La Roche-Derrien travel guide

Visit La Roche-Derrien (Brittany, France)

The village of La Roche-Derrien is in the north part of the Cotes-d'Armor department, in Brittany and near the Coast of Granite Rose. Its is part of the commune called La Roche-Jaudy, and the limit of the tidal part of the river.

Explore La Roche-Derrien

France This Way review: although it is quite small the centre of La Roche-Derren is attractive with several interesting medieval houses so a visit is recommended if you are nearby

You can park in the main square of the village, from where all places of interest are within easy walking distance.

The main square is surrounded by attractive buildings, most of stone but several in the original medieval colombage. The street that leads to the church also has several attractive colombage (half-timbered) houses.

You will find a few shops and cafes but commerces here are quite limited (Treguier is only a few kilometres north of La Roche-Derrien and has more shops and restaurants).

The Church of Saint-Catherine is on the edge of the village, and is quite an attractive stone church with colourful stained glass windows. The original church was built here in the 13th century but most of the building we see today is much more recent so you will see a mix of the roman and gothic styles.

A short distance from the main square you can see the Chapel of the Calvary. This was built on the site of an ancient castle keep, and is the highest point in the village. When the chapel was built in the 19th century they discovered various passages and artefacts from the castle.

When you visit today you can't see any trace of the castle, which was apparently an imposing castle built of wood in the 11th century then replaced with a stone castle in the 12th century that also formed part of a fortified wall that surrounded and protected the village. Small fragments of the ramparts can be seen on the cliff beyond the chapel and elewhere in the village.

Behind the chapel there is a nice view across the Jaudy river and the countryside that surrounds La Roche-Derrien.

After exploring the upper part of La Roche-Derrien you can go down to the river, cross the old stone bridge and walk along the side of the river to get a different view across the village.

Places to visit nearby

Most visitors will be in this part of Brittany to enjoy the coastal scenery along the Coast of Granite Rose. The main town on the coast is Perros-Guirec and Tregastel also has easy access to some of the most beautiful parts of the coast.

You can find more travel ideas in the Cotes-d'Armor guide and the Brittany guide.