Plouezoch travel guide

Visit Plouezoch (Brittany, France)

Plouezoch (correct spelling Plouezoc'h) is a small town in the Finistere department to the north of Brittany, and a few kilometres to the north of Morlaix.

Exploring Plouezoch

Your first port of call when you visit should be the tourist office of Plouezoc'h for details of a guided walk around the town, to ensure you see all the highlights, and also for details of other marked walks in the vicinity.

Other local walks along the coast around Plouezoc'h include nice views of the small islands just along the coast here - L'Ile Sterec and L'Ile Noire among them.

The town has an interesting church - the Church of Saint Etienne - dating from the 17th century and with an attractive interior.

You will notice that various modifications to the church over the centuries have left their impact on the various different styles to be seen: the most interesting is the decorative clocher, in the 'Beaumanoir style' that combines gothic and renaissance elements.

There are various other notable manor houses dotted around the town, and interestingly a few large crosses, each with their own history.

In addition to visiting the town, there are a couple of more important reasons why people visit Plouezoch:

1) The Chateau de Taureau, on an island just off the coast - originally built to stop the English plundering the town, then later reinforced by military engineer Vauban. The chateau completely covers the rock it stands on.

There is a fascinating story about why the castle was built. In 1520 the English invaded this part of France, having waited until all the local residents were at the nearby market town of Guingamp so they would meet no resistance. The invaders dressed as local peasants so they would not be quickly identified, and the plan and invasion were very successful.

The English were so pleased with their success that they promptly drank all the wine they could find in the town. As a result, when the French returned the next day the English were too hungover to fight and most were quickly murdered and the others taken prisoner.

To stop this happening again the French decided to build a defensive castle in Morlaix Bay and the Château de Taureau was the result.

2) The Cairn de Barnenez on the Kernehelen Peninsula. This is a very important prehistoric monument, and at 6500 years old is said to be one of the very first 'buildings' in Europe to use durable construction techniques and materials.

It is an extensive structure with 11 dolmens and 70 metres long, and the entire structure is listed as a national French monument.

Those measurements perhaps don't mean a lot but you will find it quite different to most of the other dolmens you come across in Brittany: it really is a very substantial building!

Attractions nearby

As well as exploring the beaches and islands if the Brittany coast, two towns close to Plouezoc'h that you will want to visit are Morlaix and Saint-Pol-de-Léon.

Explore elsewhere in the Brittany coast. You can find more travel ideas in the Finistere guide and the Brittany guide.