France 2014 - Forest of Broceliande

Back to France 2014

We visited Paimpont in the heart of the Forest of Broceliande, the home of Merlin. We got a couple maps from the tourist information office and headed off to find the Tomb of Merlin. As usual, we managed to park a little too far away, which resulted in our walking further than we intended - one of the themes of this trip. So we followed two different kinds of trail markers - through forest, along country roads, through farmer's fields, along tractor trails, over streams, by the newly renamed "Watery Tart Lake," and in one case by rusting 80 year old farm equipment, to the Fountain of Youth - which was a good thing, as it meant that Merlin's Tomb was nearby. An older gentleman had followed us up to the fountain. Neither of us drank, but he vanished shortly after I took a picture of him contemplating the fountain.

We found Merlin's tomb shortly thereafter. It's one of those things where you have to appreciate the history of the thing because the reality of it isn't much: three pieces of stone on the ground surrounded by a stone circle. I think it's very cool that I can tell people I've seen Merlin's Tomb.

I am sorry to say that on the return part of the loop trail we were following, we got distinctly off track as I chose a horse trail instead of the correct one to return to our parking lot: I've never been happier to have the GPS with me, and we promptly christened it "Breadcrumbs" as a reward for saving us from being lost in a dark forest - in honour of an earlier conversation about a fairy tale that most of you can probably name. Breadcrumbs got us back on track and back to the car.

Image Broceliande2014.20140521.1081.GO.CanonSX10.html, size 214006 b

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by giles