MicroBrewery, Real Ale, Bar, Restaurant, Gite: Les Fous

Real ale and real food in central Brittany

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In the heart of rural Brittany, Les Fous is the ideal spot for a holiday, a meal or just a drink in passing.

Our aim is to make your visit to the region as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Children are more than welcome: we have a large room indoors with toys, table football, darts etc and a grassy area outside with swings where they can run around or visit Tartarin and Perdriolle, the donkeys.

How to find us

A nice relaxing drink

The donkeys: Perdriolle and Tartarin

Winter Opening Hours

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Until Sunday March 25 when the clocks have gone forward and summer hours resumed, our winter opening hours are as follows :

The bar will be open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday from noon to 10pm and on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 5pm to 10pm.
The restaurant will be ONLY open Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12:00 - 14:00 and 19:00 - 21:00 and ONLY if booked in advance.

As usual we will be shut all day on Wednesday.

Holiday

The bar and restaurant will be closed from Tuesday 21 February until we reopen on Thursday 1 March at 5pm

Regular events

Classic vehicle enthusiasts - meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 7:30 pm for anyone with an interest in classic vehicles of all kinds.

Monthly accoustic music session

          A Fous open mike session .

         Bring your banjo, guitar, tin whistle or just come and listen and drink some properly made beer.

         Sessions in 2012 on Sunday 15 January, 12 February, 11 March, 8 April, 6 May, 3 June, 8 July,12 August, 16 September, 14 October, 18 November, 16 December.

Monthly pub quiz

2012 quizzes (until the quizmaster changes the dates !) at 7:30pm on these Fridays : 13 January, 10 February, 9 March, 6 April, 4 May, 1 June, 6 July, 10 August, 14 September, 12 October, 16 November, 14 December.

Contact

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For information about booking our gites or for the answer to any questions:

Call Don or Tricia on +33 (0)2-96-21-52-32 or

email: finwizz@les-fous.com

Things to see and do in the area

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In heart of the countryside of central Brittany, this in an ideal area for walking, cycling, horse riding, fishing, swimming and water sports. There is a compact (6-hole) golf course close by (15 minutes' drive) and many other golf courses in the region.

The Nantes to Brest Canal and numerous lakes are within easy reach and slightly further afield, Lac de Guerledan (45 minutes' drive) has boat trips, and a variety of water sports.

There are beautiful sandy beaches within an hour's drive and the Pink Granite Coast with its spectacular walks and fresh fish restaurants is 45 minutes away.

The whole area is renowned for myths and legends, and Huelgoat (20 minutes away by car) is well known for its forest, grottos and famous 'trembling rock'.

Traditional Breton fetes are held thoughout the summer in most towns.

Carnoët is the closest village and has a post office, tabac and a small shop selling fresh bread and general provisions (open 7am to 8pm Tuesday to Saturday and 7am to 1pm Sunday)
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The two closest towns, Callac (8km) and Carhaix (13km), have markets on Wednesday and Saturday, and superb shops can be found in Quimper, Morlaix, Brest, Rennes and Vannes.

La Vallée des Saints

Less than 2 miles from the pub an information centre is being created on the site of an ancient tumulus and slightly less ancient farm. The aim is to explain how, in the early middle ages, itinerant celtic monks from Cornwall, Wales and Ireland brought christianity to Brittany and the plans include the reconstruction of an early celtic monastery and the sculpting and placing on the site of around 1,000 3-metre tall granite statues each representing a breton saint.

There are currently 6 statues - the rest planned over the course of the next 20 years.

Walking, cycling, or on horseback

A few kilometres away in the depths of the landes de Locarn, you will find les gorges du Corong. This impressive chaos of granite boulders, dumped at the end of the last ice age, fills the gorge and continues to be eroded by streams running over and underground through fissures in the bedrock.

….walking along the Nante-Brest canal

... cycling along the routes of old railway lines

...following the footpaths along the Pink Granite coast

... hiking in dans les monts d’Arrée

Enjoy the fresh air – it doesn’t have a health warning.

Seaside

Within an hour’s drive you will find the three coasts of Brittany all with their different characteristics : to the north, the coves and inlets of the Pink Granite Coast are formed, as the name suggests, by rose tinted rocks beaten by the sea into fantastic shapes. Paimpol, Pontrieux, Tréguier, Plestin les Grèves, Tregastel, Morlaix and Roscoff are all interesting towns with their different characteristics and personalities.

Further west, the wild northern headland of Finistere looks out to where the Atlantic meets the Channel. The west coast of Brittany begins with Brest and its fine natural harbour and the rugged coastline continues past the Crozon and Sizun peninsulars to Douarnenez a small fishing town, famed for its sardines.

Inland the blue-grey granite houses of Locronan, a small town nestling against a hillside, which was the capital of Brittany’s sailcloth industry from the end of the 15th to the middle of the 18th century. In recent years it has taken advantage of its natural beauty and has become both a Breton tourist centre and the setting for many French films.

