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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