Huelgoat

French commune
nomcommune=Huelgoat
native_name=An Uhelgoad


caption=Watermill of "Chaos"


x=27
y=82
lat_long=coord|48|21|54|N|3|44|37|W|region:FR_type:city
insee=29081
cp=29690
région=Bretagne
département=Finistère
arrondissement=Châteaulin
canton=Huelgoat
maire=Irène Dissez
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Monts d'Arrée
alt mini=92
alt maxi=267 m
km²=14.87
sans=1687
date-sans=1999
dens=113
date-dens=1999|

Huelgoat ( _br. An Uhelgoad) is a commune in Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Huelgoat are called "Huelgoatains".

Geography

Huelgoat is popular with tourists and holidaymakers due to its impressive natural setting among the vestiges of the ancient forest that once covered inland Brittany. Once part of royal and ducal lands, the forest is now overseen by the French forestry commission, the National Forests Office. It has an area of 10 square kilometres. A large replanting scheme has repaired much of the damage sustained by the forest in storms on the 15th-16th October 1987, when 3.1 square kilometres of trees were levelled or damaged.

The village lies on a lake created between the 16th and 18th centuries to supply water to local silver-lead mines by means of a 3 km leat or "canal".

ights

A number of geological and prehistoric curiosities can be found by following trails in and around the village and forest. Among these are:

* "Le Chaos de Rochers", the Chaos of Rocks, is a jumble of hundreds of large boulders below the dammed lake, into which the river vanishes. A 10 m descent down ladders is required to see it again, running rapidly below a dark cave called the Devil's Grotto.
* "La Roche Tremblante" or Trembling Rock, is a 137-tonne boulder nearby, pivoted so it can be made to rock by a person pushing against one point.
* "Le Champignon", or The Mushroom, is a large rock balanced on a smaller one to give the eponymous appearance.
* "La Mare aux Fées", the fairies' pool.
* "La Mare aux Sangliers", the wild boar pool.
* "Le Camp d'Artus", Arthur's Camp, a sea promontory hillfort based on a Gaulish oppidum, with a linear "murus gallicus" rampart. It was used as refuge by the Osisme Gauls against the Roman invasion in 57 BC and later acquired a nickname referring to Arthurian legend. The site was excavated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler.
* "La Grotte d'Artus", or Arthur's Cave, is a natural shelter formed under a roof of jammed rocks.

ee also

*Communes of the Finistère department

External links

* [http://www.onf.fr/ Office National des Forêts] fr icon
* [http://huelgoat.net/ A Huelgoat website] fr icon en icon
* [http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/merimee_fr?ACTION=CHERCHER&FIELD_98=INSEE&VALUE_98=29081 French Ministry of Culture list for Huelgoat] fr icon