Page 95 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION  93

CÔTES D’ARMOR

It is on the Côtes d’Armor that the most timeless aspects
of Brittany are preserved. While jewel-like churches and
chapels hidden in remote hamlets express a profound piety,
a wealth of fine buildings stands as ample proof of material
riches derived from the linen trade. Here, also, are gentle landscapes
and thriving crops, as well as fishing harbours and pirates’ nests that
are now picturesque holiday resorts.

Majestic Cap Fréhel, on the Côte sail for Iceland: 2,000 of Paimpol’s
d’Émeraude, marks the eastern boundary fishermen never returned.
of the Côtes d’Armor, where pink lime­ For nature­lovers, the Île de Bréhat,
stone cliffs and windswept heath land which has an almost Mediterranean
create a striking land scape, and the coast microclimate, offers the opportunity to
is lined with beaches. enjoy scenic walks, while the Sept­Îles
The hinterland south of St­Brieuc is the archipelago is home to 15 species of
border between the Celtic, western part sea birds. On the Côte de Granit Rose,
of Brittany and Lower Brittany. Lamballe, outcrops of warm­toned granite eroded
east of St­Brieuc, marks a later boundary. by wind and rain create a striking sight.
It was once the capital of the duchy of With their attractive settings and many
Penthièvre, enemy of the house of beaches, resorts such as Perros­Guirec and
Brittany, and several fortresses were Trégastel throng with holiday­makers
built near here. during the summer. Inland, the heaths
While the historic towns of Quintin and of the Trégor give way to the fields and
Moncontour owe their rich heritage to the wooded valleys of ancient Argoat, whose
manufacture of linen cloth in the 17th and churches and calvaries reflect centuries
18th centuries, Paimpol, on the Côte du of religious faith. Tréguier, with a delicately
Goëlo, looks back to an illustrious past, ornamented Gothic cathedral, is one of
when courageous sea men left from here to the finest cities in Brittany.

Aerial view of sea mist on Brehat in the Côtes d’Armor
Overview of the old town of Dinan in the Côtes d’Armor

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