Castel Meur: The House Between Two Rocks
Last Updated on 13th January 2024 by Sophie Nadeau
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One of the most enchanting places in all of Brittany is Castel Meur, which is an astonishing house quite literally sandwiched between two rocks in Plougrescant, on the most northerly tip of Brittany. The house was constructed in the latter half of the 19th-century and has a fascinating history, which you just need to read on to learn about…
Please note that, unfortunately, the house between two rocks in Brittany (which is also known as La Maison du Gouffre or the Le Gouffre de Plougrescant – the Plougrescant chasm) is private property and cannot be visited, or even seen from close up and can only be spied from across the water.
With this being said, visitors can still enjoy views of the unusual property from the coastal path, as well as of the rugged granite coastline which characterises the Plougrescant Peninsula. This stunning scenery is 20 minutes away from Treguier and around half an hour away from Paimpol.
A history of the house between two rocks
Castle Meur was constructed to serve as a family home in 1861 in the Côtes-d’Armor department of Brittany. At this time, you obviously didn’t need any planning permission to construct an abode and so people would build dwellings wherever it suited them.
One man loved the peninsula so much that he decided he wanted to live right on it. As a result, the house lies just 120 metres away from the crashing waves of the English channel, with two large rocks either side of it to protect it from the sea.
However, this hasn’t always meant that the house has been completely protected from the elements, and in 2008, there was such a bad storm that the home was almost destroyed.
Following the original owner’s death, the house was transformed into a holiday home by his children. By 2004, the original owner’s granddaughter has sold her business in the USA and returned to live in Castel Meur permanently.
Controversy surrounding Castel Meur
Once upon a time, it was possible to go right up to the house to take photos. Tourism boards used it as a selling point for the region, and any given souvenir shop that you would wander into in this area of Brittany was selling postcards depicting Castel Meur.
However, all of this changed after over-tourism started to affected the house’s residents. Thanks to the worldwide popularity of Castel Meur, people came from far and wide, and many acted as if the house had no one living there.
One tourist even climbed on the roof, damaging the property in the process. The owner went to court and won the rights to the house, banning anyone else from using its image commercially. Today, images of the house no longer feature on postcards but the Peninsula remains well worth walking around.
