Cote De Granit Rose
The Cote de Granit Rose (pink granit coast) runs between Plestin Les Greves and Louannec in the Cotes d’Armor department of Brittany and is in fact one of the most beautiful and outstanding coastlines in Europe.
This amazing thirty kilometre stretch of coast has an incredible pink colour which is edged with turquoise sea and fine sandy beaches, a perfect place for family holidays.
The stretch of coast from Perros- Guirec via Ploumanach to Tregaster Plage is pretty fascinating. It is best explored along the sentier de douaniers, a former coastguard footpath. The path winds among the fantastically shaped rocks. At Ploumena’ch the rocks have been weathered by centuries of tide and wind, interspersed with countless rock pools, sandy coves and stunning views and seascapes.
Behind the coast, low hills are covered with pine trees, gorse, hydrangeas, lavender, mimosa and heather along with a wide range of wild flowers.
The Coast
The resorts along the pink granite coast have a wide range of attractions for visitors. From swimming, cycling, sailing, family friendly restaurants to hotels and brilliant camping facilities. There is also tennis, 18 hole crazy golf, museums, pony and horse riding, castles and shops.
The blue flagged beaches notably Testratou Beach at Perros-Guirec, which is an international sailing centre and Tregastel are both well equipped with diving platforms, fresh water showers, children’s clubs and of course plenty of space. Plestin- Les-Greves has a wide expanse of sand which is ideal for sand yachting.
Tregastel Plage has six or seven different parts, depending on the tide. Greve Blanche, Greve Noir (black sand) and at the end of the Baie Sainte Anne is the Ile Renote, which is another excellent beach and has magnificent rocks which can be climbed with care.
Three are many off shore islands along the Cote De Grait Rose. Some of these can be walked or waded to at low tide. Les Sept Iles, an archipelago and a world-renowned sea bird and seal sanctuary is a little further out but is accessible by boat trips available from Perros and Tregastel.
Pink granite is still quarried in the region near La Clarte. There are only two other examples of this particular pink rock in the world, one in Corsica and the other in China.
Inland
Inland there are intriguing small towns, picturesque villages, prehistoric and medieval religious icons, dolmens, menhirs, chapels and the intriguing Calvaires which tell the stories of the gospels in carved stone instead of stained glass.
The small towns of Treguier and Lannion make interesting morning trips on market days.
Treguier was founded in the 6th Century, which is striking spire its just up river from the Jaudy estuary and La Roche Jaune, a commanding castle built to prevent the Vikings.
Lannion has the River Leguer flowing through the town where the high tidal range of the coast can be viewed. It is now host to one of the leading communication research and industrial centres in Europe, although never leaving behind its heritage, the Templars Church of Brelevenez in the Old Quarter is proof of this.
Climate
The weather and climate of the Cote de Granit Rose is oceanic, with beautiful long hot sunny days from May through until September. In autumn and winter gales blow in from the Western Approaches bringing awesome beauty which equals this rugged coast with its off shore rocks and reefs, the graveyard of many ships.
At night from the cliff tops, there are continual flashing red, green and white lights from myriad lighthouses and buoys, a constant reminder that the gentle, welcoming coast has a slightly darker side, a land of legend, myth, lore and smugglers.
A truly beautiful place.
