Bubry - Circuit de Saint-Clément

Privately owned, l'étang fleuri (the flowering lake) owes its name to the business opened in the 1980s in the adjoining house. Collecting water from several streams, the Manéantoux lake was used in the 18th century to turn the wheel of the mill below on your right. In the 19th century, the diversion channel fed a second mill downstream, known as Er Velin Huen, which has now disappeared. The first, for wheat, and the second, for buckwheat and millet, belonged to the ancient seigneury of Manéantoux. A little further on, as you cross Stanqueline, you can see its houses, barn and well dating from the second half of the 19th century.

Below the commune's highest point at 177 metres, the Croix de Keratalm, at the crossroads of two roads, offers a fine view over the surrounding countryside. Located near the village of Kerantalm, the site is said to have once housed a chapel, the remains of which, including a cross, were still visible in the 20th century. This ancient church, said to have been dedicated to Saint Colomban, was later moved to Saint-Clément.

Behind its 18th and 19th century houses, the village hides the chapel of Saint-Clément. Built between the end of the 18th century and the 1850s, this imposing Latin cross-shaped monument features a bell tower-porch topped by a granite spire. Note the staircase in the rake leading to the bell tower, and the gables sculpted with heads and engraved with the date 1844. Threatening ruin, the building was restored in the 1970s thanks to the active work of the chapel committee. It still has its original paved floor and roof frame, now without the panelling. All that remains of the altarpiece, made in 1794 by a local craftsman, is the altar in the shape of a curved tomb. The date 1811 is engraved on a font. The statuary is a sign of how long people have worshipped in this place. In addition to a Madonna and Child, there are two statues of St. Clement from the 16th century, depicting him with his papal tiara and three crowns. There is however, no trace of Saint Columban.

Away from the centre of the village of Stang Du, (“black pond” in Breton), the bread oven and the well once played an important role. They were usually communal, built and shared by the hamlet's inhabitants, and multiplied in the 18th and 19th centuries. In larger villages, there may have been up to four ovens. In Stang Du in 1843, there were two of them, built unusually right next to each other. The second was used by a farm that no longer exists. Most wells were dug after 1850 and brought water as close as possible to the houses. This one is typical of the western Morbihan region, with a wall topped by a monolithic coping and a sculpted superstructure housing the lifting mechanism.

This sloping woodland below the villages of Manebutur and Stang er Borel was once essentially moorland. Traditional agriculture, poor in fertilizers, exploited all the advantages offered by nature. Here, leaves and ferns were collected for bedding. Late apples and pears were harvested. These old, hardy varieties could be kept for a long time over winter. The per segal variety was ripened in grain and the per tag variety, from the Breton word tagiñ, to choke, was eaten slowly. Further down, cows grazed in the meadows. Daily chores, however physical, became a game for the children, who were put to work at an early age. They were the ones who carried the wheelbarrows of washing up and down the slope between the village and the washhouse. 

Below is the meandering Sarre River. Rising in the Côtes d'Armor, near Lescouët-Gouarec, it flows into the Blavet at Melrand after a 35-kilometre journey. Alternating between shallows, flat currents and rapids, it is home to a large population of wild trout. The preservation of this fish probably explains why one of its upstream tributaries is one of the last refuges of a very rare freshwater mussel, the pearl mussel.  Eels were also numerous. In this area, the Saar preserves the remains of two fisheries which allowed the villagers of Stang er Borel to catch them in traps during the fall downstream. These devices were then used to channel water from the river to water and flood the meadows. Warming the earth, the water allowed early and abundant grass growth, providing quality fodder.

Coët Sar Braz literally means “Great Sarre Wood”, looks like a manor, with its converted houses hidden behind high walls. However, this estate has never housed a seigneury. In 1843, the hamlet consisted of a dozen small houses along a courtyard street housing at least four farms. Outside, the bread oven is a sign of the village's agricultural nature, and the triangular wall fountain may already have provided water for its inhabitants. A little further down, you cross the Manéantoux stream coming from the Etang Fleuri and joining the river Sarre.

Following the path around the village of Haben, you get a glimpse of the architectural quality of the old farmhouses built between the 17th and 19th centuries. Named Le Habin in 1843 on the Napoleonic land registry, this large hamlet was built around a central courtyard where roads from neighbouring fields and villages converged. Each of the four farms has several buildings for living and working purposes, courtyards behind the houses and pastures. Communal areas, a bread oven and several threshing floors around the perimeter, and a fountain below, complete the village.

Today, the newer part of Bieuzen is home to the Le Beller farm, which specializes in the production and sale of poultry, rabbits and cured meats. Bieuzen has preserved a high-quality historical rural heritage. As you pass through, respecting the tranquillity of its inhabitants, you'll see on your right two beautiful ashlar houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The first, a longère (farmhouse), features a dwelling on the right, with a chimney stump and segmental arch door flanked by two bay windows. On the left, the agricultural section with stable and attic, accessible via a staircase built into the façade. Further on, the second building is a stable, which though modest, is just as neat: the fire room, lit by a mullioned window, is entered through a segmental arch door. A modest staircase up the façade provides access to the attic door also in the form of a segmental arch.