Roscoff
Roscoff Roscoff is a charming, small Breton fishing village that provides the perfect gateway to the delights of Brittany. The seaside town is clustered around a small bay, with 16th-century granite houses, little shops, and bars and restaurants, hugging the shoreline. History In 1375 the harbour was destroyed by the Earl of Arundel, and was later rebuilt at its current location, at Kroas Batz. 1522 to 1550 saw the construction of the Church of Our Lady of Kroas Batz. In 1790, Roscoff was raised to the status of independent commune; before then, it had effectively been a dependant of nearby Saint-Pol-de-Léon. The deep-water port at Roscoff was opened in 1973, but its harbour has been an important arrival point down the ages. Mary Queen of Scots landed here in 1548 on her way to Paris to be engaged to François, the son and heir of Henri II, and Bonnie Prince Charlie, arrived here in 1746 after his defeat at the bloody battle of Culloden which saw the end of his attempt to regain his Scottish crown. Since the early 1970s, Roscoff has been developed as a ferry port for the transport of Breton agricultural produce. Brittany Ferries’ links with the United Kingdom and Ireland provide a boost to the local economy. In the late 1990s tourists from the South West of England began to travel to Roscoff from Plymouth for short breaks, and to buy up fine French wines at much cheaper prices than in England. What to See & Do in Roscoff