French

Mysteries of Brocéliande

Brocéliande … everyone knows the names associated with the Forest : the quest for the Holy Grail, the adventures of Merlin and Morgan the Fairy, korrigans (Breton pixies), elves and fairies, but do you know where the mysterious places are and how to find them? Here’s an easy discovery trail for your first visit.

As you probably know, the Brocéliande Forest is a rather big place and the different sites connected with Arthurian legends are quite far from one another; you can follow the trail on foot but it takes 5 days at least for experienced walkers. To start with, the best thing is to take your car and drive from place to place following the ‘Brocéliande Tourist Trail’.

…through the forest

First of all, get the leaflet about the Trail from one of the Brocéliande tourist offices. You need a day to be able to visit all the places on the trail. Choose a starting point, e.g. Plélan–le-Grand, and follow the road signs indicating the ‘Circuit Touristique de Brocéliande’.

So here we go with the list of places to visit : Paimpont in the heart of the Forest, the Valley of no return (le Val sans retour) – home of Morgane the Fairy, the Fontaine de Barenton – the spring where  Merlin and Viviane used to meet, the Château de Comper where Sir Lancelot grew up, Merlin’s Tomb and the rejuvenating Fontaine de Jouvence (fountain of youth), Boutavent and the remains of its anceient medieval fortress, the Chambre au Loup and its many legends, the historic medieval town of Montfort-sur-Meu … I think that’s enough for your first visit to Brocéliande ! Why not end the day on a terrace overlooking the ‘Lac de Trémelin (lake)’ and see if you can pull Excalibur out of the rock. You never know, you may be the next King Arthur!

Some more suggestions

The first list of places is quite long and you might not have time to do everything in one day. However, Brocéliande Forest is a place to come back to over and over again either on your own or on one of the many Guided walks in Brocéliande Forest which are organized all-year-round in which you can listen to stories as you walk…

by Florian in Myths and legends Tags: Breton legendes, brocéliande, Montfort