Ploemeur - Circuit des rives du Ter

Passing through Ploemeur, Lorient and Larmor-Plage, the river Ter, 25 km long and 35 km² of watershed, flows into the sea in the bay of Lorient. Its estuary, influenced by the sea, once contained trout, mullet, plaice, sea-bass and wild oysters in its brackish waters. Today it feeds the two lakes of Saint-Mathurin and Kermélo. The first, built in 1756 at the same time as the Moulin Neuf embankment, takes its name from a chapel. Built near the bridge over the river Ter, it was destroyed by the Germans when building the railway line. Kermélo lake was formed in 1967 when a bridge embankment was built.

The Ter ecosystem comprises a wide variety of trees, combining typical Breton forest trees such as beech and oak, with exotic species. Loved by the nobility and bourgeoisie, these trees from Europe, America and Asia were introduced into Breton estate parks and gardens in the 19th century. They can be found here, probably linked to the estates of Le Ter and Soye, and especially the pines so well suited to our coastal climate. 

The Le Ter site is sustainably managed, combining protection of the natural environment and open to the public. The streams from the Ter watershed are maintained as part of a Territorial Contract for Aquatic Environments, and the natural spaces are maintained without the use of plant protection products. Mowing is carried out late in the year to preserve the biological cycles. Dead wood is left in place to promote the creation of shelters and protect the insects that break it down. Fishing areas are limited, and navigation is forbidden on the Saint-Mathurin lake so as not to disturb the birds or damage the banks.

The banks of the Ter lake are colonised by hydrophilic plants that like to live with their roots in the water. Bunches of rushes with smooth, green stems grow alongside sedges with sharp leaves, reeds, yellow iris and water hemlock, umbellifers with white flowers that resemble flat-leafed parsley. This environment is also colonised by willow trees, easily recognisable in the spring by their white flowers or catkins.

With its picnic and games areas, pedestrian paths, left-bank cycling paths and fitness path, the banks of the Ter are ideal for outdoor activities. The Kermelo embankment was built in 1967, to keep up the water level and created a miniature, navigable sea, ideal for a nautical base. It was taken over by the commune in 1988 and houses equipment and cloakrooms in its two buildings, for year-round practice of water sports; sailing, windsurfing, paddle, canoe, kayak, rowing, etc.

The passage of Trémélo, once served by a ferry linking the two banks of the Ter, was given a wire suspension bridge in 1838, 122 metres long. It was replaced by a reinforced concrete bridge in 1919, and then by the current embankment-bridge, built in 1967. The valves are used to control the level of the brackish waters of the lake, fed by the freshwater of the Ter and the saltwater from the ocean. The lake is regularly emptied and refilled by the high tides to renew the water and fight against the proliferation of green algae.

Nothing is left of the original village of Kéroman where the Germans built a vast base between 1941 and 1944 to house their submarines. Part of the Atlantic Wall, it was the largest military, reinforced concrete complex built by the Third Reich. Designed on the typical plans of the Todt organisation, it is comprised of three huge blocks covering a total surface area of 60,623 m², containing 21 cells facing the sea, connected by rail on the landward side to workshops and barracks. The concrete roof slabs, 3 to 7 m thick, are reinforced by almost indestructible, anti-bomb structures. After the war, the site was commandeered by the French Navy and used until 1997. Now fully rehabilitated, the submarine base is a tourist attraction in its own right. Lorient La Base includes the Eric Tabarly Sailing Museum, the Flore submarine, the submariners’ museum, tours of the K3, and the internationally renowned offshore racing centre.   

Saint-Thurien fountain is surrounded by a low wall, and lies in a dream-like, green landscape under the trees. It is fed by a spring visited by salamanders, a reminder that hardly fifty years ago, water was not so accessible. Nearby villagers came here to draw water for their domestic needs. The small washhouse next to the fountain still resonates with the sounds of the laundry being soaked, scrubbed, beaten and rinsed by the women in the pond.

The lakes of the Ter are ideal for observing aquatic birds. Of the thirty species identified, about fifteen are protected; grebe, swans, gulls and ducks live alongside herons, common sandpipers and terns... Some are sedentary, others spend the winter or summer here. They find nesting areas and food; aquatic plants, insects, molluscs and fish.

This embankment is what is left of the old mill of Ter. Creating a water reserve, it was used to feed the water wheel in the cereal mill that belonged to the seigneury of Le Ter. Listed already in the 15th century, this demesne was bought by the seigneur Jean Léziart in 1663 with its rights and ruined castle that was restored several times. The estate was converted into a secondary school in the second half of the 20th century.

In 1756, Antoinette Léziart, the lady of Le Ter, had the new mill built to replace the old one. The dam on the Ter lake gave rise to Saint-Mathurin lake that fed the mill, in operation until the 20th century. Only the control valves remain that are used to control the level of the freshwater in the lake, where brown trout, eels, roach, perch, carp and pike abound.

The wide alleys edged with majestic beech are all that remain of the Le Ter estate created in 1736. On this bank, the acidic Atlantic beechwood with holly undergrowth dominates. Oak, birch and pear trees grow here. This diverse humus-rich woodland promotes the development of brambles, ferns and mushrooms in the undergrowth. It is also a refuge and food store for mammals, birds, molluscs and insects. There are several species of woodpecker here, and wood nuthatch and crested tit.