Cape of Erquy
A rare place, authentically natural: pink sandstone cliffs and rocks, wild heathland, pinewoods, dunes, emerald sea...
A place charged with history: cannonball oven, guardhouse, old quarries, coast path...
Cap d'Erquy is a listed site of 170 hectares which has been the property of the Conseil Général des Côtes d'Armor since 1977.
New ! Geofestival : festival of geology.
Natural Environments
The heathland of the Cap d'Erquy
is listed as one of the most remarkable natural environments in the Department. Once used as farmland, it is now a nature reserve. It contains a wide variety of species of heather and gorse creating a landscape ot colours changing with the seasons.
The dunes
were formed some 2000 years ago when the sea level fell back slightly. Today they are the theatre for a natural phenomena stirred up by the waves and the wind.
Pink Sandstone
Unlike pink granite (not to be confused!) which is made by the cooling magma, Erquy's pink sandstone is the result of the superimposition of layers of sand 470 million years ago. Its pink colouring is due to the presence of iron oxide, and its hardness, as a siliceous rock, make it a noble material, widely used in the early 20th century for building and paving streets. It gives the local buildings a special charm.
Pink sandstone is today being using by local craftsmen once more.
The Quarry lakes, known as the "Blue Lakes "
are the result of the quarrying of pink sandstone from the cliffs overlooking the harbour. Workmen dressed the stone on site and the paving stones were transported by wagon to the dock below. They were then loaded onto boats (like the Sainte Jeanne). Most were destined for the large Northern cities.
A festival of geology : le géofestival
An original invitation to discover Erquy, nicknamed "the pink sandstone Brittany", and its territory.
Some exhibitions, commented walks, fun itineraries and conferences about geology.
The first edition of the festival took place in Erquy in 2009.
Géofestival
www.geofestival.org
Traces of the past
The Guardhouse,
at Trois Pierres was built in 1744. The building was part of a vast defensive system instigated by Louis XVI who formed coast guard companies and stationed batteries and guardhouses along the whole of Brittany's coast.
The cannonball oven
was completed in 1794: the cannonballes were heated until they were red-hot so they could set enemy ships on fire!
The lifeboat Station
operated from 1935 to 1966. Since 1990, the motor vessel Plancoët (SNS 238), based in the port, has been responsible for sea rescues.
Seaside walks
The sea cliffs
are environments where the weather can be extreme (wind, spray...) and the plants there adopt different strategies to cope with it: thick, narrow leaves to prevent drying out and numerous, deep roots to withstand the wind...
The foreshore
runs the length of the coast. Whether sandy (beach), rocky (bank) or muddy (bay), the foreshore delimits the coastal area "covered and uncovered" by the sea.
Office de Tourisme d'Erquy
3, rue du 19 mars 1962 - BP 81 - 22430 ERQUY - France
Tél : 02 96 72 30 12 - fax : 02 96 72 02 88 - info@erquy-tourisme.com - www.erquy-tourisme.com
