casino and just steps from the plage Val Andre beach , a great combination indeed! This is the Chapelle Notre Dame du Val André; hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

There you go folks, on my road warrior ways again of my lovely Bretagne! I was going into new towns, new finds, and all beautiful! This town sure merits a return as soon as possible; lively ambiance, great beach, and nice monuments to see; what my belle France is all about! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The town of Pléneuf-Val-André is located in the Côtes-d’Armor department 22 in my lovely Bretagne region. It is known as a family seaside resort, located on the east coast of the bay of Saint-Brieuc, known as the “Côte de Penthièvre”. 25 km east of Saint-Brieuc and 13 km north of Lamballe. This is our first time here and it was magical, we will be back !!

In its seafront there are two marinas, Dahouët and port of Piégu, several beaches such as the large beach of Val-André or Grève de Saint-Symphorien and the rocky coast including to the west, the Pointe de la Guette, rocky coast sheltering the port of Dahouët and two small beaches; in the north, the Verdelet, an islet ;pebble fallen from the shoe of Gargantua says the legend, more concretely an island accessible at low tide of the important tides by his tombolo; shore fishing possible in the rocks at the base of the main rock which constitutes the ornithological reserve Edmond Tranin, the Pointe de Pléneuf, including the cliff of Château-Tanguy culminating at 72 meters, which extends the Verdelet; it leads to a small belvedere, facing the islet of Verdelet. a vast beach extending to Erquy and divided into several beaches such as the plage des Nantois , and the plage des Vallées, the most usually frequented.

In the Middle Ages, the Verdelet was a place of worship, an ecclesia under the jurisdiction of the bishops of Saint-Brieuc, then a monastic establishment was built there: a church dedicated to Saint-Michel, like the islet of the same name in Erquy ; both by proximity to Mont-Saint-Michel. According to two charters from 1132 and 1216, its name was Saint-Michel de la Roche-Tanguy: again in 1284, a cleric from La Roche-Tanguy was appointed by the bishop, rector of the parish of Saint -Martin de Lamballe, the Verdelet dependent on the priory of this parish , During the French revolution, the Verdelet became part of the town of Pléneuf,since August 28, 1792.

A first casino had been created in 1883 in an annex of the Hôtel de la Plage (Hotel du Casino). It was on April 22, 1934 that the Val-André casino, the Rotonde, opened on the seawall-promenade and also offered games rooms, a dance floor and a restaurant-bar. Its building is intertwined with that of a cinema. Tennis has played a role for several decades in the attractiveness of the resort Val-André has regularly hosted and still hosts tournaments on the ten courts of the Parc de l’Amirauté and the two indoor tennis courts the Pont-Gagnoux Sports Complex. The Pléneuf-Val-André golf course is an 18-hole course located in an exceptional natural setting (it is ranked among the most beautiful in Europe according to the Peugeot Golf Magazine U.S. guide), along the plage des Vallées beach.

The cairn of Ville-Pichard is located at a place called Ville-Pichard in the north of the town, The dolmenic cairn, now barely visible under the vegetation, was originally an elliptical monument quite imposing: 10 meters wide for the north-south axis and 25 meters long for the east-west axis, about 5 meters high. The port of Dahouët contributed much to the prosperity of Pléneuf; it currently participates with its heritage, its few shops and its port capacities in the tourist attraction of the town, The Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde is the guardian of this port; it is a large statue of the Virgin which is located on the path of the customs officers. The coastal footpath allows you to reach plage de Val-André beach (see post) in less than half an hour on a very pleasant route.

The Manoir de Vauclair: dating from the first part of the 16C, it underwent alterations in the 19C with the bakehouse,is more surely from the 18C, when the dovecote with four towers disappeared. The Church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, parish church built between 1889 and 1897. Presbytery, construction of 1767, enlarged in 1833, in the garden, a redentée cross from the 15C, bearing a carved decoration in half-relief. There is a wonderful Centre Nautique where all kinds of water sports can be practice and right on near city center and the lake La Flora.

