GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE COTE DE GRANIT ROSE (The Pink Granite Coast)

This is a beautiful area of Brittany with a spectacular coastline, picturesque villages, towns, harbours and beaches. It has a distinctive charm of ever changing colours and light with a variety of different land and seascapes. Eroded over 300 million years, a landscape of astonishingly shaped granite boulders extending over almost 15 miles.

It is full of Celtic tradition and Breton festivals abound during the year. It is enchanting, magical and should be on your ‘Top 10 Places to Visit’. It will not disappoint you.

Sandy beaches, low rocky cliffs, literally hundreds of small islands, estuaries and inland lakes. Beautiful chateaux such as the Domaine de la Roche-Jagu perched above the River Trieux and the historic ruins of Abbaye de Beauport close to Paimpol.

The Pink Granite Coast is great for all outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, tennis, football and horse riding, fishsing and of course all water sports.

Plougrescant - Local Amenities
The coastal village of Plougrescant is a small closely knit community whose inhabitants work mainly in agriculture or fishing.
There are several useful shops all within 200m walking distance of Pebbles. The Bakery for croissants and baguettes also sells very good cakes. The ‘Proxy’ shop is a small but well stocked grocery store, which also has a cashpoint machine for withdrawing Euros. There is a good local butcher, a chemist shop, newsagents and a small ‘touristy’ shop selling buckets and spades, postcards and seaside souvenirs etc. The Post Office is next to the Marie (Town Hall) in the Market Place. There is a Tourist Information Office (Syndicat d’ Initiative) near the Market Place (and another in Penvenan market place) offering free walking maps and brochures for the many nearby tourist attractions. paysdetreguier.com

Local Features
The most famous local landmark in Plougrescant is the Chapel St Gonery, (named after a 13th Century English saint). It is close to the house and is instantly recognisable due to its unusual crooked spire. The chapel is a popular tourist attraction due to its ancient friezes and features. There is another church which is a much larger building at the other end of the village. It is significant in that it serves as a local landmark to sailors, and is also a handy reference point for heading back to the village if lost on country lanes. Be sure to visit ‘La Maison Rochers’ near La Pointe de Chateau – which features on most local postcards. La Maison Rochers...

Eating Out
The Pink Granite Coast boasts an extravaganza of gastronomy! A truly spectacular region boasting everything from local salted butter, crêpes and galettes, oysters, cider, Breton beer, a vast array of fresh fish and local vegetables including the speciality "Coco de Paimpol" (white beans), wines and cheeses. Whatever your taste, there is plenty of quality fresh produce.

Despite its size Plougrescant is well served with bars and restaurants. Although from outside La Fregate Pizza Restaurant looks quite bland, inside it is rather nice and serves very good food, not just pizzas. The Creperie des Amis, and the Bar Ar Vag (Jazz bar), which serves pannii’s, are at the other end of the village near the large church. For a special treat and the best Moules (mussles) in Brittany visit ‘La Gouermel’ restaurant right on the beach at Plage Gouermel. It looks like a wooden shack, but it does great sea food and other dishes, (booking is essential). The Café Pesked at nearby La Roche Jaune also does great meals at reasonable prices. (Try the salmon kebabs)

In nearby Treguier we can recommend La Dentelliere Creperie in a Rue St Yves off the Market Place for a simple but hearty meal, Le Cheval Blanc on Rue Gambatta for a typical French ‘pub meal’ and La Pizzeria on Les Quais for terrific freshly made pizzas. Le Hangar, opposite the yacht berths, does fantastic barbequed sea food and is very well worth a visit, but check opening times which vary according to the season and can be quite pricey.

Further afield La Creperie Les Vieux Greements opposite the yacht basin in Perros Guirec does great galettes and crepes. The small harbour of Ploumanach has several lovely restaurants – especially the Restaurant Coste Mor on La Plage St Guirec with terrific views of the sea and incredible castle. For a special treat Le Transat in Tregastel is worth a visit. La Gourmandine in Rue Campagnie Roger Barbe in Lannion, cooks your dinner on an open fire while you wait, and is worth a visit on Thursday lunchtime which is market day. (Get there by noon or miss out). Bear in mind that some restaurants have reduced opening hours out of the holiday season. It is often wise to book in advance. Telephone numbers can be found in the information folder at the house. See our visitors book for other recommendations.

