Viewpoint over the Blavet Valley

This rocky promontory where the Breton moorland is everywhere, mixing gorse and heather, offers an unobstructed view of the deep valley of the Blavet. The river meanders through, bordered by the towpath which enabled boats to go upstream pulled by horses. In the distance, Minazen lock and lockhouse show the complexity of this hydraulic machinery, a real boat lift.

At the start of the 20th century, more than 3,000 boats passed through here every year carrying fertiliser, sand, limestone, timber and firewood, as well as iron ore and coke from Bilbao and Wales. Lock keepers and bargemen, with their families, were central characters in the life of the Blavet, nowadays popular with walkers, cyclists and kayakers.