The town of Pléneuf Val André on things to see/do : https://www.pleneuf-val-andre.fr/tourisme/

The local Cap d’Erguy Valandre tourist office on Pléneuf Val André : https://www.capderquy-valandre.com/en/pleneuf-val-andre

There you go folks, a myriads of wondertul things to see and do at Pléneuf Val André, a very nice place to visit for longer time and we are planning just that eventually. Hope you enjoy the curiosities of Pléneuf Val André as I

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

In my road warrior mode in my lovely Bretagne went north to the Côtes d’Armor dept 22 and saw some new wonders of my belle France. I had no time to go into city center Erquy and went by the Château de Bienassis, which was closed due to unusual hours as it is a private property. Nevertheless, will have an introduction now for a future closer look, worth the detour me think.

The town of Erquy occupies the bottom of a cove on the coast of Penthièvre between Cap d’Erquy, a natural site and the Pointe de La Houssaye, made up of the remains of a volcanic eruption. The port of Erquy, home to a flotilla of around 80 trawlers, is known as the capital” of scallops, fished in the bay of Saint-Brieuc. Cap d’Erquy, less known than its neighbor Cap Fréhel, offers beautiful landscapes and an exceptional view of the bay of Saint-Brieuc. This cape is located between two beaches: the cove of Port-Blanc, with its lifeboat shelter used in the 1960s and the east beach of Lourtuais Le Grand-Pourier.

However, I came to see the castle but has very defined hours so it was closed (privately own), nevertheless it is worth the detour and we will be back for the inside eventually, The Château de Bienassis (15-17C) was initially a 12C manor surrounded by a moat owned by the La Motte family ,It was occupied by the troops of the Duke of Mercœur during the League Wars at the end of the 16C, partly destroyed and rebuilt from 1620 passed to several families and Confiscated during the French revolution, it was used as a prison In 1796, it was later bought by General Jean Valletaux, French general of the French revolution, then General of the Empire and deputy of Côtes-du- Nord (old name of Côtes d’Armor). In 1880, the Le Pomellec family, of his descendants, sold it to Admiral Jules de Kerjégu, a great navigator. He settled there after having participated in all the great campaigns of his century: expeditions to Mexico, Crimea, China and Cochinchina. In the 21st century, it is still owned by the Kerjégu family.

The Château de Bienassis is a very complete set of stately homes. Access is via a bridge which succeeded the drawbridge over the moat surrounding the platforms on which the dwelling is confined with towers at the corners. A medieval part has a semi-outwork stair tower in one corner and an out-of-work tower in the other corner. The Renaissance part extends the old part to the west and houses a monumental two-flight staircase and a large living room on the ground floor. The fireplaces and staircases are from the 15C and 17C. A crenellated wall is the only remnant of the 15C enclosure. The corner towers and turrets of the wall were added in the 17C, when the castle was rebuilt. The castle is open to visitors: the furnished ground floor, the large living room, the guard room, the dining room (where you can admire porcelain from China, Japan and Bayeux, furniture from Louis XIV and Breton Renaissance style), the kitchen, the chapel, testify to a living house as well as its large avenue into the park, its wide moats, its ramparts, its main courtyard, its French garden, its vegetable garden and its forest park. Indeed looks nice worth the return.

The official Château de Bienassis: https://www.chateau-bienassis.com/

The town of Erquy on Bienassis castle : https://www.ville-erquy.com/culture-et-patrimoine/patrimoine/chateau-de-bienassis/

The Cap d’Erquy tourist office on Erquy : https://www.capderquy-valandre.com/en/erquy

There you go folks, a dandy road warrior ride into magical Côtes d’Armor in my lovely Bretagne. The Bienassis castle and Erquy are worth the return visit, eventually. Hope you have enjoy the post and the find!

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