Locmiquélic Circuit de Pen Mané

This fort has a chequered history! With its back to the sea but strategically straddling the bay of Lorient, Pen Mané fort was built in the 18th century by the French East India Company to protect against English attack. Work was halted in 1762 when the danger had passed. In the second half of the 19th century, the site was refurbished as a neo-classical barracks. Abandoned, it served as a quarry. In 1920, the French Navy installed a wireless telegraphy station there for long-distance communication with ships. From 1939 to 1945, the German army used it as a degaussing station for submarines. Bought by the town of Locmiquélic in 1988, it was refurbished and opened to the general public.

Locmiquélic, in Breton Locmikaelig, comes from the words loch (the hermitage) and Mikaelig (Michel), probably due to the presence of the island of Tanguethen, located in the middle of the bay of Lorient. Today called the Ile Saint Michel, since the Middle Ages the place housed a priory, which between the 12th and 15th centuries was in charge of collecting royalties from the coastal ships returning to Hennebont and Pont-Scorff. Locmiquélic, which for a long time was part of the parish of Riantec, became a parish in 1907 and a commune in 1919.

Stretching over more than 65 hectares, Pen Mané marsh is a mosaic of natural environments fashioned by nature and by man. Located on publicly-owned coastal land, it belongs to the region of Brittany which entrusted its management to the Coastal Conservatory and maintenance to the town of Locmiquélic in partnership with the Nature et Patrimoine employment scheme. It is a special protection zone and included in the Lorient bay Nature 2000 scheme. Arranged paths help walkers discover its history and natural heritage. 150 species of birds and 470 species of plants have been identified here.

Once home to a landfill site, this part of the marsh has been reclaimed. The soil is regularly analysed by the Coastal Conservatory.

You find yourself on the former bank of the bay of Kervern. Before it was contained in the 1970s, the sea came up to the small dry-stone wall, to the foot of the fields and orchards. This wet woodland, with willows, carex grasses and marsh ferns, turns into a real swamp in the winter. It plays an essential role in the water cycle. Its stores rainwater and returns it during dry periods. Acting like a natural filter, the soil and plants that develop here help to improve the quality of the water.

To prevent reforestation and drying out of the marsh, the reed bed is regularly cut, and the willows pruned. This maintenance promotes plant growth and attracts birds.

A 20th century industrial project artificialized the bay of Kervern which used to be a mudflat with salt marshes and grassland. Maintained today by humans, it offers a wide diversity of environments. To preserve them, the marsh is flooded with saltwater in March and October using a system of sluices. The environment is dotted with dry fields, marsh willow woods, reed beds and mudflats colonised by samphire. Many birds migrate here whereas others, such as the spoonbill, can be seen all year round.

Approaching Lorient, the banks of the Blavet used to be dotted with villages comprised of farms. These are now built up, especially on the Lanester side where industrial and military shipbuilding concentrated. The sign tells you the history of these transformations since 1900.

Here, the river Blavet joins the Scorff and flows into the Atlantic Oceans in the bay of Lorient. This coastal river is 163 kilometres long and rises in Bourbriac in the Côtes-d’Armor department. Feeding into Guerlédan lake since the 1930s, the river was channelled in the 19th century. From Pontivy to the gates of Hennebont, bridges, ports and locks were built along it. The estuary begins at the last lock in Polvern, where the freshwater mingles with the rising seawater. Its wooded banks are interspersed with reedbeds and rushes, salt marshes and mudflats.

In 1866, the construction of a slipway allowed short trips between Pen Mané and Lorient. The sailboats, then steam boats, carried people, wood and food, particularly vegetables from Plouhinec and Kervignac. Today it is used daily by commuters crossing the bay. The pontoons welcome leisure boats, including the traditional boat, the André Yvette. Built in 1934, it used to deliver materials before being used for sailing classes and a holiday centre for vulnerable children for the last twenty years.