Archive for February 1st, 2023

February 1, 2023

The Château de Suscinio of Sarzeau , part III

This is a wonderful medieval castle once residence of the Dukes of Brittany, and is about an hour from my house.  I have written on it before in my blog, but found some pictures in my vault that should be in my blog, so therefore, here is my third take on the Château de Suscinio of Sarzeau, part III. Hope you enjoy it as I.

sus castle left side exterior nov18

Sus castle side right aug11

The Château de Suscinio part of the town of Sarzeau in the Rhuys peninsula!   We came to see the area, even thinking for a while of  purchasing a home here. The castle is in my beautiful Morbihan dept 56 of my lovely Bretagne and in my belle France. I have plenty of text on its history and construction so this post will be more of a pictorial of pictures that needd to be in my blog.

sus castle porch main entrance nov18

The Château de Suscinio ; manor then residence of pleasure of the Dukes of Brittany, this castle breathes its 8 centuries of History and adventures! You will come to it at the last moment, in a bend between pretty thatched cottages. Its location is amazing: the castle surrounded by marshes and woods has a sea view, more precisely on the cove of Landrezac. In the 13C, Suscinio was a priory around which an agricultural estate developed. It grew under the impetus of the Dukes of Brittany who set up a first manor there. This was then redesigned and enlarged to become the princely residence visible today. At the time, it was the favorite residence of the Dukes of Brittany and Anne of Brittany. Its vast enclosure is surrounded by moats and flanked by 6 towers. Travel back in time by visiting the grand Logis, the walkway, the 15C dwelling. and an extraordinary medieval pavement.

sus castle garde robe of the duke nov18

sus castle grand halle room deco on left side room nov18

Well known to walkers and families, the Château de Suscinio will amaze you during a walk. The surroundings are also conducive to daydreaming, chivalrous games and photography. The plage de Suscinio beach is a beautiful beach with many possibilities. The place is pleasant and allows everyone to relax, swim, put their feet in the water… The beach is also very popular in the summer. It is also a beautiful iodized walk in all seasons.

sus castle room of rest of duke nov18

The official Château de Suscinio: https://www.suscinio.fr/en/

The city of Sarzeau on its history/heritage :https://www.sarzeau.fr/histoire-de-la-ville-2/

The Morbihan dept 56 tourist office on the castle : https://www.morbihan.com/accueil/decouvrir/le-morbihan/les-incontournables/le-chateau-de-suscinio

There you go folks, another wonderful castle in my beautiful Morbihan and my lovely Bretagne. The Château de Suscinio has plenty in my blog and pictures; this one is on some pictures left out which should be in my blog. Hope you enjoy the sequel as I

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

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February 1, 2023

The presqu’Île de Rhuys Peninsula !!!

I live in the beautiful department 56 Morbihan in the lovely region of Bretagne, and in my belle France. We have inland towns of great historical interest and many coastal towns of equal importance and distance. I live about 22 km or about 14 miles from the coast of the Morbihan. In our department there are two major peninsulas, one is Quiberon and the other is Rhuys, the one I will like to tell you a bit more today. This is an update on text and links of an older post ;therefore will be on my black and white series, no pictures, Hope you enjoy it as I

There are towns and beach towns and there are harbors in towns; all is of course surrounded by water and beautiful beaches. We have even rode tandem bikes here from Port du Crouesty to Port de Navalo. This was and is an introduction to the peninsula of Rhuys and do read my many other posts on it, thanks, The main town here is Sarzeau located by the Gulf of Morbihan and the Atlantic Ocean. It is limited to the west by the towns of Arzon and Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, to the northeast by that of Saint-Armel and to the southeast by that of the Tour-du-Parc; to the north by the Gulf of Morbihan and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. With more than 65 km of coastline, Sarzeau is one of the towns of Brittany and even France that have the longest coastline.

It has several islands outlying in its territory such as the île des Oeufs or Egg Island, a tiny boulder with a farmhouse, is located off the tip of the Ruault, south of Iluric Island . It has a maximum altitude of 4 meters. Godec Island, although separated from Sarzeau by a deep channel, is also attached to Sarzeau. It is a low island surrounded by oyster parks that separates it from Huric.  Stibiden Island, with an area of 8 hectares, comprises several granite buildings. Highest (11 meters)  Govihan Island, off the Port de Logeo, is the largest in the town. A group of houses is located to the southeast. It is one of the few islands in the Gulf to have as many beaches as rocks.  Brannec Island has two recent houses, facing the Ile aux Moines.  All of them are private properties. If once Ilur, while attached to the mainland, was the seat of a large parish which covered the territory of Sarzeau and far beyond , it has been attached to Arz  island since the 16C.

