I need to write again about Vannes. If you have read my blog you know that I have done a load of posts on the city, and for good reasons. It is the capital of my department 56 Morbihan in my lovely Bretagne. And you ,also, should have read that Vannes is Gwened in the Breton language; that Bretagne/Brittany is Breizh and that the Morbihan is the only department (state/province etc) of France which the name is not French ; it is Breton as Mor=sea bihan=small or should be Petite Mer but no way it is Morbihan ! You, also, would have read I worked and live not far at about 27 km . Ok now for the new stuff lol!!
The city of Vannes is a port, a pleasure marina and the out ins of the Gulf of Morbihan;one of the world’s best bays and beautiful I must add. So let me tell you a bit on the sea, and port side of the water in Vannes. We had the old bridge that took us from Vannes to Séné easy and now we have the tunnel ,easier! The Pont de Kérino is a swing bridge crossing the channel of the port of Vannes downstream of a lock gate. The city of Vannes decided to replace it with a tunnel; the Tunnel de Kérino. The bridge was inaugurated in 1988 ,and now you can walk across it , the vehicles go on the tunnel.
The Tunnel de Kerino or Kérino underpass is an underwater road, cycling and pedestrian tunnel This structure, intended to cross the Marle river, is located at the mouth of the channel connecting the town’s marina to the Gulf of Morbihan. It is intended to smooth the road traffic between the two banks of the Marle to the south and to relieve the Place Gambetta located at the north end of the channel, junction between the marina at Le Port , and the historic center. The tunnel of Kérino was opened to motor vehicles on June 24, 2016. On July 26, 2016, the tunnel is open to pedestrians and cyclists. The tunnel is dug a few meters downstream from the current Kérino bridge. It has a length of 250 meters and has two passages separated by a partition, one for motor traffic in both directions, the other for gentle travel modes (cycle track and sidewalk).
The Calvary of Kerino is a religious monument of granite and kersantite erected at the entrance to the port of Vannes It is located on the Butte de Kérino or hill, an elevation of the left bank of the channel of the marina, 150 meters upstream from the Pont de Kérino. The monument looks like a cross calvary, erected on a rectangular base, the central part of which represents an altar. On the cross, on either side of the square barrel, are the statues of Saint Patern and Saint Vincent Ferrier, the Patron Saints of the city of Vannes. The center of the cross features the coat of arms of Vannes. The cross that crowns the barrel is decorated with a Christ on the Cross at the front, and a Virgin and Child at the back. The monument is 6.25 meters high. The Calvary of Kerino was inaugurated on December 7, 1913. It was the subject of important pilgrimages in favor of peace and the return of prisoners during WWI or the Great War.
The port of Vannes is a commercial port, a passenger port and a marina located north of the Gulf of Morbihan along a 1,200 meters channel in a south-north direction, which leads the boats from the commercial port of Pont-Vert in the floating basin, at the foot of the Porte de Saint-Vincent gate (see post), gateway to the old town section of Vannes.
The attested presence of a port in its current location dates back to the end of the 14C although research has demonstrated the existence of a port from the 1C AD at the foot of the first city during the Roman occupation: Darioritum, civitas of the Vénètes; now Vannes or Gwened (Breton). The current look of the port of Vannes and its district dates from the end of the 2000s when new equipment and renovations were done with the set up of a harbor office, cultural kiosk, tourist office, underground parking; and the beautification of the place with the creation of an esplanade on the right bank and the planting of paths of trees along the two banks.
The Commercial Port is located just upstream of the Pont de Kérino swing bridge, infrastructure that allows vehicles to reach the east of the city towards the commercial innovation park of Bretagne Sud and the city of Séné in order to relieve traffic in the center. The quays of the commercial port welcome the goods which arrive in Vannes after having crossed the Gulf of Morbihan. Due to a complex topography, a weak tidal range and the presence of strong currents in the Gulf, it It is difficult for large ships to venture to a town like Vannes, located more than 15 km from the Atlantic coast.
At the exit of the marina, the Parc du Golfe is the starting point for boat cruises trips. AtPlace Gambetta, a hemispherical square, marks the end of the port of Vannes and puts it in contact with the historic center by the Porte Sa;int-Vincent gate. Located on the right bank of the port, the promenade de la Rabine is made up of a long avenue of trees which stretches for almost 800 meters between the port esplanade to the north and the quays of the commercial port to the south.
The city of Vannes on the Pont de Kerino : https://www.mairie-vannes.fr/pont-de-kerino
The Ports of call on the port of Vannes : https://www.passeportescales.com/fr/port-vannes
The Morbihan dept 56 tourist office on boat cruises : https://www.morbihan.com/accueil/cote-mer/que-faire-cotes-et-mer-/prenez-le-large-les-croisieres-et-traversees/compagnies-maritimes
The Gulf of Morbihan tourist office on cruises from Vannes : https://www.golfedumorbihan.bzh/explorer-vannes/activites-vannes/croisieres-traversees/
There you go folks, we walked all of the above so its very easy… and you get to see these monuments and views that are just awesome. Hope you have enjoy the Vannes and the sea post and maybe see you around Vannes someday!! The sea is all around us here one way or the other and we like it
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 