Location

People (not just disabled people... everybody) keep asking us "is it far?" Well, its in France, It would not be much of a holiday if it was just outside Watford would it... (sorry Watford :-)

So where is La Roche Derrien and why do I want to have a holiday in one of the wheelchair accessible appartments there?

Key Points:

1.5 hours from St Malo sea port.
1.25 hours from Roscoff sea port.
1.5 hours from Dinard airport.
1.25 hours from Brest airport.
6-8 hours from Calais sea port depending on fuel and food breaks.
400 meters from the mini market, bakers, bar and post office in La Roche-derrien.
0 meters from the river Jaudy (at the bottom of the garden).
Latitude = 48.7496 Longitude = -3.2666
Click here for a map of Brittany. make sure internet explorer shows it at its full size and it will give you all the detail you could wish for.

France, we will admit is not the first choice for disabled or wheelchair travellers, it is not renowned for being accessible, but firstly it is not as bad as you think, plus the French are changing and accessibility has become high priority for government legislation. Our local mayor has taken our project to heart, and is currently planning lots of modifications to paths and ramps in the area. (Bless him!)

We are based in La Roche Derrien, which is in the Côtes d’Armor department of Brittany, France. The name “Côtes d’Armor” meaning “coasts of the sea country”, comes from the region’s deeply indented coastline, formed over thousands of years. The jutting and dramatic headlands intermingle with wide sandy inlets along the coast line. The actual coastline is called “Côte de granit rose” which means “The pink granite coast”. The granite literally is pink, and is very striking not only in colour but also for the strange shapes it can take.

Impressive and dramatic landscapes can be found all over the area, with the coast, more rural and impressive architecture all nestling amongst each other.

La Roche Derrien is nestled between the old historic towns of Treguier (5km), Paimpol (15km) and Lannion (15km). In the Middle Ages La Roche Derrien, meaning Town of the Rock, was a fortified town which many battles were fought over.
The castle at the time was besieged during the War of the Breton Succession and was fought over by the English, French and Bretons. Today it offers beautiful walks on the bank of the River Jaudy. Several timber framed houses line the market square and the church, which dates back to the 12th and 15th centuries, has an elaborate 17thC altar. The stained glass in the church depicts the battle between the French and the English.

Treguier, Paimpol and Lannion all offer a wealth of delights, from the impressive gothic Cathedral with Cloisters in Treguier all surrounded by various shops, restaurants and bars. Lannion is famous for its ancient paved alleyways and timber framed cob and granite houses. Lannion manages to combine historic with very modern too, following the influx of many large Telecommunication companies in the 60’s. The Radome at Pleumeur Bodou, is the first place that a received a visual picture from USA via Satellite. The Radome now is a museum and you can visit to explore latest technologies, and see how telecommunications has changed over the years.

Paimpol’s heart lies around its harbour. The history shows that this was once an important deep sea fishing port, whose fishermen perished on the cod run to Iceland. Over 2000 fishermen on 82 schooners were lost to the sea, over a period of 80 years.

Travel links to this area are good, with good motorway links, and also sea and air links.
By sea you would sail into St Malo (100 kms) or Roscoff (70 kms), by air two regional airports are the closest from the UK, Dinard (100 kms) and Brest (100 kms).