Saint-Barthélemy: Heritage and Places by the Water

Saint-Barthélemy offers something for a range of travel interests: chapels and archaeological remains sit alongside a well and washing place, fishing waters, boat slipways and a cycling route. When planning your trip, it is worth considering these themes separately. This way, you can decide whether you would like to focus mainly on cultural history, a bike ride or activities by the water during your stay.

Chapels, a washing place and archaeological remains

The Chapelle Saint-Fiacre preserves remains from the late 14th century or the first quarter of the 15th century. The body of Claude Lorcy, a famous Chouan leader, lies in the Chapelle Saint-Thuriau. The two chapels thus offer different points of interest: at Saint-Fiacre, the dating of the remains is foremost, while Saint-Thuriau is notable for its association with a well-known historical figure.

In the village of Saint-Jean, a well and a domestic washing place with a monolithic washstone have been preserved. Monolithic means that the washstone is made from a single stone. The well and washing place draw attention to a different kind of heritage than chapels and archaeological finds: places associated with water and everyday tasks.

The Iron Age Gallic stele of Khérel can be seen in Saint-Barthélemy. The two menhirs of Kernars measure 4.20 metres and 3.20 metres respectively; the difference between the two measurements is one metre. A menhir is an upright standing stone. Together with the stele, the menhirs offer visitors interested in cultural history specific archaeological points of interest, while the chapels reveal other aspects of local history.

Water, fishing and outdoor activities

The municipal pond at Kergallic is a second-category fishing water and is accessible to people with reduced mobility. At the Saint-Adrien site, there are slipways for small boats, canoes, kayaks and float tubes. The difference between these options is clear: Kergallic is designated as a fishing water, while Saint-Adrien is equipped with slipways for several types of watercraft.

The Circuit des écureuils passes through the municipality of Saint-Barthélemy. Numerous streams can be discovered in the municipality. This adds another connection with nature to your trip planning, alongside the specific activities at the pond and slipways.

A cycling route with a cultural destination

The Chapelle Saint-Adrien can be reached from Voie verte No. 5 via a signposted turnoff and is 300 metres from the route. This describes a specific detour to a cultural destination for a bike ride: the turnoff is signposted, and the distance from the route is specified. Check the signs before setting off.

You can organise these themes around the kind of trip you want: the chapels, stele and menhirs offer cultural highlights, while the pond, slipways and streams appeal to different interests in water. The link between the cycling route and the Chapelle Saint-Adrien also gives you a specific planning option if you want to combine exercise with a cultural stop.

Discover more destinations: Trédion, La Grée-Saint-Laurent, Nivillac, Carnac, Landaul, La Gacilly, Rieux, Damgan.

For the broader travel overview: Morbihan.