Dinard has another and more interesting side in an admirable architectural monument,—the ruins of an ancient priory, founded in 1324 by Olivier and Geoffroy de Montfort. The fine Gothic chapel is now ruined and moss-grown, but there are still to be seen the tombs of the Chevaliers de Montfort, who were mighty chieftains in their day. Within the grounds also is a curious statue of the Virgin placed beneath the enormous fig-tree.
The beach is of course the great attraction of the summer resident, when he is not drinking cool drinks at the casino or eating at the café restaurant on the terrace.
St. Énogat, which is usually linked with the mention of Dinard by a hyphen, has much the same aspect as its partner,—villas, Swiss châlets, and cottages. St. Énogat bears the name of one of the first bishops of Aleth, and its proximity to the great cliffs fringing the coast, and the high rocks just offshore, make its location even more beautiful than that of Dinard itself. Westward of St. Énogat are St. Jacut, St. Cast, and Cap Fréhel, and nearer St. Lunaire and St. Briac.
All are very popular resorts during the summer months, and are attractive spots—or would be but that accommodation in all is limited, and what there is is sadly overcrowded for the three fine months of the year.
St. Lunaire has an ancient eleventh-century church, placing it somewhat on the plane of an artistic shrine. Practically, the edifice is abandoned to-day, but it contains the tomb of St. Lunaire, a work of the thirteenth or fourteenth century, made up of some fragmentary sculptures thought to have come from the primitive church.
St. Briac has much the same characteristics, though of itself it counts an all-the-year-round population of two thousand or more souls.
It owes its name to a Celtic hermit-saint, who came from Ireland in the early days of the evangelizing missions of the Irish monks, and has the ruined Château of Pontbriant for an attraction. It has not the misfortune to have become as fashionable as Dinard-St. Énogat, and is therefore the more enjoyable. Truly is it a delightful little corner of the world, where those who are town-weary may take their ease and ruminate on the futility of attempting to put order into the universe.
This whole region is a wonderful galaxy of natural beauties, to be discovered and appreciated only by oneself. They shall be nameless here that that pleasure may not be curtailed.
The route to Dinan from St. Malo by the tidal river Rance is one of those enjoyable journeys which impress the mind in an indelible fashion. It is a matter of twenty-four kilometres as the crow flies, and about the same by the water route of the fishes.
Dinan is a real mediæval town, with a wall or rampart something over a mile in length. It is a most interesting centre for the charming country round about, and is in itself a typical feudal relic of the days when cities were enclosed by walls and only entered through fortified gates.