Coastal Brittany

September 6, 2018 to September 10, 2018

We left Normandy behind as we made the short drive from Mont St. Michel to the medieval town of Dinan at the head of navigation on the Rance River. This maps reminds me that we only saw a tiny portion of beautiful Brittany in our four days of cycling.

It was a pleasure to drop off the van - useful as it had been to cover a lot of ground while also doing day trips on bikes, driving is just not as fun as cycle touring. After a pleasant afternoon and a great meal of crepes in Dinan, we settled into a lovely B&B nestled into the city walls. The next morning, we walked our bikes down a very steep and slippery cobblestone street to the river, and headed north alongside the Rance on the cycle route to the coast.

Great cycle path along the river and through farmers' fields to the coast

The cycle route took us to Dinard, across the mouth of the Rance River from St. Malo.

Dinard, a resort town, has spectacular beaches

Alfred Hitchcock based Psycho in a house overlooking the Dinard beach

We took a small ferry across the Rance to St. Malo - a wonderful city where we spent four nights. Each day we did a ride, and each evening we explored the city, its ramparts, beaches, and great restaurants.

Our first view of St. Malo from the small ferry stop in Dinard.

St. Malo's historic port is filled with all manner of boats, from an enormous fleet of sailboats to working boats of all kinds

The whole coast from Mont St. Michel west has an enormous tidal range - around 40 feet at St. Malo, so twice a day boats are left high and dry on mud flats or tucked inside harbours controlled by locks. And the tide rushes out, then rushes back in. Many boats have double keels and sit pretty; some use boards set in brackets to along each side to keep them upright; and others just rest wherever the tide leaves them.

On our first full day based in St. Malo, we rode our bikes south along the Rance River to Saint Suliac through bucolic countryside.

The second day of our stay in St. Malo we headed east to the oyster capital of France, Cancale, where we had a great lunch and then explored the coastline.

And our final day of cycling during our stay took us west to the beaches of the Emerald Coast (named for the colour of the water) to Saint Briac sur Mer. A beautiful loop through the countryside, then back along the coast to the ferry at Dinard.

Dorothy - I thought of you when I saw this as we rode through Dinard a second time.

One relaxed St. Malo dinner involved a picnic on the beach, with a bottle of wine that brings back memories of great dinners in Meursault with intrepid cyclists Naomi, Dave, Peter, Jane, and Kathleen and Keith (https://www.cycleblaze.com/jou...). But just as we got settled, the incoming tide prompted a quick move to the top of the ramparts.

It was lovely to see a tiny part of Brittany - it would be great to dedicate an entire trip and work our way west and then south. Perhaps another year.

Today's ride: 155 km (96 miles)
Total: 295 km (183 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	4
Comment on this entry	Comment	0