Pierres sonnantes du Guildo

Saint-Cast-le-Guildo

On the shore of la Goule d'Enfer, at the mouth of the Arguenon, a jumble of dark boulders, an almost black grey, stretches for about two hundred metres. Paul Sébillot compared them to «a flock of black sheep lying down». They are amphibolites: struck with a pebble of the same kind, they give off a metallic, silvery sound, attributed to an iron content higher than that of an ordinary stone. The mica and small quartz geodes they contain long led local people to believe they hid silver or diamonds. The place became a destination for walks in the early 20th century, and it is the gesture itself — looking for the stone that rings best, striking it, letting children hear it — that earned it an entry in the Inventaire du patrimoine culturel immatériel en France, under the title «Faire sonner les pierres du Guildo». The stones also have their legend: the giant Gargantua, sickened by the smell of the skate drying at Saint-Jacut, is said to have vomited them up here. The versions differ on when he had swallowed them, and another tradition holds that they conceal the entrance to the Devil's treasure. The inventory entry notes that Sébillot's account remains, for guides and visitors alike, the written gateway to this folklore.

Wikipédia — Pierres sonnantes du Guildo ↗

Getting there : Park at the port of Notre-Dame-du-Guildo, then follow the customs officers' path (GR34) westward for about five minutes: the stones are on the shore, past a wooden footbridge (to be checked). The path may be covered at high tides: check with the tourist office (to be checked). The site is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound