Lanrelas: Mills, Menhirs and Cultural Heritage

Lanrelas is a destination for anyone who wants to plan their stay around local cultural heritage and distinctive landscape features. Key themes include the Fontaine Saint-Fiacre in the village centre, the festival tradition held in its honour, the formations at the Site des Aulnaies and historic mills. When choosing your destination, you can weigh up whether local customs, architecture, geology or a combination of these themes should shape your stay. When choosing a hotel, you can consider whether cultural sites, historic architecture or the Promenade en Vallée de la Rance will be the focus of your trip.

The Fontaine Saint-Fiacre and its festival tradition

The Fontaine Saint-Fiacre is in the village centre, near the war memorial. According to local belief, the spring can treat stomach complaints. This belief is part of local tradition and should be understood as such. It connects the spring with a story that goes beyond its location in the village centre.

Lanrelas holds the Fête Saint-Fiacre every year on the last weekend of August. The programme includes a parade of floats, a fireworks display and a public dance. If you want to plan your trip around this festival, check the exact dates for the year in question.

Rock formations, menhirs and plants at the Site des Aulnaies

The Site des Aulnaies brings together a range of stone features. La Roche aux Diables is a natural monolith resting on two diorite blocks. The same site also includes a large standing menhir and a recumbent menhir. The formation and the two menhirs offer different ways to explore the geological and megalithic features of the site.

Another highlight is the botanical trail at the Site des Aulnaies. It features around 150 recorded and maintained woodland plants. The plant life thus adds a distinct natural dimension to the site’s stone features. Plant enthusiasts can include the trail alongside the monolith and menhirs when exploring the site.

Mills and a château: technology and architecture

The mills are worth exploring for two different reasons: surviving technology and historical use. The Moulin de la Guénais was restored as a house. Its internal mechanism, including pulleys, gears and millstones, has been preserved, and its hydraulic waterwheel is still there. The Moulin de Mesléart is a 17th-century watermill that remained in operation until the 1960s. Together, the two mills illustrate different aspects of the area’s milling history: the Guénais preserves the machinery, while Mesléart reflects a long history of operation.

Two specific architectural features stand out at the Château de la Touche-Mesléart: a 14th-century Gothic window and a spiral staircase in the south tower. The dated window provides a point of reference, while the staircase adds a detail of the tower. The arrangements for viewing the interior may vary. So if you plan to see the spiral staircase, check in advance whether an interior visit is possible.

Planning the Promenade en Vallée de la Rance

The Promenade en Vallée de la Rance runs from the village centre of Lanrelas to the Rance valley. The starting point is listed as the Place Saint-Fiacre car park. As route information may change, check the current route before setting out. This will help you include the route, with its named starting and end points, in your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Cast-Le-Guildo, Kerien, Tréfumel, Hénanbihen, Landéhen, Brelidy, Caulnes, Trezelan

See the overview of the wider region: Côtes-D’armor.