Pontrieux

• Heritage:

• Pontrieux is one of the 23 Small Towns of Character in Brittany. Its architectural ensemble is very homogeneous.
• Its center is occupied by two triangular squares, a very rare layout, connected by a cobbled street, rue Saint Yves, lined with old houses, from the 18th and 19th centuries, some half-timbered.
• The "Eiffel Tower", half-timbered house from the 16th century, in granite and half-timbered, built according to a model found only in the Pays de Guingamp.
• The 18th century fountain, in granite, with an original shape, characterized by its mode of supply.
• The church, from the 19th century, with an austere façade and a low steeple; its brighter interior houses an 18th century "Piéta", a painting "Le Repentir de Saint Pierre", offered by Napoleon III, a statue of Saint Yves in polychrome wood and an 18th century Virgin, "Notre-Dame-des- Fountains", carried in procession during the Pardon. Good to know: the church is currently closed for works but should reopen very soon.
• Two characteristic buildings on Place Le Trocquer: the Hôtel de Keruzec, from the 18th century, and a half-timbered house, recently restored in the colors of the time it was built.
• Do not forget, during the visit, the 17th century granite presbytery, and the large "bourgeois" houses, symbols of the wealth of the city at a certain time.
• Finally, at the end of the gardens of these large residences bordering the river, the washhouses, fifty in number, made of stone and covered with slate, restored over the past fifteen years, and which can be discovered during walks in boats (with commentary). It is recommended to take these walks at night (inquire); the washhouses are beautifully illuminated ("Parcours Lumière").

• La Vapeur du Trieux which takes you to Paimpol on a journey from another age. On the way, he will stop you at the house of Traou Nez where the Seznec affair took place.
• Boat trips: Also from May to September, on the Trieux this time, guided boat trips propelled by a silent electric motor (reservation not required for individuals). Paid walk.
• Night walks: Embark on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from June to September to discover the illuminated heritage ("Lavand'ières" light trail).
• Horse-drawn carriage rides: 20 to 25 min guided ride in the heart of the city (paying service - group reservations).
• The Trieux estuary: Every day in the summer, but also in the spring and on request in the fall, guided sea kayaking trips allow you to discover the maritime valley of the Trieux from Pontrieux to Lézardrieux. Half-day course programmed according to the tide with a picnic break under the Château de la Roche-Jagu on certain days.
• Sports and leisure:

• Leisure and activities offered by local clubs and associations: Breton dance lessons, social dance lessons, Breton language lessons (advanced students) - Athletic strength club - Tennis club - Computer courses for adults - Climbing club - Badminton club - Canoe-kayak, sea and river club - Football club, bringing together several municipalities in the Canton of Pontrieux - Traveling cinema sessions on Fridays - Painting on silk - Hiking club - Activities for toddlers (gymnastics, cinema, workshops...) and for teenagers (activities, trips, camps) outside school hours... In total, around forty associations reside at Pontrieux.
• The City of Pontrieux also hosts art workshops all year round: painters, stained glass artist, woodworker, ceramist, mosaicist, rock crystals...
• To take advantage of all these activities, do not need to travel long distances; due to its small area (102 ha), everything is nearby. The same applies to accommodation located in the city center. For more information, contact the Tourist Office: Email: tourisme.pontrieux@wanadoo.fr

• An old trawler, "le Passeur du Trieux" transformed into a tourist boat, will take you to the outskirts of the île de Bréhat (without disembarking there) and you can enjoy the banks of the Trieux all along the estuary (about 17 km).
• In the summer season, generally in August, musical groups of all genres come to animate the Passerelle garden during "summer Fridays". Free admission, catering on site.
• The well-stocked library is open all summer for a low price adapted to the holiday period. It offers a relaxing leisure activity to all lovers of literature, adults, children and even toddlers.

Many events take place at Pontrieux during the tourist season (approximately from May to September). They are practically all free, and for this reason, when the weather is nice, they attract a lot of visitors (more than 10,000 for the Fête des Lavoirs, between 8 and 10,000 for the Marché d'Antan).

