The formidable Ranouet Castle
On the way back from Saint Nazaire I stopped off at Ranouet Castle. Located at Herbignac, just south of La Roche-Bernard, it was built around 1250 and was updated in the 14th, 15th and 17th century to take into account advances in weaponry - canons. It was a pretty formidable castle.
Protected by two circular moats, there was also marshland for about 5km on either side which also added to its protection. The water level in the marshes could be controlled by a sluice system which in turn provided water for drinking, grain mills and also maintaining the water level in the moats.
These days the inner shell is hollow and the inner buildings have long gone, including the big ornate house for the Lord, but you still get a sense of how it may have been in the middle ages, though realistically it was probably smelly with all the animals and alternating between too hot and bitterly cold depending on the time of year.
For most of its life it was used as a statement of power, but during the Wars of Religion in the 16th century, the castle was a Catholic stronghold and was used as a base to attack the Protestant northern parts of the region.
