Cap Erquy, both nature and history

From the pages of history!
• Walk and Learn about the Quarries
The Blue Lakes were formed by the extraction of pink sandstone from
the cliffs above the port. From 1823 to the Second World War workers
cut up the rocks on site and then the stones were transported by small
wagons to the docks below, to be shipped to main towns in France.
A Tour of the
ches
Untouched Bea
9 " Cap Erquy, both nature and history "
Erquy
Staying with nature!
• From Cap Erquy to Cap Fréhel
Cap Erquy is a protected site since 1978 and belongs to the Côtes
d’Armor “department” since the start of the 80s. A programme of
development has been started to allow better access for vehicles,
to manage the number of visitors and restore the areas that have
been degraded.
The Cap Erquy and Fréhel have started the joint process to obtain
the mention “Grand Site de France”.
Blue Lakes
The educational path retraces
the history of the old pink
sandstone quarries, bringing
to life this voyage of discovery
about Cap Erquy. A booklet is on
sale in the Tourist Office or can
be downloaded and explains the
walk which is supported by audio
descriptions : Office de Tourisme
d’Erquy - 3, rue du 19 mars 1962
22430 Erquy - 02 96 72 30 12 www.erquy-tourisme.com
On foot but also by bike, thanks to the Eurovéloroute n°4 numerous
outings are possible so as to get close to nature at these exceptional sites.
The Tourist Board Grand site Cap Erquy and Cap Fréhel propose
events around nature and heritage all year round.
www.grandsite-capserquyfrehel.com
Cap d’Erquy
Création/impression www.izatis.com Crédits photos : A. Lamoureux - J. Rouxel
Cap Fréhel, more popular is dominated by a large lighthouse, it
offers a remarkable vista stretching from Saint Malo to the Island of
Bréhat.
9
A Tour of the Untouched Beaches
Several
gradients
" Cap Erquy, both nature and history "
Cap Erquy is a remarkable site, amongst the most beautiful in Brittany,
it showcases several of the most typical natural environments of the Brittany coast:
moors, dunes, pink sandstone cliffs, untouched fine sand beaches... and historical
remains, cannon ball oven, guard house, Catuelan earthworks, lifeboat shelter,
ancient quarries…. There are diverse and spectacular maritime landscapes
all along the way which follows the GR34.
7,6 km
2h
D
Carpark at Cap Erquy
Balisage
5
6
4
s
Pink Sandstone quarrie
3
250
D
2
h
Lourtuais Beac
0
P
1
500
1000
Mètres
Extrait de SCAN 25 - © IGN - 2015 - Autorisation n° 40-15.14
Port of Erquy
Along the way ...
1 The Blue Lakes are the remains
of ancient extractions of Erquy pink
sandstone, to be explored in an educational way by following the information posted along the quarry path. Pink
sandstone is the fruit of successive
layers of sand. The formation of this
sedimentary rock occurred 480 million
years ago. It lends a particular charm
to the coast line between Erquy and
Fréhel.
2 The cannonball oven is a testament to the numerous wars between
the French and the English, allowing
cannonballs to be heated to red hot
and then shot into enemy ships to
start a fire. In reality it proved to be
an ineffectively defense. Higher up the
guard house, built around 1744 served
as shelter for the coast guards and to
store black powered.
3 At the base of the cliff to the left
one can see « The Three Boulders »
that become visible at low tide and to
the right an old lifeboat shelter used
between 1935 and 1966.
4 One can distinguish two banks
separated by 500 m blocking access
the Cap. These are the remains of earthworks protecting the population in
case of a land-based attack. The first
line « fossé Catuelan » dates from 550
BC and then the encampment grew 200
years later right, up to « fossé de Plaine
Garenne ». This is how legends of an
indomitable Gallic people grow…
5 The vegetation of the moor has
had to adapt to the extreme climate
imposed by the sea: poor and acid
soil swept by winds and spray. It hides
unsuspected riches; the moor is home
to several types of heather: bell, broom
and cross-leaved as well as Western
and European Gorse, Gentians and field
dodder. Everything is bathed in purple
and gold in summer.
Green lizards live side by side with night
jars, warblers, larks and stone chats.
6 The vegetation that covers the
valley behind Loutuais beach hides
a dune. This is called a gray dune
because it consists of soil and sand
and it was formed 3000 years ago. The
Marram grass has been replaced by
a more diverse flora such as orchids,
euphorbias, grasses as well as moss
and lichen. At the top of the valley a
wooded dune shows the final stage of
the evolution of this environment.