Huelgoat

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Administration
Commune of Huelgoat
Location
Longitude	-3.75°
Latitude	48.37°
Country	France
Region	Bretagne
Department	Finistère
Arrondissement	Châteaulin
Canton	Canton of Huelgoat (chef-lieu)
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes des Monts d'Arrée
Mayor	Irène Dissez (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	92 m–267 m (avg. 175 m)
Land area¹	14.87 km²
Population² (1999)	1,687
- Density (1999)	113/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	29081/ 29690
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Huelgoat is a village and commune of the Finistère département, in Brittany, France. Population (1999): 1,687.

It is popular with tourists and holidaymakers due to its impressive natural setting among the vestiges of the ancient forest that once covered inland Brittany. Once part of royal and ducal lands, the forest is now overseen by the French forestry commission, the Office National des Forêts. It has an area of 10 square kilometres. A large replanting scheme has repaired much of the damage sustained by the forest in storms on the 15th-16th October 1987, when 3.1 square kilometres of trees were levelled or damaged.

The village lies on a lake created between the 16th and 18th centuries to supply water to local silver-lead mines by means of a 3 km leat or canal.

[edit] Sights

A number of geological and prehistoric curiosities can be found by following trails in and around the village and forest. Among these are:

Le Chaos de Rochers, the Chaos of Rocks, is a jumble of hundreds of large boulders below the dammed lake, into which the river vanishes. A 10 m descent down ladders is required to see it again, running rapidly below a dark cave called the Devil's Grotto.
La Roche Tremblante or Trembling Rock, is a 137-tonne boulder nearby, pivoted so it can be made to rock by a person pushing against one point.
Le Champignon, or The Mushroom, is a large rock balanced on a smaller one to give the eponymous appearance.
La Mare aux Fées, the fairies' pool.
La Mare aux Sangliers, the wild boar pool.
Le Camp d'Artus, Arthur's Camp, a sea promontory hillfort based on a Gaulish oppidum, with a linear murus gallicus rampart. It was used as refuge by the Osisme Gauls against the Roman invasion in 57 BC and later acquired a nickname referring to Arthurian legend. The site was excavated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler.
La Grotte d'Artus, or Arthur's Cave, is a natural shelter formed under a roof of jammed rocks.