The Aber Wrac'h is a small village and port located on the river Wrac'h in the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of Landéda in the department of

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

in France, located in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

. The Wrac'h's source is in Trémaouézan. It travels through Ploudaniel,

Le Folgoët Le Folgoët (; br, Ar Folgoad) is a commune in the Finistère department and administrative region of Brittany in north-western France. Population In French the inhabitants of Le Folgoët are known as ''Folgoëtiens''. See also *Communes of ...

Lannilis Lannilis (; br, Lanniliz) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in north-western France. Population Inhabitants of Lannilis are called in French languag ...

and Plouguerneau and enters the ocean in the estuary between the Sainte Marguerite peninsula and the headland of the Virgin Island.

Origin of the name

The Aber Wrac'h could derive its name from the first immersed rock of its channel, “Ar Wrach”, which means “the old woman” (or the wrasse) in Breton. An alternative theory is that the name is derived from the “estuary of the fairy” which may be related to the alleged Gallo-Roman bridge located upstream of the river mouth (ruins still visible today) named Pont Krac'h (Bridge of the Devil). British accounts of the 18th and 19th Century give the town's name as Averach.

History

The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

established a naval air station on 4 June 1918 to operate

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...

s during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The base closed shortly after the

First Armistice at Compiègne The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

Islands in the vicinity of Aber Wrac'h

They following archipelago is also referred to as the islands of Lilia : * Cézon island and its Fort * Wrac'h Island * Stagadon island * Island of Erch * Island of the Cross

Recreation

The town is a popular location and base for

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

and

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

.WindGURU: France - L'Aber Wrac'h
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External links

S/V Dalliance

References

* Translated from Aber Wrac'h, French Wikipedia Villages in Brittany Populated coastal places in Brittany Ports and harbours of the English Channel {{Finistère-geo-stub