Another Loire: The Armorican Loire

Abstract

Over part of its course, the river Loire today presents an archetypal landscape. This is the royal river, with vineyards and châteaux listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000. In this chapter it is demonstrated that the river presents other landscapes of interest, notably those of the Armorican Loire. This downstream section of the river made of river landscapes is characterised by the geomorphological constraints of the morphostructural system of the Armorican Massif. The valley, quite narrow, is bordered by hillsides, which sometimes forms steep slopes. The hydrosystem consists of a patchwork of geomorphic compartments (valleys, islands, multiple branches of the river, etc.). The promontories, which punctuate the river Loire, allow for remarkable oblique viewpoints which are still little known. The landscape of the Armorican Loire is also a lived space with diverse social uses around the river, which has progressively acquired heritage recognition. It is nevertheless important to avoid the phenomenon of heritage face.