• Every Monday: Weekly market.
• "Summer Fridays": During the tourist season, the Pontrieux Entertainment Committee offers free outdoor shows (or sheltered in the event of bad weather): singers, storytellers, music of the world, both African and Irish, jugglers... and this for three Fridays from 9 p.m.
• August 15, from 11 a.m. until midnight: Washhouse Festival

• Parade of washerwomen, rowers, folk groups (bagad and Celtic circle), sailor songs, folk music, Irish songs, pancakes, sausage patties, cider...
• Trieux fire.
• Free entry.

• The last Saturday of July: Fest-Noz

• Fest-Noz with renowned groups in Brittany, the spectators take part in the dances, it's not a show.
• Entrance fee.

• The last Saturday in July, during the day, "Couleurs de Bretagne". Artists, beginners or confirmed, come to paint different sites of Pontrieux, all methods are allowed.
• The third weekend of July, forgiveness of Notre-Dame-des-Fontaines, where the statue of the Virgin goes out in procession; locals decorate and light up their homes along the route.

For more information, contact the Tourist Office: Email: tourisme.pontrieux@wanadoo.fr or the town hall: ville-de-pontrieux@wanadoo.fr

The canton of Pontrieux:

• In addition to its capital, the canton of Pontrieux is very rich and all you have to do is walk through the neighboring towns to discover small chapels nestled on the edge of a wood: the chapel of Clérin in Saint-Clet (and its miraculous fountains), the Saint Jorand chapel in Plouëc-du-Trieux or the Saint Maudez chapel in Quemper-Guézennec.
• There are also many mansions that have come down to us after many vicissitudes suffered during troubled times: Kermodest, in Quemper-Guézennec and that of Ty-an-Bonniec in Brélidy, Kerlouët, in Quemper, which saw the birth in 1744 of Fleuriot de Langle, friend of La Pérouse, commander of the second ship of the expedition, killed in the Samoa Islands; the mansions of Kerprovost and Kercabin, in Plouëc, those of Cloître and Kerglas in Saint-Clet, Kermarquer, Belle-Fontaine, in Ploëzal...
• In addition to these mansions, these chapels, the communes in the canton of Pontrieux each have at least one characteristic architectural monument:

• Runan (229 inhabitants) is proud of its church (14th century), one of the most beautiful in Brittany, built by the Templars, which pilgrims frequented en route for Santiago de Compostela. Made of granite, in the Gothic style, it is a marvel worth seeing: Romanesque crypts, gargoyles, sculpted porches, magnificent stained glass windows, and an outdoor pulpit which was used when there were too many people (pilgrimages).
• Plouëc (1085 inhabitants) and its Saint Jorand chapel, also called La Belle Eglise (15th-16th centuries), former Oratory of a Monastery which has preserved an ossuary, an enclosure, a Calvary, and a 17th century fountain in granite.
• Saint-Clet (785 inhabitants) has Notre-Dame de Clérin, which stands out in an island of greenery, and is famous above all for its five fountains, whose granite triangles emerge behind the chapel.
• Ploëzal (1190 inhabitants) has on its territory the most famous monument of the region, possession of the Department: the castle of La Roche-Jagu, rebuilt in the 15th century on the foundations of an 11th century fortress intended to watch navigation on the Ría du Trieux and prevent invasions. It is characterized by its fireplaces, its location, its French ceilings, its large rooms, and its 50-hectare park where visitors can discover lakes, terraces, camellias (several dozen species), flax pits, a palm grove... Exhibitions are held there every summer.
• Brélidy (335 inhabitants) and its manor of Ty Ar Bonniec (1590-1610) which, with the feudal motte of Pen-an-Castel, forms a picturesque site registered in 1943. This manor currently bears the name of castle from Brelidy.
• Quemper-Guézennec (1040 inhabitants) which, in addition to the manor of Kerlouët, presents visitors with several chapels, calvaries, the Frynaudour bridge, at the confluence of the Leff and the Trieux, its small port of Goas-Vilinic and its church Saint Pierre (late 19th century), whose stained glass windows are classified by the Beaux-Arts.