Hénansal: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

From the centre of Hénansal, a broad panorama opens up to the east, reaching as far as the distant Menez. The village has two plateaus, separated from each other by a pronounced change in elevation. Landscape orientation and historical evidence lie close together here: Hénansal is home to archaeological remains from several periods.

Landscape and Trails

The RD 768 connects Lamballe with Plancoët and forms Hénansal’s main access route. At the Frémur, an archaeological site in Hénansal forms a 700-metre-long semicircle.

Hiking

The Refuge de Cœurs à Cœurs in Hénansal offers guided and independent donkey treks. The range extends from half-day excursions to five-day tours. For these hikes, the refuge provides suitable IGN maps and Topoguides.

Another signposted route is called Du champs au bois. The easy circular trail is 15 km long and is indicated as taking four hours. The hike leads from Lamballe-Armor to Hénansal via the Chemin de Saint-Alban.

Culture and History

Among Hénansal’s oldest archaeological remains are the tumuli of Surtoué. Near La Ville-Bellanger, there is also the Roche aux Fées, a Neolithic passage grave.

The Cistercian grange of Saint-Maleu in Hénansal is a monastic grange, farm and pastoral complex. The grange of Saint-Maleu is mentioned in the cartulary of Saint-Aubin-des-Bois Abbey in 1260. The surviving residential complex consists of a square courtyard around which three buildings are arranged.

The history of the economy and settlement can also be seen in several places. The Saint-Gueltas grain mill was rebuilt around 1913 and ceased operations around 1939, at the beginning of the Second World War. It used hydropower and thermal energy with a producer-gas engine; using its millstones, it produced bread for sale. La Motte Rouge is a settlement and fortified site dating from the 13th century AD. Duretal is a medieval motte, that is, a medieval fortified earthwork mound castle.

The Church of Saint Peter and Saint John the Baptist is a historic building dating from the 15th to the 19th century and was partially rebuilt between 1837 and 1840. Its southern portal and choir window date from 1509. Inside are a polychrome wooden crucifix from the 15th to the 16th century and a statue of Saint Sebastian from the 17th century.

Outside the church, further buildings and monuments recall earlier centuries. The Croix de Pilody wayside cross dates from 1409 and bears an inscription naming Gautier and the rector Eude. The Manoir de la Vigne manor house dates from the 16th century, was built by the La Vigne family and displays their coat of arms. The Manoir du Maupas manor house dates from 1632.

Find more places at the same higher level at Lancieux, Meslin, Plaine-Haute, Saint-Judoce, Lannion, La Prénessaye, Pléven and La Vicomté-Sur-Rance.

For the higher-level travel overview: Côtes-D’armor.