Things to see in Sarzeau are

 The castle of Suscinio (see post)  is the main historical monument of Sarzeau. Several castles in the area the better ones in my opinion are the Kerlevénan Castle (18C),(call ahead for hours); Chinese pavilion, family Chapel and English garden. Those of Neret, and Kergeorget, also built on the shores of the Gulf, date from the same period. The Château de Truscat, of 1702, redesigned towards 1830 at the site of a 16C manor, after 1850, the work of embellissment continued. The 17C Chapel. The castle is in the middle of a beautiful park at the edge of the gulf with century-old trees; It belongs to the descendants of the Francheville for more than five centuries. In 1815, General Bernadotte, the future king of Sweden (and today descendants), presided over the feast of Pacification. A friend of Jules de Francheville, Frédéric Ozanam stayed there often. Also, has several megaliths or stones the best one in my opinion is the menhir of Kermaillard there are dolmens in Brillac (Er Roh), in Kergillet (Lannek Er Men) and two other large menhirs lying down, one in Largueven, the other, named Men Heol, near the town Villeneuve. Churches and Chapels abound, the best ones in my opinion are Notre-Dame-de-la-Côte ,Chapel from 17C and 19C built in Penvins between land and sea. Saint-Saturnin church built in the 17C nearby, the Abbaye Saint-Gildas de Rhuys 11C. Several beaches as well, the best in my opinion is the Le Roaliguen, beach on the ocean located south of Sarzeau, forms with that of Kerfontaine to the west and those of Landrezac and Penvins to the east a ribbon of sand 12 km long.

The Château de Suscinio, built at the end of the Middle Ages (in the 13C and in the second half of the 14C), residence of the Dukes of Brittany, is located on the edge of Mor Braz (Atlantic Ocean) in the town of Sarzeau, A wonderful place with nice arts exhibits and in a quaint village outside the city limits of Sarzeau. The castle of Suscinio, girded with moats deep of 3 -4 meters, affects the shape of an irregular quadrilateral flanked by seven towers, including a quadrangular defending the West curtain. These towers as well as the towerettes that it commands are in their low bases, essentially vestiges of the 13C castle.

The City of Sarzeau on its history : https://www.sarzeau.fr/histoire-de-la-ville-2/

The offficial Château de Suscinio : https://www.suscinio.fr/en/

I move on to the wonderful ports or harbors of the Rhuys peninsula, the best ones in my opinion.

The port du Crouesty(see posts) is a marina created in 1973 on the site of a marshy area located at the entrance to the Gulf of Morbihan on the territory of the town of Arzon. Today the marina, which has recently been enlarged, can house more than 1 500 pleasure boats on pontoons making it the largest marina in Brittany. A thalassotherapy center is located near the port.

The official Port du Crouesty: https://port-du-crouesty.com/

The Port de Navalo (see posts) is a former coastal fishing port dating from the early 20C. It is located in the town of Arzon, in the Morbihan Department of Brittany. Located on the Rhuys Peninsula on the northern edge of Mor Braz (Atlantic ocean) and at the entrance to the Gulf of Morbihan, this coastal resort offers a panorama of Quiberon and Locmariaquer as well as the interior of the Gulf. The lighthouse of the pointe of Port Navalo; since 1840, a lighthouse indicates the entrance to the Gulf of Morbihan. The current lighthouse dates from 1891.

The City of Arzon on Port de Navalo :https://www.ports-arzon.fr/page/port-navalo

And the other city that controls the harbor such as Navalo and Crouesty is Arzon.

Arzon (see posts) is located at the end of the peninsula of Rhuys, it is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Morbihan, to the south by the Bay of Quiberon, western part of Mor Braz (Atlantic ocean), and to the east by the town of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys. The town has two seaside resorts of very different character: Port-Navalo dating from the beginning of the 20C; the Crouesty, modern seaside resort, in constant development since 1973 and until today, built around the largest marina of the Breton coast.   Right at the end of the peninsula Rhuys it has several points or ending cliffs to the ocean, with great views some of the best are Pointe du Béché; Pointe de Benin; Pointe de Bilgroix: Point of Kerners; Pointe du Monteno; Pointe de Penbert; and Pointe de Saint-Nicolas. Other sites worth a detour are the Notre Dame de l’Assumption Church. The mound of Tumiac;, also called “hill of Céasar” the alignment of Kerjouanno; The cairn of the Petit Mont; The Cromlech of Er Lannic with double enclosure. As well as the tomb of the Little Moss (petite Mousse) ; Text of the memorial plaque: “on October 2, 1859, near Port-Navalo, the Sea rejects a corpse that has stayed for more than two months in the water and that no one can recognize. He is a man of thirty years… On the waistcoat and trousers, copper buttons with anchors and cannons”……Go figure it!

Well for the right time in Summers this is heavens planning is a must as it can be loaded ,some of my favorites beaches are the  plage du Fogeo-Kerjouanno,  plage du Kerver, (see posts) plage de Port-Sable , plage de Port-Lenn, Plage des 3 Fontaines, and plage du Tréno. The cairn of the Petit Mont(see post);It houses a monumental ensemble composed of two adjoining Cairns, built in several phases during the Neolithic era, and two dolmens whose rooms are richly decorated with engravings. it faces the island of Houat. The view from its top allows to embrace almost the entire Bay of Quiberon. 

