Local Facilities & Attractions

Cosy cottage gite just 15 minutes from the bustling friendly villages of Guemene-Sur-Scorff & Gouarec

Guemene-Sur-Scorff is a pretty medieval village with a lovely welcoming feel, ancient houses, steep cobbled streets, a Roman bath and a ruined chateau. A lively and friendly village with a number of shops including: a boulangerie, a charcuterie, grocers, florist and gift shop, newsagent, tabac, brocantes, a pharmacy, doctors, banks, post office and an Intermarche supermarket. There are also a number of bars and restaurants including Aux Sabots Rouges and Les Trois Marchands. Guemene also boasts an excellent tourist information office and plays host to many fairs and festivals throughout the year including antique markets and free music festivals.


Gouarec is a charming village, typical of inland Brittany. It sits in a valley of the Nantes Brest Canal. Built around an old covered marketplace "Les Halles" the village has many old stone buildings. In the village you will find two small supermarkets, a boulangerie, restaurants including a creperie and a pizzeria, several bars, post office, bank, doctors, brocante and a 25 metre indoor swimming pool. The canal makes a beautiful backdrop for walking or cycling along the towpath. Gouarec boasts many cyclepaths including the V6 which runs along the old railway line.  

Stay close to beauty & history

Abbaye de Bon Repos a 12th century Cistercian Abbey just 5 minutes from Gouarec at the western end of the Lac de Guerledan. It is one of our favourite places to go on a Sunday morning to stroll around the farmers market with stalls full of fresh local produce and handcrafted gifts from local artisans. The beautiful abbey nestles beside the Nantes Brest Canal at the end of an avenue of ancient trees. Why not take a walk around the Abbey and along the banks of the canal to enjoy the quiet beauty of your surroundings before pausing in the cafe bar; where there may be live music, the creperie or the charming Abbey restaurant. The Abbey also hosts many events including art exhibitions and in August, a truly spectacular re-enactment of the history of the site takes place with the Abbey facade as a backdrop. The magical performance is created with thousands of costumes, impressive staging, around 400 extras, jousting horses and an amazing band providing musical accompaniment. Superb pyrotechnic effects and giant video projections transport you through history and time as you follow the two main characters to a grand finale. A masterpiece both visually and musically the marvels of the 'Son et Lumiere' are not to be missed click here for a quick peek!. You need only bring a rug, a picnic, a bottle of wine...and enjoy!!

A break with something for everyone

Lac de Guerledan is an experience not to be missed click here for videoThis enormous lake, the largest in Brittany stretches for over 12km and is the centre for many outdoor activities and water sports such as sailing, windsurfing, jet skiing and kite surfing. Spend an afternoon canoeing or kayaking on the lake or swim and relax while soaking up the sun on one of the beaches. The 7000 acre Forest de Quenecan surrounds the lake and is fabulous for mountain biking enthusiasts, there are almost 300 trails in the area  of varying length and difficulty. If you love to walk, hike or run why not take advantage of the space and beauty. If you are feeling adventurous you could also try rock climbing at one of the nearby gorges. There are also boats and pedalos for hire or for the ultimate lake experience take a sightseeing boat cruise along the lake.


Nantes Brest Canal crosses Brittany right through its middle and provides a perfect setting for nature and activity lovers. Running some 360km in length with 236 locks this beautiful waterway has so much to offer. A haven for wildlife. Bordered by lush countryside. Along the section from Mellionec to Guerladan (approximately 26km) you can walk, run or cycle. Bike hire is available from 'Ouibike'  Location de velos or bring your own.




Les Forges des Salles is the foremost example of industrial heritage in the Cote d'Armor. As the visitor, you gain an essence and flavour of everyday life in a forge village during the 18th and 19th centuries where life was completely focussed on the blast furnace. Once one of the largest wood-fired forges in Brittany this exceptionally well preserved former steel-manuafacturing village has been open to tours, here nothing has changed since production came to a halt in 1887. Visitors are taken to the very heart of the industrial installations, from the 'bosses' house' to the workers' and foreman's dwellings, the canteen, the grocer's shop, the mixed-sex school, the stable, the chapel and the terraced gardens. 




