It's not a mirage, it's Castel Meur
Brittany It has 27,208 square kilometers of surface but until now, nobody has managed cover all its mysteries, legends, castles and secret corners.
One of those corners that seems taken from those stories that begin with "Once upon a time..." is Castel Meur, also known as La Maison du Gouffre or 'the house between the rocks'.
This little house is wedged between two huge rocks near Plougrescant , a small coastal town located in French Brittany, in the department of Côtes-d'Armor. And like all the magical places in the region, It is worth undertaking the adventure of discovering it.
Plougrescant: Wild Brittany
A MAGICAL PATH (WITH REWARD)
Leaving behind the medieval city of Tréguier, the Jaudy River becomes an estuary strewn with islets that look like sequins embroidered in the sea.
The left bank borders the Plougrescant peninsula and the land slopes gently towards the English Channel drawing a painting of heathland and forest that could well have come from Gauguin's brush.
By the way, houses that look like dolls coexist with granite giants, with the immense horizon in the background and the capricious cliffs outlining the coast.
To say capricious is to fall short. What we find following the coastal path between pink sands and wild vegetation is a fantasy, a succession of extravagances carved into the rock.
And it is that Brittany lives to the rhythm of the tides, whose mood determines the location of the houses near the water. Some merge with the rock formations and others are attached to them, such as Castel Meur.
Castel Meur, also known as 'La Maison du Gouffre'
A HOUSE AMONG ROCKS
In Breton, Castel Meur means "great castle", but as soon as you see the house you will realize that the name is ironic.
Built in 1861, this little house embedded in the granite turns its back to the sea to protect itself from the wind and waves and his photography has already traveled around the world, getting many to place Plougrescant on the map and come to this fairytale corner.
150 years ago there were no construction permits or licenses, so you could plant your house anywhere, so Castel Meur was built between two irregular rocks that shelter it when storms loom.
Castel Meur with calm sea
THE PRICE OF THE FAME
Castel Meur is a privately owned house that has been passed down from generation to generation. It currently belongs to the granddaughter of the first owner.
Given the increase in the number of tourists who came from all over the world to visit Castel Meur and the lack of care and respect shown by some of them, the emblematic house can no longer be visited.
Castel Meur: a house guarded by the rock
The most surreal episode was a day when someone had the fateful idea to climb on the roof of the house. Episode after which a wall was built around it and signs were placed prohibiting access.
This prohibition responds to the need to protect the enclave and the stones on the beach, as many tourists took them as souvenirs, which increased the destructive capacity of the great tides.
Now, visitors who come here must settle for photograph it from afar and walk the surrounding trails in search of new adventures.
Castel Meur and its reflection in the water