Follow the coast round to the south of Brittany and you will find good beaches and resorts including the towns of Quimper, Concarneau and Pont l’Abbé.

Music

Traditional Breton fetes are held thoughout the summer in most towns. Within half a mile of us is one of the best attended in the area welcoming well over 1 000 people. The Fest Noz du Cosquer is held each 14th August.

Chants Marins- Paimpol early August

The Festival Interceltique de Lorient takes place during the 1st week in August, as the name suggests is a celebration of all things celtic.

Les Vieilles Charrues is an international music festival presenting acts from around the world. It takes place on the 3rd weekend in July in Carhaix.

Chants marins is a festival held in Paimpol each August where the public can listen to renditions of sea shanties from round the world together with songs by more contemporary artists

Shops and services

Carnoët is the closest village and has a post office, tabac and a small shop selling fresh bread and general provisions (open 7am to 8pm Tuesday to Saturday and 7am to 1pm Sunday)

The closest small towns are Callac (8km) and Carhaix (13km). Both have supermarkets, petrol, banks, a selection of shops and a few bars, restaurants, pizzerias, creperies and kebab shops.
Markets in the area offer an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, poultry and cheese and can be found in most towns.
Monday - Trégastel
Tuesday - Rostrenen, Bourbriac
Wednesday - Callac, Belle-Isle-en-Terre, Tréguier, Loquirec
Thursday - Dinan, Lannion
Friday - Guingamp, Perros-Guirec
Saturday - Carhaix, Guingamp, Morlaix
Sunday - Plestin-les-Grèves

Back bar and function room

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Behind the bar and restaurant we have a large bar and function room with a pool table, table football machine, darts boards, skittles, and various other pub games.

The room can be booked for group meals, private parties and the like but otherwise gets used :

Once a month on a Sunday afternoon for an acoustic music session – bring your guitar / banjo / tin whistle / violin / voice and join in. Or just turn up and listen

Two or three times a year for a small craft fair, showcasing the wares of local artists and artisans. Stalls have included portraits, cartoons, paintings and drawings; chocolates, toffees, honey and other edible confections (such as beer !); lacemaking, ragdolls, dolls’ clothes etc, etc.

See events page for latest details of what’s on

The Gîtes

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There is a gîte with a separate entrance attached to the main building, and a self-catering studio with en suite facilities just across the terrace from the pub. They are furnished in a comfortable style and are available throughout the year.

Our traditional stone-built gîte

Situated a mile outside the village of Carnoët in the heart of the Breton countryside, our gîte is perfect for those who enjoy peace and tranquillity.

Opening on to an attractive flowered courtyard, the accommodation (suitable for 2/4 persons, double room accessed via twin-bedded room) comprises:

Ground floor:
lounge/diner featuring exposed stone walls with fireplace and wood burning stove;
kitchen with sink, fridge and gas cooker;
shower room with toilet and wash basin (towels provided)

View of the ground floor accommodation in the gîte

First floor:
one double and two single beds (sheets, pillows and duvets provided)

View of the first floor accommodation in the gite

Cycle hire €10 a day
Changeover day Saturday
Weekly rental €250 - €400 depending on the season

Real ale brewed in the heart of Brittany

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At the beginning of 2007, Don and Tricia built a micro brewery (microbrasserie in French) in the two hundred year old granite barn attached to their bar and restaurant at Les Fous. Here they produce a range of real ales using traditional methods and the best quality ingredients. Everything is done by hand, from grinding the malted grain to sticking the labels on the bottles.

Real ale being brewed at Les Fous

The beer is made using only natural ingredients: water, malted grain, barley, hops and yeast. Only the finest 2-row barley is used, after it has been expertly malted in either Belgium or Germany. The hops are predomininantly East Kent Goldings, justifiably known as “the king of English hops. It is said that the malt gives the beer its body and the hops give it its soul.

Six real ales are available in bottles or on tap

A full range of other alcoholic and soft drinks,

teas and coffees are available

Visit the brewery's own website for more information about our beer.

Customers typically come some distance for our beers

Bar and restaurant

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The popular licensed bar and restaurant, featured in the Guide de Routard since 1996, is open from noon Thursday through Monday and from 5pm on Tuesdays. We stay open until at least 10pm (often much later). We are closed all day on Wednesday. Food is served between 12noon and 2pm and between 7pm and 9pm. Reserving your table in advance guarantee that we will accommodate you, otherwise you take your chances!

We have a comfortable bar area, a small restaurant (booking is recommended) and a large function room which is also used as a bar during busy periods.

The menu has an international slant and uses a range of local produce to provide a choice of home cooked dishes including traditional (boeuf bourgignon, duck breast….), spicy (indian curries, chilli con carne….), international (lasagne, moussaka…). There is always a vegetarian option and snacks (ham and chips, sausage and chips etc) for those with smaller appetites. Puddings might include sticky toffee pudding, Mississippi mud pie, granny’s recipe lemon cheesecake, crême brûlée, a range of icecreams or a plate of cheeses.