Sometimes taking a wrong turn on the country roads brings you deep inland, and to some very surprising scenery. One of them, after having taken a wrong turn in Brittany was this amazing castle; the Chateau Kergrist.
Hidden away from big roads, this is a castle that merits a detour. Built in the 1400’s by the Kergrist family (Ker means House, Grist means Christ), it has seen many different owners over the centuries, and several major modifications.
The first thing you get to see when visiting the castle are its immense gardens. The gardens are well maintained (by its 85 year old owner himself) and in pretty good shape.
Around the castle are different style gardens and many trees (although many disappeared when a hurricane hit France in the late 80’s).
You are able to wander around the gardens at free will, enjoying the different gardens.
There’s even a vegetable patch to feed to castle. In the old days, the castle was totally autonomous, even generating its own electricity through a nearby watermill.
The main garden, a French Garden, is the one in front of the castle itself, and reminds you of a smaller Versailles castle garden.
There are 6 towers in the castle, dating back to different centuries.
In the North part of the castle you can see if you look carefully in the photo that there were several additions made to the castle.
That is because in 1400 the castle was just a fortified farm, which went on to become a fortified manor in the 17th century. In the 18th century the fortifications were removed and the castle became a “chateau”.
So in fact, these are three buildings blended into one.
Inside, the current owners since 1789 (after the French revolution), the Huon de Penanster, have been restoring the castle and keeping it in top shape. The tour of the castle will show you many of the furniture and items that originally belonged to the castle.
The photo above shows you the kitchen. The floor has a slight slope towards the door’s gutter, since they cleaned the kitchen by throwing water buckets over the floor. This way the water ran towards the gutter.
The main part and one wing of the castle can be visited. Apart from the kitchen, you get to see the pool room and library. The pool table is an original table belonging to the castle.
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Château de Kergrist

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The Château de Tonquédec is a castle in the commune of Tonquédec in the Côtes d'Armor département of France. It is one of the most visited monuments in the Côtes d'Armor.
One of the most impressive French medieval sites, this château-fort, stands in a pleasant green forested countryside about 8.5 km (5.3 mi) south of Lannion. The present castle was built in the 15th century, on the site of an earlier 12th-century castle.
History
From the height of a rocky cliff, the castle ruins, with its eleven towers and a closed curtain wall, dominates the valley of the Léguer. It is a genuine vestige of feudal Brittany.
The 12th-century castle was the work of the Coëtmen-Penthièvre family. It was partially dismantled by order of Jean IV, Duke of Brittany, in 1395 because of a conflict between him and the Penthièvres. Indeed, Rolland II and Rolland III of Coëtmen, Viscounts of Tonquédec, had allied themselves to the rebellion of Olivier de Clisson.
Reconstruction began in 1406 by Rolland IV of Coëtmen. The castle subsequently changed owners several times, before becoming an artillery base in 1577. At this time, the owning family (Goyon de La Moussaye), being Protestant, was therefore in disagreement with the king, Henri IV. During the War of the League, the castle was a hiding place for Huguenots. It was finally dismantled around 1622 on the orders of the powerful Cardinal Richelieu.
The castle currently belongs to descendants of the original builders (House of Coëtmen-Penthièvre): Count and Countess Bertrand de Rougé.
Since 1862, it has been listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
Visiting the castle
The entrance gate leads to an outer fortified courtyard or basse-cour. Two towers, joined by a curtain wall, frame the entrance to the inner courtyard which is reached by a postern, once protected by a moat and drawbridge. The keep, with walls 4 m (13 ft) thick, stands detached from the curtain walls, at the rear of the ensemble. The view from the top gives a good idea of the local countryside: "a wide, fertile and populous plateau is intersected by deep and wooded picturesque valleys."
The ruins may be visited from April to October. They may be hired for location filming, photo shoots and other events.

