Coucher de soleil sur les rocs et landes des Monts d'ArréeAmbiance mystérieuse au coucher de soleil sur le roc du "Tuchenn Kador" et la lande des Monts d'Arrée
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The Monts d'Arrée

Looking for a change of scenery in Brittany? You’re sure to find it here.
From the Huelgoat Forest or Morlaix Bay, the Monts d’Arrée rise up out of nowhere, leading visitors away into their rugged and mysterious world.

Discovering another Brittany

Unique landscapes

 

Anyone who has not seen the Monts d’Arrée cannot claim to know all of Brittany’s many faces. From the very first glance, this extraordinary region takes your breath away, inspiring real wonder among visitors.

Coming from Carhaix, after passing Huelgoat and La Feuillée – said to be the ‘highest town in Brittany’ – the forest landscape gives way to a vast arid expanse interspersed with rocky ridges, moors and peat bogs as far as the eye can see.

‘Are we still in Brittany or have we stumbled into Connemara?’ we ask ourselves. In Brittany, of course, because our region has a specific and surprising geology.

And it’s precisely here that the peaks of the Armorican massif emerge. The musicality of its peaks – Roch Trévézel, Tuchenn Gadorn and Youdig – recall the area’s firm Breton identity.

Walk through a land of legends

 

These exceptional landscapes are ideal for hiking. The GR 380 crosses the Monts d’Arrée, though you’ll also find a number of signposted circular routes for walking and getting away from it all.

Some lead to the famous Yeun Elez, a peat-fringed marsh reminiscent of the famous Dartmoor in south-west England. It won’t take long to get caught up in its mysterious atmosphere.

The succession of rocks dotted with heather and gorse, in arid then marshy soils, accompanied by the endless dance of the clouds, has made the Monts d’Arrée a land of legends for many moons.

Let yourself be told the stories of the unexpected encounters between its inhabitants and certain unreal beings – known as ‘korrigans’ or ‘farfadets’ – during storytelling walks organised throughout the year.

Xavier Grall1Xavier Grall1
©Xavier Grall1

I would like to show you the barren hills of Arrée, the manor houses impaled upon the white roads, the paths wrapped around the blue hamlets. It is a dishevelled country of mist and wind, where the names of places flow like rain, as sonorous as gongs.

Xavier Grall, Breton poet and bard

Menez Mikel, panoramic view of the Monts d’Arrée

 

While the Monts d’Arrée are full of mysteries, there is one site that is a literal must-see before you set off again. Continue past Roch Tredudon until you reach the Mont Saint-Michel de Brasparts, which rises to an altitude of 381 m.

Once there, you can choose to hike to the summit or drive to it. At the peak, the Saint-Michel Chapel – traditional archangel of the heights – overlooks and watches over the Monts d’Arrée. You’ll be captivated by the view over Lake Brennilis and the inland Finistère region.

As the gateway to the Armorique Regional Nature Park, the Monts d’Arrée slope gently down to the Crozon peninsula. From there, don’t hesitate to climb to the summit of Menez-Hom, another Armorican peak.

From there, you’ll discover an unmissable viewpoint over this ‘Penn-ar-Bed’ – the end of the world – where the Roadstead of Brest and the Bay of Douarnenez stretch out before your eyes.

The Monts d'Arrée

Escape

An early-morning hike in the Monts d’Arrée with the Addes ‘Arrée-Rando’ association !

Randonnée au petit matin en centre Finistère - Saga : J'ai testé pour vous... en Finistère - 2013
Randonnée au petit matin en centre Finistère - Saga : J'ai testé pour vous... en Finistère - 2013
Randonnée au petit matin en centre Finistère - Saga : J'ai testé pour vous... en Finistère - 2013

Plan your walking programme

Contact the Tourist Office and Monts d’Arrée Tourisme to find out more about the accommodation, nature activities, tours and guided walks available all year round in the Monts d’Arrée !

The hiker's charter

Opt for car pooling and public transport to access sites

Stay on the marked routes

Do not venture into the peat bogs or marshes !

Respect the fauna and flora (don’t pick flowers or plants)

Keep your dog on a lead

Do not smoke or light fires

Don’t throw away paper and rubbish, collect your rubbish carefully

And make the most of this exceptional natural environment !

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