If you come walking on the ridges of the Monts d'Arrée for the first time, forget everything you know about Brittany and keep your eyes wide open. The sharp rocks pointing into the sky of Tuchen Gador stand in contrast to the rounded hills of the Mont Saint Michel de Brasparts with its lovely, solitary chapel. Looking out from this highest point of Brittany's mountains, the landscape unfolds as far as the eye can see, revealing a remarkable kinship with certain Irish and Welsh sceneries. Peat bogs, moorland and farmland criss-crossed by hedges and trees offer various shades of green, brown and ginger. The touch of vivid colours of mauve heather and yellow gorse awakens these bronze tints.

With its vaste, wild expanses and breathtaking panoramas, the Monts d'Arrée will definitely appeal to those who secretly dream of wide open spaces and trekking on horse-back or on foot. Nature lovers will find it a paradise for wildlife, with species such as the European otter and the beaver. A rare plant has also settled here: the pretty, carnivorous sundew traps any careless insect that would dare come too close. The shape of the landscapes completely changes according to the light. Cheerful under the bright sunlight, the atmosphere suddenly becomes mysterious when the mists descend onto the Monts d'Arrée. Whenever a huge cloud darkens the region's peculiar luminosity, the rugged landscape easily changes into unsettling shapes. It then becomes evident that this land should be a cradle of many legends ever since the beginning of time.

Kingdoms of the Ankou (reaper of souls) and land of korrigans (mischievous goblins), these mountains, no higher than 384 meters, have this particular power: they throw wide open the gates to a world of make believe. Further below, the marsh of Yeun Elez that has partly been flooded by an artifical lake hosts a gate that should rather not be opened: the cold and misty gates to hell. At least that's what was told in past days, during the long winter nights around the fireplaces. The will-o'-the-wisps, these scary flames flittering about over the peat bogs, seemed to be a sure proof of the presence of evil spirits, ready to emerge from the fogs