Logis De France Le Relais De La Place

Nature & Civil Engineering on the River

by ranger49

There is a very picturesque route along the river Aulne as you travel west from Le Faou on the D791 towards Térénez and the Crozon Peninsula.

It a beautifully wooded area of mainly broadleaf trees through which you may catch glimpses of the numerous bends and creeks in the river.
At one point there is a Last Resting Place for former naval vessels (not really as pretty) - we wondered if they might in any way be used on training exercises given the major militrary and naval operations at Brest and in the surrounding area.

For anyone with an interest in civil enginering both the old Pont de Térénez, and the new one currently under construction alongside, can be seen here.

To cross the river the old bridge is still in use. It is one of the hundreds of bridges constructed in France post-WW2 to replace those lost during the war.
Built in 1950, it is a 270 m long suspension bridge with concrete towers at each end and it is because of alkali damage to the feet of the towers, and other wear and tear, that the new one is being constructed now.

Netherlands based,Arcadis NV, the international design and consultancy firm are responsible for the new design which should be finished by the end of 2010.The aesthetical streamline design is intended to blend well with the surroundings of the River.

The new bridge will be more than 500meters long, and will be a cable-stayed multiple-span bridge with a prestressed concrete and metal deck.

There are pictures on the Company website - copyright so not included here.

Le Faou

by ranger49

"Ancient and Modern in Harmony"

Le Faou is a mediaeval town that sits at the mouth of its own little estuary which opens out into the broader estuary of the Aulne and the Rade de Brest.
Once an important maritime port its marine activities are now mainly confined to agriculture and low key tourism.
The size of the quay beyond the bridge which crosses the river at the bottom of the High Street gives some idea of the capacity for handling the export and import of goods which must once have existed here.

The high street still has a number of well preserved 15thC houses and there are 23 houses in the town which have a Proteced status.

Near the Harbour is the old church which on our last visit was completely shrouded by scaffolding and drapes as a major programme of restoration is underway. In spite of this the flower beds around the church enclosure and outer walls were particularly well tended.

The new part of town is as you turn off the top of the high street and the old Halles area. It is dismissed by some snotty guide books as not worth a look but I liked the new, but not contemporary Hotel de Ville, and the square in front of it lined with hotels (2) shops, bars and restaurants. The tree-lined centre provides neatly laid out parking places .

This was our second visit and I suspect not the last - it is little more than 40 miles from the ferry port in Roscoff.

In the Top Picture the statue in front of the Hotel de Ville is that of an C19th noblewoman resident in the town who introduced new agricultural techniques which contributed to the successful economy of the town and its people.

The Bridge at the end of the street of mediaeval houses at low tide. At the far end is the open square that leads to the harbour and the quay

"Down by the river"

The waterside makes an attractive area for children to play, plenty of seats for picnics anall dotted around with unusual displays in which flowers and agricultural plants are combined and there are slipways for launching boats at high-tide.