Monts d'Arree

The Monts d'Arree are the eroded stumps of a mountain range far older than the Alps, reduced to ridges of hard quartzite standing at only about three hundred and eighty metres but dominating a landscape of heath, peat bog and scattered stone villages. Roc'h Trevezel and Roc'h Ruz are the high points. The Yeun Elez, a peat basin below them, carries a long tradition as an entrance to the otherworld, called the Youdig or gate of hell in local legend, with stories of souls and the Ankou, the Breton figure of death. Sheep and Breton mountain ponies graze the moor, and the whole range sits in a regional park.

Highlights

• The quartzite ridges - bare rock crests above open heath.
• The Yeun Elez - the peat basin of the gate of hell legend.
• The heath and bog - moorland unusual for lowland France.
• The stone villages - slate and granite settlements across the range.

When to go

April to October; heather colours the moor in late summer. Mist is frequent and can close the ridges. Winter is bleak, wet and windy, which is arguably when the legends make most sense.

Practical notes

Weather changes quickly and mist can reduce visibility to nothing on the ridges. Bog ground is genuinely soft in places and paths should be kept to. Public transport is minimal.

Nearby

Huelgoat lies east; Brest is west.

Key facts