Loudeac is a pretty market town famous for its annual horse race meetings and horse festival. There is a wide range of traditional shops and restaurants set on medieval streets, as well as numerous banks and schools.
Access
Loudeac is situated in the Côtes d’Armor department of Brittany. St Dinard airport and ferries in St Malo can be reached in 1h.
History
The town of Loudeac was first mentioned in 1059 and human habitation can be traced to the late Paleolithic period. In 56 BC, the area was conquered by the Romans led by Julius Caesar and was called ‘ Armorica’ (meaning ‘coastal region’); Cotes D’Armor is a variation of this. By the 4 th century AD, Romano-British tribes began to settle here and consequently contributed to the name of the region ‘Brittany’ (meaning ‘Little Britain’) and the language: ‘Brezhoneg.’ However, in 1488, the King of France took over once again by forcing the last Duke of Brittany to allow his daughter to marry Louis XII of France.
In the C17th and C18th, Loudeac took on the textile industry and flourished. As well as clothing the French navy, local weavers produced fine linen for export to Spain and colonies in the new world. The town continues with industrial work today.
Activities
Les Aquatides Water Park is a wonderful day out. It includes a 25m swimming pool, a 70m long water slide, a fast-flowing river section, a lagoon of bubbles, a jacuzzi and a spa-bath. Every Easter there are five horse race meetings held at the Calouët Hippodrome that attracts race goers from all over Western France. There is also an immense reconstruction of the Holy City of Jerusalem for ‘La Passion de Loudeac,’ a play about the life of Christ that involves hundreds of actors. Religious processions are big in Brittany, another being ‘Le Pardon de Querrien’ which has gained Loudeac the nickname ‘Lourdes of Brittany’ because of the hundreds of pilgrims drawn by the procession. Every August, meanwhile, there is ‘La Fête du Cheval’ (Festival of the Horse) which involves a procession filled with horses, carriages and brass bands. And there are music festivals throughout the year.
Golf, fishing, canoeing, walking, mountain biking and horseriding are popular activities; www.cideral.fr is a website for horseriding centres. A visit to a Thalassotherapy centre is always a revitalising experience, the Forêt de Loudeac is a national forest perfect for nature lovers and L’ancienne voie ferrée, an unused railway line running along the River Lié should be explored.
Food and Drink
Buckwheat pancakes must be tried when in Loudeac, accompanied by cider in a ‘bolée’ (a small handleless cup). Seafood and charcuterie (meat) are also very tasty; the ‘fruits de mer’ platter for example, available in most restaurants, boasts: oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, lobster and prawns. Cider is the main drink because Brittany is one of its main producers; there are orchards everywhere.
Restaurants
- La Mandoline, 37 rue Notre-Dame, tel no: 02 96 66 05 14, modern French cuisine 15-30 €
- La Nonna, 16 bd Victor Etienne, tel no : 02 96 28 34 98, excellent pizzeria 8-10 €
- La Trattoria, 14 bd de la gare, tel no : 02 96 28 09 36, menu from 15 €
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property for sale in Loudeac. We have a large network of estate agents near Loudeac. All of them are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Loudeac matching your requirements.