Page 76 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

74  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION

throughout Europe. This the main building is mostly
former wealth can be seen in the 18th-century, with 13th-
houses of the town’s historical century towers.
middle class – handsome granite
buildings of uniform design. + Château de Caradeuc
Tel (02) 99 66 81 10. Open Park only:
Environs Jul–Aug: pm daily. &
The Château de Caradeuc, + Château de Montmuran
1 km (0.5 mile) west of Bécherel, Tel (02) 99 45 88 88. Open Jun–Sep:
once belonged to L. R. de Sun–Fri pm. 8 obligatory. &
Caradeuc La Chalotais (1701–
85), Attorney-General of the
Breton parliament and a heroic e Tinténiac
figure in Breton resistance to Road map E2. 30 km (19 miles) north
centralized French government. of Rennes via the D137 then the D20.
Built in the 18th century, * 2,500. ( Wed.
The locks at Hédé, still manually the chateau has an elegant
operated Regency façade and is set in a This small town is associated
lovely park. with the Chevalier de Tinténiac,
q Hédé-Bazouges Les Iffs, 6 km (4 miles) east who fought alongside the
of Bécherel, is named after the Chouans (see p52). The Musée
Road map E2. 14 km (9 miles)
south of Combourg on the D795. 100-year-old yew trees (ifs) in its de l’Outil et des Métiers,
* 1,930. n Town Hall; (02) 99 45 parish close. The church here, located on the canalside,
46 18. ( Tue. built in Flamboyant contains collections of tools
Gothic style, has nine used for rope-making,
Gustave Flaubert described the beautiful stained- harness-making,
valley in which Hédé is located glass windows. The blacksmithing, barrel-
as “wide, beautiful and fertile, Fontaine St-Fiacre, making and other rural
broad vista of greenery and just outside Les Iffs crafts. The church was
trees”. Of Hédé’s castle, only a on its northern completely rebuilt in
part of the walls and one side side, is a spring the Byzantine style at
of the keep remain. The church, that was en closed the beginning of the
built in the 11th century, is in in the 15th century. 20th century.
the early Romanesque style. In time of drought,
La Madeleine, 1 km (0.5 mile) pilgrims would Environs
north of Hédé, is the starting come here to pray The Château de La
point of the Promenade des for rain. Clogs, Musée de l’Outil et Motte-Beaumanoir,
Onze-Écluses, a delectably The Château de des Métiers, Tinténiac 12 km (8 miles) north
bucolic walk along the Ille-et- Montmuran, on the of Tinténiac, has been
Rance canal, which has a flight of road to Tinténiac, has rebuilt many times and is now
11 locks with a 27-m (88-ft) rise. associations with Bertrand a hotel. The façade gives an
du Guesclin, who was knighted idea of its appearance in the
in its chapel in 1354. The 15th century: the main part of
w Bécherel gatehouse, with original the castle is a two-storey
portcullis, is 14th-century, while building with a corner tower
Road map E2. 17 km (10.5 miles)
north of Monfort via the D72, D70 and
D20. * 670. n 4 Route de Montfort;
(02) 99 66 65 65. _ Fête du Livre
Ancien (Easter weekend).
∑ becherel.com
With a wealth of antiquarian
booksellers, second-hand book
dealers, bookbinders and
bookshops, Bécherel has both
a literary and a medieval
atmosphere. The castle, built
in 1124 and now in ruins, was
wrested from the English by
Bertrand du Guesclin in 1374
after a 15-month siege. In the
17th and 18th centuries, the
town prospered from the linen
and hemp trade, exporting cloth Le Seanachi, one of many antiquarian bookshops in Bécherel
For hotels and restaurants see pp224–5 and pp234–5

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