Penfeld Park in Brest
Today just like in the past, the upper valley of the Penfeld is a breach open to wandering imaginations.
It offers the most enjoyable walks.
By coming here, you are following in the footsteps of others who have gone before you,
Did you know ?
The banks watched as a young François René de Châteaubriand was dreaming : " There, seeing nothing but a peaty valley, but still hearing the confused murmur of the sea and the voices of men, I lay down on the edge of the little river, occasionally following with my eyes the flight of the sea crow... I fell into the deepest daydream... "
These spaces, and this 15-hectare water surface where the mules now run and where the seabirds like to blend their reflections, are a mirror of our memory.
In their company, you take a journey that revives the glimmer of the history of Brest and its port. The sea is not far away. It begins where the river ends its meanders.
Dripping pieces of oak drawn from the thick forests of Brittany or the Baltic were taken out the depths of the Penfeld, releasing their sap into the brackish water all throughout years .. A necessary purgatory before being reborn as vessels, armed for the distant seas...
This Penfeld area is part of what Mac Orlan called "the moving and mysterious scenery of the Brest harbour". And it is in it this place that the writer François Ménez saw "a colour, an atmosphere of old prints"...
Breathe in! ...
This water has, along with other rivers, dug the Brest harbour. "The little Penfeld, deep, steep, and so close to the open sea", describes Auguste Dupouy...
The banks offer a gentle sence of intimacy and a contrasted image.
Up north, the landscape is more structured than the south, where one simply follows the shapes and paths dictated by an untamed wilderness. The area is ideal for walks and sporting activities: the surrounding trails are perfect for jogging, and the whole area is an adventure playground.
Here and there, benches and lawns invite you to rest. These places full of history have recovered another vocation from the past: that of being a place of relaxation just a step away from the city, the activity of which is still heard today as a subtle echo.
Before the war, the people of Brest used to come here with their families to get some fresh air and cool off in the "guinguettes" set up on the edge of the water!
Penfeld further upstream
There are the banks of the Penfeld and their footpaths.
There are the banks of the Penfeld and their military port.
But there are also the banks of the Penfeld further upstream.
There, in these less known places, a whole heritage is on display. A natural heritage featuring a living river where fish spawn and dragonflies transform. A cultural and economic heritage where water has been tamed to give us its strength. It is also the heritage of all Brest residents, with the drinking water produced there.
During the course of a walk, discover the Penfeld and its different heritages.
It offers the most enjoyable walks.
By coming here, you are following in the footsteps of others who have gone before you,
Did you know ?
The banks watched as a young François René de Châteaubriand was dreaming : " There, seeing nothing but a peaty valley, but still hearing the confused murmur of the sea and the voices of men, I lay down on the edge of the little river, occasionally following with my eyes the flight of the sea crow... I fell into the deepest daydream... "
These spaces, and this 15-hectare water surface where the mules now run and where the seabirds like to blend their reflections, are a mirror of our memory.
In their company, you take a journey that revives the glimmer of the history of Brest and its port. The sea is not far away. It begins where the river ends its meanders.
Dripping pieces of oak drawn from the thick forests of Brittany or the Baltic were taken out the depths of the Penfeld, releasing their sap into the brackish water all throughout years .. A necessary purgatory before being reborn as vessels, armed for the distant seas...
This Penfeld area is part of what Mac Orlan called "the moving and mysterious scenery of the Brest harbour". And it is in it this place that the writer François Ménez saw "a colour, an atmosphere of old prints"...
Breathe in! ...
This water has, along with other rivers, dug the Brest harbour. "The little Penfeld, deep, steep, and so close to the open sea", describes Auguste Dupouy...
The banks offer a gentle sence of intimacy and a contrasted image.
Up north, the landscape is more structured than the south, where one simply follows the shapes and paths dictated by an untamed wilderness. The area is ideal for walks and sporting activities: the surrounding trails are perfect for jogging, and the whole area is an adventure playground.
Here and there, benches and lawns invite you to rest. These places full of history have recovered another vocation from the past: that of being a place of relaxation just a step away from the city, the activity of which is still heard today as a subtle echo.
Before the war, the people of Brest used to come here with their families to get some fresh air and cool off in the "guinguettes" set up on the edge of the water!
Penfeld further upstream
There are the banks of the Penfeld and their footpaths.
There are the banks of the Penfeld and their military port.
But there are also the banks of the Penfeld further upstream.
There, in these less known places, a whole heritage is on display. A natural heritage featuring a living river where fish spawn and dragonflies transform. A cultural and economic heritage where water has been tamed to give us its strength. It is also the heritage of all Brest residents, with the drinking water produced there.
During the course of a walk, discover the Penfeld and its different heritages.
