Ar Goat, a wooded landscape
Woodland Brittany
Originally, Brittany was covered by an immense forest. The mild, damp Climatee and high levels of sunshine favoured the growth of a
wide variety of trees: oak, beech, hornbeam, chestnut and conifers. But gradually, the Roman colonisers, followed by the Abbey monks
cleared the ground for farming. Later, trees were felled to build ships for the Navy and to produce charcoal for supplying the forges
at Paimpont, Quénécan and Châteaubriant. Ultimately only 10% of the total woodland survived. Today the forests, mostly private,
rarely exceed 2 000 ha. But the numerous woods located along the valleys or on the plateaus, and the embankments heavily planted
with trees give the general impression of a wooded countryside.
Brocéliande, the legendary forest
Brocéliande is the mythical name of the present day Forest of Paimpont located in the heart of Brittany. This forest, today extending
over 7000 hectares, covered the old Province of Armorica until the Middle Ages. It is the source of many Celtic legends: Merlin and
Viviane, King Arthur and his Knights in search of the Holy Grail, the White Lady, etc. The landscape within the forest is varied, for
it is crossed by many geological faults and valleys, with a generous scattering of ponds. Discover the mysteries of the Golden Tree,
the Fairy’s Mirror, the Fountain of Barenton, and Merlin’s Tomb – all to be found in the forest.
The Breton Bocage*
Brittany owes its wooded appearance to the Bocage. The typical quilted pattern of the Breton countryside was created by the network
of embankments and small hedged fields. The acidity of the soils has lent the woods an original physiognomy: basically oak and beech
groves interspersed with the occasional yew, a relic of the primeval forest. From the soil up to the highest branches live a plethora
of animals and plants, each contributing to perpetuation of the forest.
The embankments, protectors of the land
Dating from the Middle Ages, the network of embankments is the inheritance of gradual forest clearing. Combined with a ditch, the
embankment mound ensures drainage and controls irrigation. The latter is of vital importance for impermeable soils. By slowing down
the water run-off, the embankments facilitate infiltration of water through the subsoil, and prevent erosion of soil from the slopes.
The scrubland surrounding the cultivated areas is home to a multitude of birds and mammals: partridges, rabbits, hares, etc. The
flora is diverse and wild: broom, gorse, bluebells, foxgloves, each lending splashes of colour to the countryside. From January
onwards the golden yellow gorse is in flower, followed by the broom in April and May.
Plateaus and mountains
Extending over 60 km, from Menez Hom up to the east of Gourin (in Finistère), the Black Mountains owe their name to the dense forest
that once covered them. The bedrock is 330 millions years old and culminates at a height of 326 m. With the exception of slate
quarries and forestry, the Region has few resources, resulting in a massive exodus of the population. The Monts d’Arrée, culminating
at 384 m, are a range of peaks separating Léon, in the north of Finistère and Cornouaille in the south, and occupy most of the Parc
naturel régional d’Armorique. This wild and empty region, home to heaths and peat bogs, represents an archetypal image of magical
Brittany.
The Heath
Covered by low growing yet colourful vegetation comprising gorse and heather, the heathland provides a picturesque spectacle.
The natural habitat on the coast and the rocky summits of the Monts d’Arrée, the heath is also the result of drastic clearing of
the primeval forest. In the past it was a source of food and bedding for farm animals. In poor rural areas, broom was used to thatch
roofs. In some places the heathland is of exceptional interest to natural historians, for example on the Crozon peninsula or the
plateau of Lanvaux. But extensive heathland areas are rare. Most often they are fragmented and interwoven with farmland where the
three types of countryside, woodland, the bocage and heaths are happily juxtaposed.
|
