Description:

There has been a village in the area since the 9th century but Belle Isle en Terre itself is not mentioned until 1776.

Belle Isle en Terre is now a small but busy town surrounded by some beautiful forests.

Belle Isle en Terre is in the Cotes d'Armor department and covers an area of 14.11 km².

The town is situated in a valley  at the confluence of the River Guic and the River Leguer.

There is a weekly market in the centre of Belle Isle en Terre every Wednesday morning.  Belle Isle en Terre has a small grocery store and a wine seller.  For all other groceries there is a supermarket 8.5 km in Plouaret.

For clothes shopping and larger chains visit Guingamp which is only 17.5 km away.

Belle Isle en Terre has an 'Ecole Primaire' and a 'College'.

The town has one post office, three salon, a garage, a dentist, two doctors, a  pharmacy, a dentist and a bank.   Belle Isle en Terre has a centrally located Gendarmerie and the nearest hospital is 12 km at Begard.

For entertainment there is one restaurant, two creperies and three Cafe Bistros.

Belle Isle en Terre has two hotels and Chambre d’Hotes and the town has further visitor accommodation in the surrounding area.

The 'Chateau de Lady Mond' was built in 1932 by the Lady Mond.  Locally born, Lady Mond, became famous by marrying an English industrialist before rteuring to the town to fund the building of the Chateau, the Mairie and the Post Office.  The Chateau is now home to the 'Le Centre d'Initiation a la Riviere', or 'L'Aquarium des Curieux de Nature' as it is nicknamed.  The centre features the fauna, flora and wildlife of the rivers of Brittany and has several hands on activities.

In July, Belle Isle en Terre hosts the Breton Wrestling (Lutte) Championships in the grounds behind the Chateau whilst the town is home to the 'Blues des Deux Rivieres' festival, a celebration of Blues music, in October.

Belle Isle en Terre's nearest beach is 23km away at Saint Michel en Greve.

Worth a visit:

• Walk around the Fountains of Saint Itron Varia Pendreo and Saint John the Baptist

• Visit the 14th century 'Chapel Loc Maria' which has an interesting rod screen and the mausoleum of Lady Mond

Belle Isle en Terre is surrounded by forests with some excellent hiking, horse and cycling trails.  A leaflet featuring 23 of the best is available from the Tourist office.

Both the River Guic and the River Leguer, which run through the centre of Belle Isle en Terre, have good trout and salmon fishing.  Fishing licences can be bought from several of the shops and cafes in the town.

Other popular associations include gymnastics, football, Breton culture, dance and music.