The City of Arzon and its beaches : https://www.arzon.fr/les-plages/

The official Cairn of petit mont of Arzonhttps://cairndepetitmont.com/en/discover/

The local Gulf of Morbihan on the Rhuys peninsula: https://www.golfedumorbihan.bzh/explorer-vannes/decouvrir-vannes/golfe-morbihan/presquile-rhuys/

The Morbihan dept 56 tourist office on the Rhuys peninsula: https://www.morbihan.com/accueil/decouvrir/le-morbihan/les-principales-destinations/presqu-ile-de-rhuys

There you go folks, there you go on a world of its own , Rhuys Peninsula, enclosed by three bodies of water, therefore a peninsula.  Wonderful world, even in winter. You should check it out , worth the detour indeed. Again, hope you enjoy the post as I,

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

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February 1, 2023

The sights of Port Navalo !!!

This is the gorgeous presqu’île de Rhuys peninsula in my beautiful Morbihan of my lovely Bretagne in my belle France. I come here often to the wonderful Port Navalo. Again, I found me some older pictures not yet in my blog and they should, Therefore, here is a bit more on the sights of Port Navalo ; hope you enjoy the post as I

Let me tell you, this is a harbor area with the sea, beaches, boats of all sorts and great seafood restaurant to boot. We love it!!! It is about an hour from my house. I have written before on Port Navalo as said we come here often even to ride tandem bikes!  You take the expressway N165 from Vannes along the Nantes Brest axis,direction Nantes   and get off at exit or sortie Sarzeau, Rhuys on the road D780, all the way to the end.

The Grande Plage de Port-Navalo ; which is ,also, the best. aka  Port Blanc plage:. Located on the tip of the Rhuys peninsula, this pleasant sandy beach is particularly popular with families. The services nearby are numerous: parking, first aid station, picnic tables, restaurants, beach clubs and playground. Little extra: The Breizh Sable Tour stops here every year for a week to introduce children to the art of sand sculpture free of charge.

Port Navalo grande plage and rocks sep12

I have told you about the La Grande Cale resto on 29 rue Général de Gaulle which is actually sitting between the big beach and the port walking distance leaisurely easy. A pleasure to tell you, good food and great views.

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This Port Navalo port also hosts five maritime transport companies offering the possibility of carrying out cruises on the Gulf of Morbihan, with or without stopovers, to Île aux Moines, Île d’Arz, Gavrinis and the Auray River. Other destinations such as Belle-île-en-mer, Houat and Hoëdic are also possible from Port-Navalo. Some companies also offer regular crossings between Port-Navalo and Locmariaquer from April to the end of September.

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Port Navalo harbor inner bay aug11

The Pointe de Bilgroix dolmen looks like a long corridor about 10 meters long, on which only a single cover stone rests, enclosed in a restored cairn of dry stones established in two successive facings . A vertical slab closes the corridor to the west. The monument dates from prehistoric times, around 2700 BC., The Pointe de Bilgroix or tip of Belgroix is exposed to the winds, offers a 180 degree view of the Gulf of Morbihan. On one side the entrance and on the other the islands and the currents of the Gulf of Morbihan. At this point is a granite statue of Sainte Anne (Patroness of Brittany), erected on July 26, 1988.

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You take the coastal path on foot leaving the Logeo, the coastal path passes over the dyke of the Pen Castel mill, one of the most beautiful tide mills in Brittany. The path then runs through a succession of classified tips like St Nicolas, Kerners, Penbert, Le Monteno, Bilgroix, and opens up different perspectives on the Gulf of Morbihan and the islands. On the way you can observe several megaliths, such as the tumulus called “Butte de Tumiac” aka “Butte de César” or the covered alley of Graniol north of the town of Arzon. After skirting the tips you will reach the bay of Port Navalo and its traditional port. Once animated by fishing, it is now a holiday resort. The view dominates the currents of the narrow inlet that marks the entrance to the gulf and its islands that close the horizon. Opposite, you can see the shores of Locmariaquer. After rounding the tip of Port Navalo, your steps will lead you to the Chemin du Petit Mousse, named after the tomb where an unidentified young sailor whose body was washed up on the coast is believed to be buried. And I am not a walker but this is a wonderful path to take, very nice views !

The ports of Arzon on port Navalohttps://www.ports-arzon.fr/page/port-navalo

The tidal waves info on Port Navalo: http://maree.info/104

My fav beach site plages tv on the main beach of Port Navalo: https://en.plages.tv/detail/port-navalo-beach-arzon-56640

The Morbihan dept 56 tourist office on the Grande Cale restohttps://www.morbihan.com/arzon/restaurant-la-grande-cale/tabid/12660/offreid/60fc30a9-f887-42fc-a8f2-cf63f12bace1

The RestaurantGuru reviews on the Grande Cale restohttps://restaurantguru.com/La-Grande-Cale-Arzon

There you go folks, a wonderful place to be especially in Summers, You should stop by  Port Navalo in Arzon, in the Rhuys peninsula of my beautiful Morbihan. Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

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