Beaches
The tidal range on this coastline is huge – about 27 feet between high and low tides, so the seascape continually changes. The same beach may be ideal for boating, swimming and snorkeling at one time, yet within a couple of hours be better suited for rock pooling and crab hunting. A tide table is in the information folder at the house for reference. Don’t get caught out / cut off by the tides!

The nearest beach to the house is at Pors Scoff (1 mile). There is a sheltered sandy strip under the sea wall, between some very large rock formations that are a feature of the whole coastline.

Other fabulous beaches within 5 miles of the house can be found at:

La Gouermel (2 miles) – Large sandy beach at low tide, good for children – nice walk through pine trees and superb beach restaurant – great for crepes during the day or special evening meal.

Bugelles (3 miles) - Several small sandy beaches between rocky outcrops and a small port.
Pors Hir (4 miles) – Lovely beaches, with small port and interesting oyster beds, good for rock pooling at low tide.

Port Blanc (6 miles) A particularly beautiful port with a number of sandy beaches and islands to explore. Les Dunes at Port Blanc is a large safe sandy beach popular with young children.
penvenan-tourisme.com

Trestel (10 miles)– large shallow sandy beach, good for children and ideal for surfing when wind onshore.
Ploumanach (15 miles)– Fantastic beaches at Plage Guirec and Plage Castel with incredible rock formations and Castle on an island – gorgeous – make sure you visit!

Tregastel (18 miles) – Several beaches to chose from, but the best is on Ile Renote with free beachside parking, great swimming & snorkeling and interesting island at low tide. Beware of tides cutting you off! Walk around the Ile for very contrasting seascape and rocks (3/4 hour) A must !

Perros Guirec (14 miles) Busy resort but has several famous and picturesque beaches (and good shopping in upper part of town)

Ile Grande (25 miles) is very pretty with lots of lovely beaches to visit. Walk around the island (7 miles) for lovely scenery and see all the beaches.

Fishing
Enjoy fishing on foot for "shells" at low tide. Limpets, mussels, wild oysters, cockles, clams, periwinkles, crabs, shrimps, prawns. Regulations protect these shell fish in relation to size and quantity you can collect so please check the local regulations as they vary. There is plenty of sea fishing – call in at your local Tourist Information Centre who will be able to give you advice. There are fishing trips on historic sailing boats from Plougrescant and Port Blanc. More Info... (or book in person at La Gavroche bar on outskirts of Plougrescant)

Marine Sports
The coast offers huge variety for boating enthusiasts. There are numerous small boat and dinghy launching sites, and local boat and canoe hire at Kayak de Mer and at the sailing school at Port Blanc.

Coastal Scenery
Follow ‘La Route de Cote Ajoncs’ for a very scenic drive along this fascinating coastline. The same drive at different states of the tide will be quite different. To the west the coastal route to Tregastel gives fantastic views of the coast. To the east is the interesting Port of Paimpol (15miles) and Les Isles de Brehat, which are very picturesque.

Walking
The quiet rural roads and footpaths across the scenic peninsular of Plougrescant provide countless opportunities for short or longer hikes, (or cycle rides). The interesting rock formations, both inland and along the coast, attract hikers from all over France. A detailed pamphlet with suggested routes starting from Plougrescant Town Hall is available free of charge at the Office de Syndicat, although you should find several copies in our house. We also have a number of other maps at the house. Please feel free to borrow them during your stay, but don’t forget to leave them for our use when you go back home to England. The long distance walk GR34 follows the coast around the Plougrescant peninsular.

Bird Watching.
Brittany has been pioneering in protecting its natural environment. Les Sept-Iles off Perros-Guirec is the oldest bird sanctuary in Brittany set up in 1913. There are boat trips to the Sept Iles archipelago where there are over 27 species of nesting birds (Atlantic Puffins, Cormorants, Gannets and many more). The estuaries provide a haven for seabirds and other birdlife too. Trips to the sanctuary can be booked via armor-decouverte.fr

Golf.
In total there are 32 golf courses in Brittany and it is believed that the area is now the second best for golf in Europe after Scotland. The nearest ones are the small and informal 9 hole course at Golf de Begard www.tregorgoelo.com and 18 hole courses at Golf de Saint Samson, Pleumeur Bodou. www.golf-saint-samson.com or at St Brieuc www.golfdesajoncsdor.com" class="underlink" target="_blank">www.golfdesajoncsdor.com

Shopping & Markets
The nearest ‘big town’ to Plougrescant is Lannion (15km). The medieval town centre has good shopping and hosts a terrific market on Thursday mornings which is very definitely worth a visit. There are very large Geant and L’Eclerc Supermarkets near to Lannion airport. However the most convenient (and quite adequate) Intermarche and Champion supermarkets are at Penvenan (5km). Treguier (8km) has an interesting cathedral and architecture and on Wednesdays there is a good market. During Wednesday evenings in summer there is a free music festival with good food stalls and a craft market in the cathedral square.
The uphill area of Perros Guirec offers a number of exclusive shops.

