Colpo combines Napoleonic cultural heritage with a landscape of gentle hills, hedgerows, forests and rivers. The town is a stop on the Destination Napoléon European Cultural Route; an interpretation trail in the town centre, the Notre-Dame de Kerdroguen Chapel and various hiking trails offer further options to consider when planning a trip.
Napoleonic heritage in Colpo
The Destination Napoléon European Cultural Route was recognised by the Council of Europe in 2015, and Colpo is one of its stops. In the town centre, an interpretation trail introduces the stages and buildings associated with the town’s Napoleonic founding history. The Espace Napoleone association offers guided tours focusing on Colpo’s Napoleonic heritage. Check before your trip whether a tour is available.
The trail and the guided tour offer different perspectives: the trail introduces the stages and buildings associated with the town’s history, while the tours provide commentary on its Napoleonic heritage. This makes it possible to tailor the thematic focus of your stay to whether you are particularly interested in local history or a guided interpretation.
The chapel and other heritage sites
The Notre-Dame de Kerdroguen Chapel dates back to the 16th century and has been listed as a historical monument since 1946. Its furnishings include an altarpiece and two notable polychrome wooden statues. The chapel thus brings together a long history and specific features: its listing dates from 1946, while the building itself dates back to the 16th century.
Larcuste and the Kerjagu covered alley each have distinctive features. The Larcuste site consists of two cairns, one of which contains two passage tombs. At the Kerjagu covered alley, only one capstone remains, and Abbé Le Méné excavated it in 1884. The sites differ both in their structures and in the details recorded about them: at Larcuste, these are the cairns and passage tombs; at Kerjagu, the surviving capstone and the history of its excavation.
Landscape and trails
The landscape of Colpo in the Landes de Lanvaux combines gentle hills on a granite base with bocage hedgerows, forests and rivers. Colpo’s hiking trails include the GR38 long-distance trail. This means the interpretation trail in the town centre and the hiking trails offer different options: the trail introduces the town’s Napoleonic history, while the GR38 is part of the hiking offer.
The Bois Chohan can be explored via marked trails. The woodland is privately owned and protected under a European directive on habitat conservation. Check trail conditions locally. The undergrowth in the forests of Chohan and Treulan can also be explored via hiking trails. When planning, it is therefore helpful to check local conditions for the trails in each woodland area.
Travel connections for planning your trip
There are numerous daily public road transport connections from Colpo to Vannes and Saint-Brieuc. The bus station is located at Place Villa Vicentina. Before travelling, check the routes and transport services for your intended travel date. This lets you verify the connection relevant to your plans against the current timetable, rather than assuming that daily services imply a particular departure time.
Discover more destinations: Lomener, Saint-Gonnery, Ploërmel, Lorient, Camoël, Carnac-Plage, Le Roc-Saint-André, Baden-Mériadec
For the broader travel overview: Morbihan.
