Camaret-sur-Mer – Introduction

Camaret-sur-Mer in Brittany is a small town, some 2700 inhabitants, with a very scenic harbour, enormous dramatic cliffs and a very big monument.

The village/town is old, very old. Traces of habitation can be found as far back as 2500 years BC! In those days, the place was for druides and their magical stone, the menhirs (many can still be seen).

The Cliffs and Park

On both side of the town are enormous cliffs which are part of natural parks (the ‘Parc naturel régional d’Armorique‘). The whole area is littered with hiking paths, so you can walk alongside these dramatic cliffs.

Croix de Pen-Hir

At the furthest point on the Southern cliffs you can find a very big monument which can be seen for miles.

The monument is called the “Croix de Pen-Hir” and it’s a monument dedicated to the Bretons (the inhabitants of Brittany) who died during WWII. The monument was inaugurated in 1951 by General Charles de Gaulle.

Several inscriptions adorn the monument:

• “Aux Bretons de la France libre – MCMXL – MCMXLV – La France a perdu une bataille, mais la France n’a pas perdu la guerre. Dans l’univers libre des forces immenses n’ont pas encore donné. Un jour ces forces écraseront l’ennemi” which is in French and means “To the Bretons of Free France – MCMXL – MCMXLV – France lost a battle, but France did not lose the war. In the free universe the immense forces have not yet given. One day these forces will crush the enemy.“
• “Kentoc’h mervel eget em zaotra” which is written in Breton and means “Rather death than disgrace“
• “Homme libre, toujours tu chériras la mer” in French, which means “Free man, always you will cherish the sea“

NOTE: If you look very closely in photo 4 above, to the left of the chapel/lighthouse, in between the left most rocks, you will see a submarine. I only noticed it when I was preparing the photo to be placed here.

The Village

The village/town of Camaret-sur-Mer is very nice and quite. It has a pleasant feel to it, and it’s a nice place to walk around, especially around the beach area.

There are quite a few restaurants alongside the beach area and some small hotels.

But the really interesting part of Camaret is to be found alongside the long harbour wall:

Ship Graveyard

The first thing you see is several shipwrecks. This is a ship graveyard where old, mostly fishing boats, have come to die.

Here, the mostly fishing boats are beached and then disassembled. There is also a shipyard there where new fishing boats are made (probably using many of the salvaged parts of these shipwrecks).

The Notre-Dame-de-Rocamadour Chapel

A little bit further from the shipwrecks, you will find this amazingly petty and simple chapel. It’s a chapel dedicated to the fishermen and is called the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Rocamadour.

The initial chapel dates back to 1183, but was mostly destroyed in the centuries afterwards. Now, the oldest portion of the chapel dates back to the year 1527.

The inside of the church had been destroyed during a fire in 1910. The chapel’s roof was destroyed including its adorned beams. They were all replaced with standard beams. All sculptures were lost.

Today, the chapel is simple, with several model fishing boats inside the chapel.

The Vauban Tower

The last part of the harbour walls of Camaret-sur-Mer is dominated by a small fortress. The fortress is called the “Tour Vauban” (the Vauban Tower) after its architect, Sebastien Le Prestre, marquis of Vauban.

The fortified tower, or mini-fortress, was built in the 17th century. The tower is 18 meters high.

The tower has several cannons, which crossfires with the other fortress of Camaret-sur-Mer, the Pointe du Grand Gouin fort.

The fort had been attacked even before it was finished by the Anglo-Dutch forces in 1694. It was not able to fully defend itself since not all of the artillery has not yet been installed. However, they won the battle.

During WWI, the tower was the base of seaplanes. During WWII, the American Air Force badly damaged the Tower during raids against the German bunkers.

The Vauban tower, and other Vauban fortifications, forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Today the Tower can be visited. It has been turned into a museum of the Vauban defenses.

TIP Do check the website since they are not always open. Click here to access the Vauban Tourist Office website.

Old Lighthouse

Finally, next to the Vauban Tower you will find this beautiful lighthouse.

This is an old lighthouse that is no longer used, replaced by two other slightly outside the harbour.

Conclusion

Camaret-sur-Mer is a very nice and scenic town. Not only are the natural parks and monuments are great place to look around and admire the coastline, but the harbour area is worth a detour just to visit.

Between the shipwrecks, chapel and Vauban tower, you will find enough things to keep you occupied.

Related Posts