The best road cycling routes around Calanhel

There are only seven photos posted here, but they show more clearly than words can, a selection of the stone-carved diversity of the Breton heavenly host of saints – in this very special case a hill called „Vallée des Saints“.

The church was rebuilt from 1852 to 1868 according to the plans of the builder Yves Hernot on the site of ancient buildings from the 14th and late 16th centuries. Some old elements, such as doors and windows, were reused. The church was consecrated on October 22, 1871, after reconstruction. It contains interesting furniture, including two side altars, a 19th-century pulpit, works by Le Merrer, and especially an exceptional organ. Built in 1653 by the English organ builder Robert Dallam, it was only installed in Lanvellec in 1864, originally coming from the church of Plestin-les-Grèves. Furthermore, the statue of Saint-Efflam still crowns the buffet. It underwent several moves, repairs, and modifications until its total silence in the early thirties. It was saved from dispersion thanks to its classification as a Historic Monument on March 23, 1971. Its restoration in 1985/1986 by an Italian organ builder, restored its full historical truth. It is on this majestic instrument that the Festival de Lanvellec et du Trégor has been relying for 30 years to make ancient music resonate. In flamboyant Gothic style, the ossuary dates from the end of the 15th century and is classified as a Historic Monument. Rectangular in plan, it is made of granite, adorned with seven trefoil arcades and a pointed arch door. In the past, the skulls of the deceased were placed in boxes with their names, ten years after their death. The pardon of Saint-Brandan takes place on the third Sunday of September. 2024: The church is closed for works for several months! Visiting the exteriors is free all year round and the organ visit is only by appointment for groups.

A pretty iron bridge, built for farmers at the time. Here the path along the water was in a bad state in April 2026 (a warning was installed on one side of the section, but a detour through the forest is possible).

This is one of the very few straight sections of the canal.

Here the canal meanders through the landscape.

A welcome breath of fresh air

The Saint-Nicodème church dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. It apparently replaced a primitive chapel located in St-Cognan, a village near the town, and was partially rebuilt in the 17th and 19th centuries. There is a parish enclosure there.

At an altitude of 184 m, the Glomel trench is the highest point of the Nantes-Brest canal and the watershed between the Blavet and Aulne basins. The canal project and its passage through the center of Brittany dates back to Vauban, the decision and the route to Napoleon. The impressive trench allows the Aulne and Blavet watersheds to communicate via the canal. The Grande Trenche of the Canal from Nantes to Brest was dug in the 19th century by deserters from the army of Louis XVIII. The 4000 convicts of Glomel had to move as much earth and rock as was necessary for the construction of a great pyramid in Egypt. It took 9 years to create this trench, more than 3 kilometers long, 100 meters wide and 23 meters deep.