Grand Rocher de Plestin-les-Grèves et le dragon de saint Efflam

Plestin-les-Grèves

On the edge of the grève de Saint-Efflam, a promontory of rock rises 84 m above the bay. The old people called it in Breton Hyrglas, ‘long green-blue’. According to tradition, it sheltered a dragon's lair. The tale comes from the life of Saint Efflam, a monk from Ireland around the 6th century, who is said to have landed here with his companions. Albert Le Grand published it in 1636. Every Christmas Eve the monster demanded victims. King Arthur, who was pursuing it, is said to have been helped by Efflam: the saint made a spring gush forth to quench his thirst, then prayed before the den, and the dragon threw itself into the sea and drowned there. Another version chains the beast under the reef of Roc'h Ruz. For some, the rock would also mark the site of a city named Lexobie. What is dated is more sober: a charter of 1086, kept in the library of Avranches, attests that the bishop of Tréguier, Hugues, gave this rock to the monks of Mont-Saint-Michel. It has been a listed site since 2 May 1936. Local historians propose prosaic readings of the dragon: travellers drowned by the tide in the estuary of the Yar, or Roman legionaries under a dragon-shaped standard.

Getting there: The Grand Rocher overlooks the road from Plestin-les-Grèves to Saint-Michel-en-Grève, above the grève de Saint-Efflam. Listed site; the communal document indicates a view over the whole bay from the summit. Paths, hours and conditions of climbing not verified: enquire at the town hall or tourist office. Coordinates: ‘Grand Rocher’ summit in OpenStreetMap.

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

Ambient sound