SAINT-ENOGAT

Considered as the " Cradle of Dinard ", Saint-Enogat was just another small Breton town in the middle of the 19th century. As to the harbour at Dinard, it already existed ; indeed, its seemed to have always been there. From1865 onwards, Saint-Enogat, far enough away from the social whirl of the seaside resort to remain unruffled, became the favourite meeting-place of the Parnassians, poets from Paris who came here to spend time in quiet reflection.
Shortly before the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, Judith Gautier, the daughter of the poet Théophile Gautier and the first women to become a member of the Académie Goncourt, could be seen strolling along the beach at Saint-Enogat, in the company of Leconte de Lisle. She showed him the land that had been given to her where she was planning to have a superb villa built. It was called Le Pré aux oiseaux (" Bird Field ") and it was to attract fashionable writers and well-known artists. Judith Gautier's guest list was a long one. In 1875, Albert Lacroix, who promoted and edited Victor Hugo's works, decided to have the Hôtel de la Mer and the Villas de la Mer built. By the end of the developement, some twenty villas had been built ; Albert Lacroix had first discovered Saint-Enogat ten or more years before, when travelling to Guernsey to meet the author of Les Misérables with a view to publishing his works. He was so stunned by the scenic beauty that he decided not to catch the steamer across to Saint-Malo. From 1880 onwards, Madame Lacroix held literary salons with a decidedly poetic atmosphere. Guests recited poetry and discussed fashionable plays. The vast shore-line gardens planted with trees were ideal for daydreaming and indulging in melancholia. While gamblers became dizzy with luck or misfourtune in the casino and the clattering hooves of the horses drawing Count Rochoïd's mail coaches rang out on the cobblestones of Boulevard de l'Ecluse and Rue du Casino, dillettantes preferred the restful calm of the woods at Saint-Enogat. A young romantic writer, now known as Comte de Lautrémont, decided to write his last poem in Saint-Enogat. He then returned to Paris to die. Saint-Enogat, a resort famous for its peace and quiet, has again become a popular holiday venue. Standing on the site once occupied by the Villas de la Mer are apartments with breathtaking Costal views. Further on, at the end of the beach, is the thalasotherapy centre looking out to sea.