Pontivy is a beautiful market town, one we love to visit as it has a lively, friendly vibe whether visiting to shop, sightsee, take part in activities, dine or just sitting and observing. It lies on the confluence of the Blavet river and Canal de Nates a Brest. Shops here range from supermarkets to boutiques and everything in between. You will find a wonderful selection of places to eat and drink. Pontivy also has its own Chateau - Rohan, Castle of the Dukes. Why not visit and soak up some local history? There are also churches and walks along the waterside or take the town trail (free trail leaflet from TI).




Right on the doorstep

Lupi-Les Loups de Coat Fur just 6 kilometres away is a refuge for Wolves. Here you can stroll and observe wolves in their natural habitat. Maybe you will hear their haunting calls.

Etang du Dordu is just 8 minutes away. There is a path around the lake for walking or jogging suitable for all abilities. There are picnic tables and benches, swings and slides and an area to play a game of boule or pétanque, A small cafe bar serves snacks and drinks. For nature lovers there is also a small nature reserve attracting a variety of bird and animal life, fishing is also permitted in authorised periods subject to obtaining a fishing license.

Pont Samuel at nearby Silfiac is another small lake and home to Le Moulin de Pont Samuel a family run restaurant and bar. There are various walks here as well as picnic benches and an abundance of wildlife.



Restaurants - Spoilt for choice locally when dining out 
Our nearest restaurants are less than a ten minute drive away in Langoelan village where you will find the cosy, family run L'Atelier Bistro serving high quality local cuisine at very reasonable prices (booking advisable) as well as a friendly pizzeria; dine in or take away and a bar.
In Guemene-Sur-Scorff there are a variety of restaurants including Les Trois Marchands an authentic country French restaurant only open at lunchtimes when it serves a 'no frills' locally sourced four course set menu for 11.50€ including wine! (booking necessary), a charming gastro pub Aux Sabots Rouges, several Creperies, a Swiss  restaurant as well as a pizzeria and a number of bars.
In Gouarec a 15 minute drive you will find a number of restaurants. There is Le Lion D'Or Brasserie which serves a simple menu of tasty bar food, Le Kost Ar C'hoat pizzeria, the charming Milin Ruz Creperie which has amazing reviews and serves fresh original cuisine to eat in or take away or Le Bout Du Pont restaurant which serves a Formules du Midi menu for 12€.

Brittany a market lovers paradise 

Everyday is market day somewhere close by. The choice is endless farmers markets, craft and artisan markets, clothing, plants, livestock, Vide Greniers, flea markets, antique fairs and brocantes. The climate in Brittany makes growing lush fruit and vegetables easy, so market stalls spill over with mountains of colourful fresh produce. The French are renoun for their skills with bread, pastries and cakes. You will find a huge variety of cheese, saucisson, charcuterie, boucherie and of course with the sea so close, fruits de mer. Brittany is a foodies paradise with specialities including: Cider, Breton biscuits and butter cakes (Kouign-aman), goats cheese, oysters, mussels, crab and lobster, miel (honey) straight from the hive or made into a honey cake, speciality salt and savory galettes and sweet crepes and of course Andouille sausage.

 

Local Facilities: 

Shops - The nearest shops are 5 kilometres away, you can get your basic provisions from the Le Petit Magasin a small convenience store in the village of Langoelan (open every morning apart from Monday) or Folavoine, a small convenience store in Mellionec, open every day except Sunday which also has a small cafe for a drink or snack. 

Just a 10 minute drive away in Silfiac, is La Belle Epoque a Grocery stocked with organic and local products as well as a Bar open every day of the week.

A supermarket - as well as a range of other shops including a boulangerie, pharmacy, banks, doctors, florist etc can be found In Guemene-Sur-Scorff, a 15 minute drive from L'Ancien Presbytere. Here also you will also find our local Cinema, where you can see a film for only 6€. In Gouarec, just a 15 minute drive away, you will find a small convenience store, Kerbian Farm Shop (an English shop) and a boulangerie.

Larger supermarkets and retail parks with a full range of items can be found in the nearby towns of Pontivy, Rostrenon and Loudeac.

Also, once a week on a Thursday morning at around 9 o clock Arlette arrives in the square outside the Presbytery with her very well stocked mobile shop.