Today dawned unsettled, proceeded to pouring rain and low visibility, allowed a dry spell in the late afternoon, and then carried on raining in the evening! But on holiday you have to explore and so we set off for Daoulas.
Sunady is market day in Daoulas and there lots of yummy smells from the roasteries and cooking pots, and beautiful fruits and vegetables. We were remarkably restrained and came away with only chestnut honey, bread, and cheese.
As I understand it, the town of Daoulas developed through the Abbey, and through trade. The town used to be a busy river trading port where The Dukes of Rohan taxed wine, iron, salt, butter, leather, herring and charcoal in the 15C and 16C. A coarse linen, Dowlas, was also manufactured here in 16C and 17C, cheaper than Holland, a plain, woven linen cloth sold from Amsterdam.
Hydrangeas popped out of gardens everywhere.
Legend says that the Abbey of Daoulas dates to the 6C, but the first records show it was founded in 1167 by the Viscount of Léon as an Augustinian Priory. The buildings were sold during the Revolution for private use, although the church remained as a parish church. Today it also has an interesting medicinal garden. (More to follow.)
And as we left the Abbey the rain came down again.
Despite the rain we needed to see the mouth of the Daoulas River before heading back to Sizun.
You may be interested in
The Abbey of Daoulas
Daoulas
Early Modern Brittany
Flax production
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