Quite a history !
... crossing Kreiz Breizh
The Nantes-Brest canal is known nowadays as a tourist attraction but it shouldn’t be forgotten that the waterway was a means of opening up the centre of Brittany to trade and transporting merchandise, bringing greater wealth to the area.
The canal is an important part of French cultural history, with many stories linked to the canal from its epic construction to the presence of the prisoners from Brest who dug La Grande Tranchée by hand in Glomel over many years to open the waterway to navigation. Many barges loaded with goods passed along here. These days you’re more likely to see cyclists and walkers strolling along the towpath of this beautiful inland waterway.
History
There were many unknowns during the construction of the Nantes-Brest canal. The project was conceived many years before its construction finally began in 1803 as a response when the English blockaded the Breton ports. Indeed, what better way to transport materials, goods and merchandise around Brittany as maritime transport had been cut off. Work began on the canal at the beginning of the 19th century.
The construction work undertaken was quite considerable, given the terrain and the ground, to dig out the canal and bring in the water. The «bagnards du canal», or the chain gangs who worked it have become famous thanks to the writings of Jean Kergrist, an author from Rostrenen who wrote extensively on the subject. The prisoners worked in appalling conditions, with only the most basic of tools, to dig out La Grande Tranchée – the great trench – on the stretch of canal in Glomel. You cannot help but admire other necessary construction work carried out: the dam in Glomel, the diversion bays, the double lock Le Pitié or the flight locks in Glomel, enabling boats navigate despite the differences in level.
The canal was filled in 1842 at the same time as the arrival of the railway which rapidly became a source of competition. The liaison between Brest and the then capital of Brittany, Nantes, was maintained until the beginning of the 20th century, when Le Lac de Guerlédan, created by the hydro-electric dam in Guerlédan, covered over part of the canal and cut the waterway in two. The barge traffic and waterway transport was severely compromised.
The small museum « Le Bagne de Glomel » tells the story of the prisoners who were forced to dig La Grande Tranchée in Glomel.
Heritage
The Nantes-Brest canal snakes its way across the Côtes d’Armor, leaving the natural surroundings unspoilt. The most impressive part of the canal culminates in Glomel and gave rise to two well-known structures: the flight locks in Glomel and la Grande Tranchée.
The canal passes through historical and heritage sites, offering the visitor many places of interest to stop and see:
- The flight locks in Saint-Péran, in Glomel. Twenty locks stretch over a distance of a few kilometres are an unusual sight
- La Grande Tranchée hewn from the rock by prisoners from the French Army, this section is recognised these days as being an important part of the canal’s history.
- La Chapelle De la Pitié, in Mellionnec-Plouguernével. Upstream there’s a unique twin lock because of the difference in the level of the terrain.
- The regional nature reserve in Lan Bern in Glomel is home to a highly diversified protected animal and plant-life.
- The historic village of Gouarec, the former seat of the Ducs de Rohan, has been largely preserved.
- L’Abbaye de Bon-Repos and the surrounding countryside. Les Landes de Liscuis with their ensemble of Neoliothic covered passages and Les Forges des Salles, a former iron works near the forest of Quénecan.
Discovering these historic heritage sites is just one more reason why you should take a stroll by the canal.
What about nowadays ?
Cycling isn’t the only outdoor activity!
There are plenty of other sports and outdoor countryside pursuits and none of them too far from local heritage sites.
Heading down the canal slides on a canoe-raft - an inflatable canoe - a quiet boat or canoe trip, outings in La Réserve Naturelle - the nature reserve - de Lan Bern, you don’t have to look far to find plenty of ideas for leisure activities.
Since 2017, a section of the Nantes-Brest canal has been reopened to navigation in Kreiz Breizh. You can sail down the canal from Le Lac de Guerlédan as far as Gouarec in the summer and go through the locks in your own boat or aboard the Katoune – a tow boat- from Bon-Repos.
Important: if you want to navigate along the canal, then call us on 00 33 (0)2 96 29 02 72 for further information.
