In the far west of Brittany, you will find the Grand Site of La Pointe du Raz, a dramatic coastal point of granite cliffs and crashing waves. Here, the weather can change with the tides, and the wind brings a whole new meaning to the idea of getting a bit of fresh air.
The nearby village of Cl茅den-Cap-Sizun can testify to this: no fewer than 13 windmills were built in this one commune between 1837 and 1950. While most of them have long since disappeared, one of them has become an unusual rental.
The Moulin de Kernot was built in 1850, at a time when very few buildings lined the old Roman road parallel to the coast. The local miller had to walk from the village until 1870, when a house was built nearby to accommodate him and his family.
The last meunier (miller) at Kernot was Jean-Guillaume Gloaguen and he kept the mill working until the occupation in World War Two, when the mill鈥檚 sails finally came to a halt.
The windmill in ruinsAnnaliza Davis
Jean-Guillaume鈥檚 granddaughter, Th茅r猫se Gloaguen, is now 73, but she can remember the windmill falling into disrepair and losing its roof.
鈥淚t was never a working mill in my lifetime,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut some of my older neighbours can remember coming here to grind their own grain or to buy flour from my grandfather.
The windmill's cosy interior todayAnnaliza Davis
鈥淢y first clear memory dates from when I was about 10 years old. The mill was exposed to the elements by then and the family had decided to sell it.鈥�
The structure was bought by a couple from the city of Quimper, 50 km to the east. They added a new roof to make it weatherproof before renovating the interior and adding a small, single-storey extension on the back to house a kitchen and bathroom.
Ad
It became a weekend hideaway and was used only occasionally until it was purchased by Emmanuel Voillemin who, for the past three years, has offered it as a holiday rental.
Mr Voillemin took down the old extension, replacing it with a more spacious structure, with a modern kitchen, cloakroom and shower room. He also added a detached cabin in the garden for a second bedroom and ensuite facilities.
Original features and quirky details
Ms Gloaguen said: 鈥淢y husband Henri and I now act as key-holders and caretakers for the mill. For us, it鈥檚 a social thing, we meet visitors from the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and a few from Britain. It鈥檚 wonderful to be able to show people around and explain a bit of the history.
鈥淚n the sitting room, for example, you can see the original stone spiral staircase leading up to the first floor, and under that is a cupboard.
Annaliza Davis
鈥淭he wooden doors on the cupboard actually came from an old lit clos (box bed) found locally, so that dates from the same period as the mill.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 use those enclosed beds any more, but they used to be handy to keep warm in the winter. The stone walls are about half a metre thick and, of course, the main structure is circular, which is a bit different to live in.
鈥淢ost of the visitors who come love the quirky details, especially the tiny window to the side of the front door and the one above the bed upstairs.
鈥淎nd there鈥檚 the thatched roof and exposed stonework, but then you have the deck area off the bedroom upstairs, and all the comforts of heating and a proper kitchen and bathroom. Not like in my grandfather鈥檚 day!鈥�
From the 1850s to the 1950s, when most of the mills at Cl茅den-Cap-Sizun were still operational, the space under the stairs was often used as a makeshift bedroom, allowing millers to sleep on site rather than having to walk back to their villages.
鈥業 couldn鈥檛 go back to city life now鈥�
The house that was built 20 years after Moulin de Kernot stayed in the miller鈥檚 family until recently, and the house in which the couple now live sits between the original miller鈥檚 house and the mill.
Annaliza Davis
鈥淲e both grew up in the area,鈥� says Ms Gloaguen, 鈥渁nd I met Henri at a bal des noces in the hotel at the Baie des Tr茅pass茅es 鈥� you could go along to anyone鈥檚 wedding dance in those days, it was our weekend entertainment.
Ms Gloaguen at the door of her windmillAnnaliza Davis
鈥淲e married more than 50 years ago. He went into the military and I worked in other cities, but I often came back to Cl茅den.
鈥淲e finally moved here about 14 years ago, started gardening, painting, and even learned Breton dancing. I am living where I grew up, next door to where my grandfather used to work the mill, and I can walk to the coast from my back garden. I couldn鈥檛 go back to city life now.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy hearing about the world from everyone who visits and I enjoy sharing this beautiful place with them.鈥�
Mills of Trouguer in BrittanyVolker Rauch/Shutterstock
Sailing back in time
Most of Cl茅den鈥檚 other windmills fell into ruins in the late 1900s, but one pair of standing mills 鈥� Moulins de Trouguer 鈥� can be found between Kernot and the Pointe du Van.
They have been renovated and maintained and still have the wooden skeletons of the sails that once turned daily.
The smaller of the pair is known as a chandelier mill, which was built on a pedestal so the whole cabin can turn to face and capture the wind.