Breton Festivals.
Brittany loves it festivals and has a rich musical heritage. Whatever your musical taste there will be something to interest you. Look out for the Fest Noz - the most popular of Breton cultural events, enjoy celtic music and dance with the locals. Players and singers invite you to dance to the sound of traditional instruments. Just look for the posters advertising the nearest Fest Noz. See link below for timetable of 2007 events in Brittany: www.bretagne.com

Nearby Places to Visit

Treguier. www.paysdetreguier.com
A "Petite Cité De Caractère", a town of architectural beauty and authenticity. Attractive timber clad houses, cobbled streets, pretty cathedral, pavement cafes, marina and weekly market. Situated on the estuary of Jaudy, a large harbour and marina. Treguier has an indoor, heated swimming pool which is open all year round. Tennis courts – 2 inside and 2 outside.

Ploumanac’h.
A small natural harbour at the very heart of the Pink Granite Coast, it has two 14th Century tidal mills. Make sure you visit the spectacular pink granite rocks a short walk along the coastline from the village and lighthouse. Look out for the market on Wednesdays. For information on boat trips to the archipelago of the Sept Iles see www.vedettesdebrehat.com

Perros-Guirec. www.perros-guirec.com
The town is in two parts – the upper area where the majority of the shops are with lots of good restaurants and the lower area which has the marina with more restaurants and shops. There is a Casino and bowling at www.leshaubans.com.

Tregastel
Visit the beaches and Aquarium at Tregastel www.aquarium-tregastel.com. Also indoor swimming pool complex with large pool, solarium, Jacuzzi and sauna. www.forum-tregastel.com

Lannion.
Large town situated on a river with lots of shops and restaurants, Don’t miss the Thursday market which takes place in the morning and is the largest market in Brittany. Bowling, restaurant and bar at "Bowling L’eclipse" ot-lannion.fr

Paimpol.
The name means "head of the lake" because it was formerly part of a peninsular. In 1852 – 1935, 40 – 50 schooners armed with men sailed from Paimpol to cod fishing in Iceland. The fishing campaign to Iceland built a real identity to Paimpol and its surroundings. Great for restaurants, good for shopping and nice sea food restaurants situated around the harbour and marina with yachts and old sailing ships.. The ruins of Abbaye Maritime de Beauport is nearby (www.abbaye-beauport.com). Paimpol is an ideal departure point for a ferry to the Bréhat Islands.www.vedettesdebrehat.com. Go for a trip on the steam railway which follows the river Trieux estuary from Paimpol to Pontrrieux. www.vapeurdutrieux.com


Other Things To Do
There are lots of tourist brochures in the folder at the house which should give you lots to think about whatever your age. There are water activity parks, childrens farms, quad bikes, horse riding, bowling, planetarium, museums, historic houses, gardens, walks and cycles routes, old churches and cathedrals, ancient cairns, circus, exhibitions, live music and festivals…….all available close to Plougrescant.

A visit to the historic and very impressive port of St Malo (95 miles – 2 hours), with its huge ramparts, good shops, restaurants, beaches and historic port is very worthwhile. The fortified town of Dinan is also very interesting and has lots of things to see and do (80 miles). If you are up to it, walk down Rue Jeruzel – very steep and even steeper coming back up.

Weather
Common misconceptions and prejudices have portrayed Brittany as a rainy region but it enjoys mild weather and micro-climatic conditions. Owing to its strong tides – which also influence the weather – Brittany’s iodine rich sea air is unique and has an instant "feel good" factor. Should the weather be unsettled you can rest assured that no other landscape is so stunningly beautiful. Given the peninsular location of Plougrescant it is usually possible to find a beach within a few miles that is sheltered from the wind should that be necessary. See link below for live weather updates and forecast: www.meteoconsult.fr
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Useful Tourist Information Websites.

www.cotesdarmor.com (English language)

The websites below give good pictures and maps of the Pink Granite Coast (all in French)

www.tregorgoelo.com

docarmor.free.fr