The start of our trail in eastern Brittany.....

Our chosen stretch of the Tro Breiz project is from St. Malo to Dol de Bretagne. As this route takes in the Rance Valley, the area which I am fortunate enough to call home & where Denise & her family have their 2nd home, it seemed a natural choice. However, just an afternoon’s coastal walk to the east of St. Malo is a site which is on the Tro Breiz route that we couldn’t ignore. We therefore started our walk on the rocky coast at Rotheneuf.
After the 19th century parish priest, Abbe Adolphe Julien Foure (1839-1910) suffered a stroke at the age of 30, which left him deaf, mute & partially paralyzed, he retreated to this rocky coast to live as a hermit. Over the course of 25 years, Abbe Foure proceded to carve into the rocks over 300 faces & figures; many of which are fantastic, bizarre & even grotesque. There are rumours that these figures represent the pirates that terrorised the area in the 16th century. Others say that they are all local characters of the time. Whatever the truth is behind them, these sculptures are a tribute to the endurance of one man alone in the elements with only rocks, the sea & his faith for company.
When I look at this site now, however, I can’t help but wonder how much longer it will be before nature reclaims it entirely as the lichens are spreading, & the constant wear of stormy seas is taking its toll.
As the tide was low that afternoon, we were able to walk most of the way from Rotheneuf to St. Malo on the beach, & our morning’s visit to the sculptured rocks certainly gave us a lot to talk about on the way.

Lesley and Denise