Brittany's Emerald Coast

Introduction
Burgundy France

Since it is the longest coastline in France, the Bretagne peninsula offers a variety of amazing landscapes. Each part of the coastline has its own identity, delicate blending of colours and shapes of the rocks and the sea.
Its clear water wavers between blue and green, its rocks of an warm orangy pink and the presence of megaliths have inspired and given their poetic names full of promises to these borderlines, each embodying a unique aspect of Brittany’s coastlines.
Starting and finishing in the medieval town of St Malo you head for and follow the picturesque Emerald Coast, including stops at the awesome 8th century abbey Mont St Michel and the charming ‘city of the sea’ St. Malo. The coastal section also includes a line of fine sandy beaches interspersed with rocks, reefs, granite headlands and sheer cliffs, which are dappled pink and gray in the sun. The area is famous for a rich cultural heritage and its architecture. There are castles, feudal fortresses and abbeys that are waiting to be visited, and a variety of flora and fauna as well as protected wildlife zones.
Walled and built with the same grey granite stone as Mont St-Michel, ST-MALO was originally in the Middle Ages a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance, controlling not only the estuary but the open sea beyond. Now inseparably attached to the mainland, St-Malo is the most visited place in Brittany, thanks more to its superb old citadelle than to the ferry terminal that's tucked into the harbour behind. From outside the walls, the dignified ensemble of the old city might seem stern and forbidding, but passing through into the streets within the walls brings you into a busy, lively and very characterful town, packed with hotels, restaurants, bars and shops.
Fougères has long been noted as a center of shoe manufacturing, and has an interesting Musée de la Chaussure (Shoe Museum). Nowadays, however, it is mainly an agricultural town, with the largest cattle market in Europe. To the south is the church of St-Sulpice (15th-18th century), with a beautiful interior.

Accomodation

Accommodation in ** and *** hotels/guest houses/boarding houses and good middle category hotels
Breakfast buffet or extended breakfast, 3-course evening meals

Riding

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Saint Malo and opportunity to explore the walled town. Enjoy a welcome drink while you receive your route information.

Day 2 St Malo – Dinan 45 km
Having wandered amongst the streets of the old citadelle and along ramparts, you cycle inland along the gently undulating valley of the Rance River on forested roads dotted with villages to the steep hill that leads you into Dinan, Brittany’s best preserved medieval town. You should have plenty of time to explore its streets, alleys and ramparts on foot.

Day 3 Dinan - Combourg 33 km
Today you meander further inland to see more of the quiet Breton countryside and some ancient monolithic structures known as dolmen. The sight of its stunning castle draws you into medieval Combourg. The castle grounds are open all day and Lac Tranquille is ideal for an evening stroll.

Day 4 Combourg – Fougères 70 km
Sens de Bretagne, Rimou and other villages are on your route today. After cycling through the valley of the Cousenon River, and then Tremblay, you pass through some forests and by castles to reach Fougères.
Opportunity to explore its different levels, and perhaps its seemingly impregnable castle, by foot.

Day 5 Fougères – Pontorson 45 km
With the necessary adjustments made to your bicycle, you discover the typical countryside of Brittany - lovely small farmhouses and villages richly decorated with flowers. Stop in the village of St Brice-en-Coglès, continuing on small country roads to the banks of the Couesnon River and into Pontorson (which is actually in Normandy).

Day 6 Pontorson – Cancale 53 km
From Moidrey, fine views of one of the highlights of the whole trip begin to appear. Whether it's your first or fifth visit, whether it's sunny or misty, Mont St Michael is awesome. Get there as early as you can to enjoy the ancient ramparts, the Abbey, views of the bay and more before it gets too crowded. Then you wind your way across reclaimed land, glancing back occasionally at the magnificent Mont, to Le Vivier-sur-Mer on the edge of the bay. You arrive in Cancale, picturesque fishing harbour whose port area is lined with restaurants offering oysters brought from beds just a few hundred metres away.

Day 7 Canacle - Saint Malo 33 km
Today’s cycling is by sandy beaches and granite coast with great seascapes on offer at the Pointe de Grouin, and a sandy beach and fortress island at the Anse du Guesclin before reaching the walled town of St Malo. 

Day 8
Your last breakfast in Brittany and time to say au-revoir.

Rates and Dates for Brittany's Emerald Coast

Dates Note: Weekly departures from Saturday to Saturday.
Guided trips: June 13, July 18, Sept 12 2009

Other Info
Meeting: Saint Malo hotel
Airport: Rennes, Paris
Transfer: by train to Saint Malo (not included)

Climate: