Lanester - Circuit of the Goden by the marsh

Most of the site consists of salty meadows called schorres. In these spaces, halophilic plants develop, that is to say, adapted to salty environments like samphire and obione. In the highest parts submerged during major tides, also grows quackgrass, this very common perennial grass with developed roots, as well as sea beet.

The lavoir de Toulbahado, initially private, was bought by the municipality at the beginning of the 20th century to allow its renovation. It was frequented by the inhabitants of Pen Mané and Plessis. In Lanester, about fifteen laundries are still visible in several places of the municipality, they are part of local history. The majority of these laundries were built at the edge of the coastal zone, at the limit of marshy areas, where the springs are shallow and easily exploitable.

Made up of a mosaic of environments, the Goden marsh is a refuge for many species of birds. Waterfowl find there a place to rest and feed, while various species of passerine choose to nest in the reedbed. You can easily observe the egret Garzette searching the vase, or the kingfisher in search of a fish. The trail and the observatory will allow you to make beautiful observations.

Located at the bottom of the valley, this stream and the wetland that borders it play a fundamental role in the water cycle. The wetland acts as a sponge and stores rainwater in winter; it helps to limit floods and returns water to the stream during dry periods. Acting as a natural filter, the sludge and the plants that grow in it contribute to improving water quality by eliminating pollution. This environment is also colonized by the willow, easily identifiable in spring by its white flowers or catkins.

The Plessis mill certainly existed before the end of the 16th century; but the oldest written record attesting to its existence dates from 1782. It was a seigniorial mill, although it was first owned by the Abbey of Saint Gildas de Rhuys, like many places in the Pays de Lorient. Built on the edge of the Plessis pond, the tide mill is located in the middle of the dike. It was also fed by the stream that bears the same name. Damaged by a fire in the 1930s, it will be again during the Second World War. Converted into a clothing factory in the 1960s, it will then be refurbished to accommodate housing.

At the confluence of the stream of Plessis and Blavet, between the municipalities of Lanester and Locmiquélic, the banks of the Blavet are more than 500 meters apart. This coastal river joins the Scorff and flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the level of the Bay of Lorient. Until 1909, Lanester was part of the municipality of Caudan. This area, once populated by a few villages made up of farms, has become highly urbanized. Here, on the Lanester side, industrial and military shipbuilding activities are concentrated.