Events
MADONE
DES MOTARDS
The 14th-15th August
The "Madone des Motards" is a blessing of the bikers by the priest
of Porcaro, it started in 1978 with a few bikers and has grown
over the years to attract up to 20,000, making it the biggest
concentration of bikes outside of race meetings in France. It is
always held on the French bank holiday of the 15th August, the
blessing is in the morning and after lunch is the 80 km ride out
amongst 20,000 like minded people through the local area where the
bike loving French line the route to slap your hand and wish you 'bonne
route'.
Its something else!
On the night of the 14th there are bands and a BBQ on the campsite
at Porcaro.
LE MANS
Le Mans holds the 24 hour bike race in April and usually the French Moto GP in May. We are about 2 ½ hours ride west from Le Mans,
making it possible to incorporate either event into a holiday in
Brittany.
Local Towns
PLOERMEL
About 15 km's north of us is the medieval town of Ploermel on the
shore of the Lac au Duc one of the seats of the Dukes of Brittany.
The town has been rebuilt since the war but you can still find
parts of the medieval defences and the church remains intact.
Ploermel has restaurants, bars, a main post office and shops
aplenty. To the north of the town lies the lake which has a
manmade sandy beach with swimming area and hire centre for boats
windsurfers and canoes etc, these can be hired by the hour or
longer if you wish. On the other shore is the 9 hole golf course.
Market day is Friday.
JOSSELIN
About half hour northeast is Josselin on the banks of the
Nantes-Brest Canal , another seat of power from medieval times for
the Dukes of Brittany and boasts one of the most impressive
chateaux in Brittany as well as a beautiful cathedral. Josselin
has restaurants, bars and more tourist type shops where you can
buy Breton products such as china and cider as well as curio's.
Market day is Saturday and well worth a visit.
GUER
10 km's east is Guer another medieval market town, it has
restaurants, bars, shops and a public swimming pool. Guer is our
district town, just to the north is "St-Cyr" the French "Sandhurst"
which has a military museum open to the public. Market day is
Wednesday . The Italian restaurant “Little Italy” is worth a visit
also serving traditional French cuisine.
CARENTOIR
10 km's south Carentoir is a similar size to Guer with all the
amenities and three large lakes with gentle walks around them.
Presqu'ile de QUIBERON
Located at the end of this peninsular is the town of Quiberon
which is a very popular resort with miles of sandy beaches and a
ferry service to BELLE-ILE-EN- MER the beautiful island.
LORIENT
Further Along the coast is the large city of Lorient set on the
banks of the rivers Scorff and Blavet. Lorient is a major port
both past and present and former home to the French navies
submarine base. In August the "Inter-Celtic Music Festival" is
held which is the biggest in Brittany with musicians from all the
Celtic countries. Just to the west is Guidel-plage another lovely
sandy beach with restaurants close-by.
ST MALO
On
the northern coast of Brittany lies the walled city of St Malo, an
ancient pirate stronghold and medieval citadel, as well as a
modern ferry port with sailings to Portsmouth and the Channel
Islands. With its sandy beaches situated below the battlements and
endless restaurants serving among other things "fruit du Mer" it
is the place for seafood, St Malo is well worth a visit.
Along the coast in Normandy is "Mont St Micheal the famous island
city cut off at high tide and steeped in history.
VANNES
On the "Golfe du Morbihan" lies the medieval walled city and port
of Vannes dating back to pre-roman times and named after the
Celtic tribe of the area .Vannes is the capitol of Morbihan and is
now a large modern city with all the services you would expect,
but still has the medieval defences and buildings intact, sit at
one of the café's opposite the marina and soak up the atmosphere .
There is a large market on Saturday mornings.
PRESQU'ILE DE RHUYS
This forms the southern arm of the "Golfe du Morbihan" helping
create the warm waters in the golfe. The southern coast has miles
of sandy beaches with pretty villages dotted along it, the
northern coast is more rocky and has fishing hamlets, the main
town is Sarzeau with all amenities.
AURAY
On the estuary of the river Loc'h in between Vannes and Lorient is
the pretty town of Auray which has a very good market on Mondays.
A walk down the hill to the riverfront is worth the effort. You
can discover the quayside surrounded by cafe's and restaurant's
serving seafood as well as crepes and traditional French cuisine
all at reasonable prices.
CARNAC
Just south of Auray on the coast is Carnac with the biggest
standing stone site in Europe. The stones are spread out on all
sides of the town apart from the southern side where the beautiful
sandy beaches are located. The pretty town has plenty of places to
eat and drink.
MONTENEUF
The next village to Reminiac, Monteneuf is about 1Km away.
Slightly larger it has a boulangerie [bakers], bar and “MEGALITHS” restaurant.
On Sunday mornings there is now a small market selling local
produce.
Monteneuf is famous for its megalithic standing stones sight the
largest in central Brittany it's not "Stonehenge" but you can walk
amongst the stones. In fact, many footpaths use this as the
starting point for walks of various distances as well as cycling.
A "Bronze Age" hamlet has been recreated at the sight where during
the summer various events are held.
MALESTROIT
About 12Km away lies the beautiful medieval town of Malestroit.
Historically important due to its role in the 100 year war, the
town was built in the Middle Ages on the banks of the River Ouest
which now flows through its centre and joins the Nantes-Brest
canal where you can hire boats or canoes for the hour or day.
The town has been designated a `Cite Fleurie` which means it is
decorated from top to bottom with stunning floral displays all
summer, during which live music is held in the town square on
Friday nights entry free. Market day is Thursday.
LA GACILLY
Ten-fifteen
minutes drive takes you to La Gacilly `The Town of the Artisan`.
La Gacilly is a Ville-Fleurie (Blooming Town). It's absolutely jam
packed with floral displays and must be seen. However, what really
sets it apart is its population of sculptors and artists. Most
workshops and galleries are open to the public throughout the
summer. The small local shops are all stuffed full of objets d`art
and interesting curios- all of which are for sale. Boat hire
available by the hour.
ROCHEFORT EN
TERRE
A beautiful medieval town or “Petite Cite de Caractere” lined with
small granite cottages and cobbled streets. There are plenty of
shops with traditional items to buy and a good choice of places to
eat making it a definite place to see.
QUESTEMBERT
This has the attraction of having one of Frances’ oldest covered
wooden market halls “HALLE” and the chapel of St Michel.
DINAN
An old fortress town with its Port, steep cobbled streets and
leaning buildings. The streets are named after the many different
medieval trades that existed and make this an interesting visit.
PLACES TO VISIT
MUSEE de la RESISTANCE BRETONNE
Found at St Marcel near to Malestroit is this Resistance Museum
set on the site of a battle between the Breton Resistance and the
German Occupying Forces on the 18th June 1944. This assisted in
drawing German troops away from D Day beach heads. Well worth
visiting.
LE MANOIR DE L’AUTOMOBILE
A well presented vehicle museum with over 400 different vehicles
ranging from veteran cars to Formula 1 Grand Prix with all sorts
of memorabilia in between. Not many motorcycles but still worth a
visit.
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