Aber Wrac'h
Description
The largest of the abers on the "coast of legends"...
Aber Wrac'h is the northernmost and most important of the Leon abers. The "Aber Wrac'h" river, the main tributary, takes its source between Saint-Thonan and Trémaouézan, then winds through the countryside to Diouris en Kernilis (12 km from the estuary).
The Aber-Wrac'h is navigable as far as Paluden in Lannilis (10 km) and its mouth is 2 km wide. Aber Wrac'h measures 30 km on its main bed. Its watershed, that is to say all the rivers that feed the main river, covers 128 km².
"Aber Wrac'h" is not certified. The Chapelain of the Bishop of Leon made mention in 1069 of the Doena river to designate the Aber Wrac'h. The term Aber Wrac'h is found in the 16th century in official texts. Aber can be translated as "haven", and several hypotheses are put forward for the meaning of wrac'h, with among others:
- Aber of the Fairy, the Witch or the Old Woman, or more prosaically owes its name to the "old woman". This term refers to the rocky bottom fish very common in the estuary and whose Breton name is "gwrach".
- Aber du Pays d'Ac'h (pagus Achmensis), Bretonnants pronouncing aber ac'h.
The Aber Wrac'h valley is characterized by a mosaic of wooded areas, permanent or temporary meadows and moors. From the Diouris in Kernilis, the wet meadows gradually turn into salty meadows, little by little the influence of the sea is felt, revealing the schorre, and the slikke at low tide