Tréhorenteuc, Broceliande Gateway

Val Sans Retour, Legendary Land of Arthurian Mystery in Brittany

Apr 13, 2008 Richard Mudhar

Visit the attractive Val Sans Retour at Tréhorenteuc, a good base to explore the forest of Broceliande, and the myth of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

The forest of Paimpont, also known as Broceliande, in Brittany has been connected with Arthurian legend over the centuries. Merlin in particular is honoured at many of the sites, and there are some megalithic monuments, already ancient when the legends of the Knights of the Round Table were first told.

Tréhorenteuc is a good base from which to explore the mysteries, and the Grail seeker should start at the small village church of Sainte Onenne. Here the stained glass windows show the story of the Knights of the Round Table and the Grail, the work of a priest Abbe Gillard who wrote a number of pamphlets on the region and Grail Legend. The tourist information centre is nearby.

Val Sans Retour (Valley of No Return)

Just to the south of the village is the large car park for the Val Sans Retour, a beautiful valley associated with the Arthurian legend. It gets the name from the part fo the legend where Guinevere broke up the affair between Morgan-le-Fay (Arthur’s half-sister) and her lover Guiomar. The outraged Morgan used magic learned from the wizard Merlin to enchant the valley as a trap to unfaithful lovers. Such men would be able to enter the valley but be prevented from leaving by a thick wall of mist. As a warning, if you take the clockwise route round the valley you will soon encounter the rock formation known as the Rock of the False Lovers (Rocher des faux Amants), the petrified remains of Guiomar and his sweetheart turned to stone by the vengeful Morgan.

As you leave the car park you will walk up to the entrance to the valley, where there is a large lake. It is worth trying to start early, as the valley is very popular particularly in summer. If the wind is low, the lake is almost still, and you can see how it earned the name Le Miroir aux Fees (the Mirror of Fairies). To the left of the lake is a sculpture of the Golden Tree (L’Arbre d’Or). In 1990 a serious fire took hold and the Val Sans Retour burned for five days – an appeal was launched and money came in to save the heritage of the valley. This sculpture was created by François Davin the next year. Just past this you have the choice – go left across the bridge to take the clockwise upper path looking to the Rocher des Faux Amants and look over the valley first, then descend into in for your return, or to take the right hand path for a gradual ascent into the valley. The route is circular so you won’t miss anything either way. It takes two to three hours to complete the circuit.

Nearby Attractions

Ask at the tourist information centre for the map of the circular drive around the nearby attractions connected with the Grail Legend, these include

Fontaine de Barenton

Hotie de Viviane (prehistoric stone dolmen)

Tombeau du geant (prehistoric site)

A little bit further away are the remarkable prehistoric stone rows of Carnac

The copyright of the article Tréhorenteuc, Broceliande Gateway in W Europe Travel is owned by Richard Mudhar. Permission to republish Tréhorenteuc, Broceliande Gateway in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.