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Britanny and the Pays de Loire

Summer 2003

Geoff asked for articles about what people have been doing over the summer. This year we went on our fourth trip to Britanny on our bikes, carrying our camping gear with us.

We knew from our previous trips that the towpaths alongside the network of canals in Britanny are suitable for cycling. Furthermore, there are several inexpensive Municipal campsites and free "Aire de Camping and Halte Navigations" along the way. They have drinking water and toilets, and some have showers. As we had covered most of Britanny on previous occasions, this year we decided to use the Rivers Rance, Ille and Vilainne (Liaison La Manche-L'Ocean) as a quick, quiet off-road route to the Vendee coast.

As our cousin lives in Bournemouth we took the bikes on the back of the car, then left the car with her. Its not far to cycle from Bournemouth to Poole to get the Condor Ferries Seacat to St Malo. The ferry was late so we didn't arrive in St Malo until 7pm. Too late to cycle to Dinan as planned, so we camped at the somewhat overcrowded Municipal site overlooking the beautiful harbour and the imposing city walls.

The towpaths start about 7km north of Dinan, where the N57 crosses the lake behind the Tidal Barrage on the River Rance. Dinan is a beautiful city, rightly famed for its medieval streets. The centre is perched high above the river, with access via the cobbled Rue de Jezual. Like Bargate, only twice as steep and four times as long. We sweltered as we pushed our heavily laden bikes to the top, but enjoyed a couple of beers at a caf‚ in one of the squares. Brakes on for the ride back down to the river!

We were last on the canals in this area in 2000, so we were pleased to note that the quality of the surface has been improved considerably in the intervening period. In some places, such as Rennes, the regional capital, the towpaths are very popular with both cyclists and walkers and so they are kept in good condition.

It took us three days to reach a place called Besle, which is on the lower reaches of the River Vilainne. The scenery on all three rivers is really beautiful, but our favourite is the Vilainne. There is a lovely camping site at Besle, right next to the river, but the main attraction is the Restaurant du Port, which has an international reputation for its cuisine. Locally caught pike is on the menu.

We left Besle for somewhere new for us, the city of Nantes. Gently undulating hills all the way - ideal countryside for cycling. We found Nantes to be a lovely place, full of history. Apart from the medieval castle and cathedral, there is a Jules Verne Museum, as he was a native of the city. We simply had to dine at the art-deco 'La Cigale' restaurant. Although we planned to stay for 3 days, we decided to stay a couple extra days to watch one of the later stages of the Tour de France, on Saturday.26 July. This was an individual time trial, where the competitors are set of at 1m intervals. The start was at Pornic and finish in Nantes. It rained heavily all day, but it was worth it if only because the Scot, Millar, won on the trial, and the jamboree that accompanies the tour has to be seen to be believed.

In order to make up for the time spent in Nantes, we took the TGV to La Rochelle. The fare was only 33E for both us and our bikes, a special deal that was only available in the Pays de Loire. From La Rochelle we cycled over the 4km long bridge to the Ile de Re, to spend a few days relaxing on this beautiful holiday island. Apart from its charming fishing villages and lovely sandy beaches, the island is noted for its miles of off-road cycleways. Cycle hire shops are numerous. The highest point is on 20m above sea level so the cycling is gentle, quiet and safe.

Making our way somewhat reluctantly back to the mainland, we then headed along the Vendee coast to La Sables de L'Onne. This popular holiday resort was absolutely jam- packed. It was here that we had our only trouble in finding a campsite that wasn't full. We eventually found one late in the evening, way out of the town.

The time had come to start our return journey, but the weather was so nice we wanted to linger a while longer by the sea. We decided to do that, and spent another 33E on the train from La Sables to a place called Redon, which is an inland port on the River Vilainne and the Nantes - Brest Canal. A beautiful late evening ride of 25km brought us back to Besle for another chance to visit the restaurant. Our next 3 days were spent sweltering in the heat-wave that was centred on western Europe. Despite the level towpaths, it really was strenuous work, especially on the open stretches where there were no trees to provide shade. Still, we made it to St Malo with time to spare to have a delicious meal of local shellfish and have enough Euros left to get a few bottles of wine to bring back.

860 Km in 17 days. Ferry cost £117, after 10% discount for Camping & Caravaning Club members.

Ian and Jill Salmons

Last Modified: 12 October, 2003