Château de Tonquédec

The Château de Rosanbo, in the Breton commune of Lanvellec in the French département of Côtes d'Armor (22), overlooks the Bô river valley. The origin of its name stems from this fact, as in Breton it means "rock on the Bô".
It has been classified as a Monument historique (Historic Monument).
History
The château, which was in the past the stronghold of the Coskaër de Rosanbo family, then later of the Le Peletier de Rosanbo family, is square in shape and has been developed and re-fashioned throughout its history. In the 14th Century, a fortified castle was built on a strategic headland, located 4 miles from the bay of Saint-Michel-en-Grève in order to prevent the ascent of the Bô by Scandinavian invaders. In the 16th Century, it was extended with a Gothic manor.
The buildings were further extended in the 18th Century by Louis Le Peletier de Keranroux, first president of the Paris parliament and husband of Geneviève de Coskaër (the last inheritor of that name). At the time of this redevelopment, the architect Joubert added a gallery to the château and a corner room overlooking the valley. The old kitchen was transformed into a wood pannelled dining room and, on the floor above, additional new space allowed small rooms such as private bathrooms and boudoirs to be created. At the end of the 19th Century, new suites were designed by the architect Lafargue, who was also responsible for the restoration of the châteaux of Josselin and Chenonceaux.

Château de Rosanbo

Le château de Costaérès est situé sur l'Île de Costaérès dans le territoire de la commune française de Trégastel, dans les Côtes-d'Armor, en Bretagne.
Histoire
Le terme château est galvaudé, c’est en fait un gros manoir de style néo-médiéval caractéristique des grandes maisons de villégiature de la fin du xixe siècle sur la côte de granit rose.
L’édifice, à volumétrie complexe issue de plusieurs agrandissements, est réalisé en granit rose issu des carrières de La Clarté, quartier de Perros-Guirec. Le toit est en ardoise.
Son aménagement intérieur a été conçu avec le bois de récupération d'un trois-mâts échoué en hiver 1896, le Maurice.
Celui-ci a été édifié sur un îlot acheté par Bruno Abakanowicz (appelé aussi Bruno Abdank, qui a construit un peu plus tard vers 1896 l'Hôtel Bellevue à Ploumanac'h), ingénieur et mathématicien d'origine polonaise à la fin de l’été 1892 au douanier René Le Brozec, un Perrosien qui y cultivait des pommes de terre et faisait sécher du lichen et du poisson. La transaction de l’époque fut de 0,25 franc le mètre carré. Il a été achevé vers 1896 par l'ingénieur Lanmoniez et l'entrepreneur lannionnais Pierre Le Tensorer.
Après 1900, date du décès du propriétaire, sa fille, Sofia Abakanowicz, devenue madame Poray, fait agrandir la villa d'une aile à l’ouest en retour sur la façade postérieure.
Durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, la villa est réquisitionnée par l'armée allemande, et subit quelques dommages intérieurs.
À la suite de travaux de toiture, le 6 septembre 1990, un incendie détruit en partie l'intérieur de l'édifice.
L'image de ce château sur son îlot est souvent utilisée pour illustrer cartes postales et guides touristiques de la Côte de granit rose, des Côtes-d'Armor et de la Bretagne.
Géographie
Ce château a pris le nom de l’îlot d’un hectare sur lequel il a été construit : Costaérès qui vient de coz-seherez (kozh-sec'herezh en breton moderne) qui signifie en breton « vieille sècherie ». C'est là, en effet, que les marins faisaient sécher les poissons au soleil.
L’îlot est situé sur la commune de Trégastel, face aux plages de Tourony et de Saint-Guirec (Ploumanac'h), et séparé de cette dernière par le chenal du port de Ploumanac’h formé par le ruisseau du Grand-Traouiero. Il est accessible à marée basse via la plage de Tourony.
L'îlot est inscrit dans la zone protégée Natura 2000 Côte de granit rose-Sept-Îles.

Château de Costaérès

Standing high on the side of the wooded Trieux River, the tough-looking Château de la Roche-Jagu is the only survivor of some ten fortresses that once oversaw stretches of this valley in medieval times. Recently restored, it still guards the way to the pretty river port of Pontrieux.
A haughty castle
Built in the 15th century on the site of an earlier medieval fort, the stern Gothic castle of La Roche-Jagu was much larger originally. The one main wing left standing has severe good looks. There are few openings of any sort on the side dominating the river, reflecting its defensive role. However, a staggering line of 19 chimneys in a row adds a decorative flourish along the crest of the building. The façade on the other side is much lighter and more charming, with a fair number of windows, plus an eccentric tower perched up high.
Refurbished inside and out
The building has undergone major restoration work since the Côtes d’Armor county council took it over and began putting on events here. The grand hall on the ground floor was where functions were traditionally held; exhibitions today focus on themes to do with Côtes d’Armor, for instance the county’s hidden treasures, or its maritime riches. The grounds have been beautifully replanted, and awarded the status of Jardin Remarquable. A wonderful new terrace looks down on the dramatic, densely wooded banks of the Trieux from on high.