The Breton Countryside Breton Paths Ar Wenojenn
The picture on the right shows an old pathway in the commune of Duault, near Callac. It is typical of the network of tracks that once crisscrossed the Breton countryside, linking every town and hamlet with each other. In recent times, these pathways have suffered severe depredations: many have been paved over to make roads, and others have fallen into disuse as people have ceased to walk from place to place. It has become common practice for farmers to flatten paths that have become overgrown with brambles and shrubs in order to amalgamate them into neighbouring fields. All this is a great shame because these paths represent a rich natural heritage, carefully preserved and passed down to us by the people who have lived in Brittany over previous centuries. No one knows exactly how old these paths are, but they have probably followed the same course for hundreds, and probably thousands of years. They are invariably lined with trees such as yew, beech and oak, which are themselves centuries old and which in all probability are growing on the site of similar trees that have grown in the same spot since time immemorial. The pathways that remain still provide the best way of seeing the Breton countryside; in summer, the overhanging trees give shelter from the rays of the sun and, in winter, their high banks provide protection from the wind, making them pleasant places to walk on even the wildest days. Because they have been undisturbed for so many years, the paths now contain an incredible wealth of mosses, lichens and wild flowers, and all the insect life that accompanies them. This makes them an ideal habitat for birds. Thus the pathways still fulfil many functions: wildlife reserves, havens of tranquillity, and a route for getting from one place to another.Preserving Breton Paths
Small sections of Breton paths have survived in all sorts of unexpected places, even though they are often overgrown, and you can walk past them every day without noticing them. For example, in places where the original path was particularly boggy, or narrow, the road may have been built beside it rather than through it; or part of a path may have survived between two fields, or alongside a wood. It is possible to get preservation orders on these stretches, but a more practical way to preserve them is to use them. The paths are marked on the detailed maps of the commune which are held in the mairie, and they are, technically, commune land. Consequently, commune residents are at liberty to clear them of weeds, prune overhanging branches, replant gaps, and to use them as much as they like. |
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