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PLACE |
NOTES |
PHOTOGRAPHS |
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LANOUÉE |
The local town is Lanouée and is well worth a quiet
evening stroll around on the way to the bar or restaurant, or just
in its own right. There are two bars from which to choose and a Les
Routier restaurant where a good value meal can be taken.
Have a day out from stress and travel and sit by the
one of the lakes with a book, or take a rod and fish for a while. |
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Josselin
Local |
Josselin is the nearest large
town of size to Menhir Ty. Even so, Josselin has a population of
only 7-8,000. All the same, this is a lovely town to visit with many
interesting things to see and a lovely riverside promenade under the
walls of the famous Rohan chateau. The town gets rather full of
tourists in the summer, many of whom come on coaches, stay an hour
or so and then move on to the next place. Another consequence -
apart from crowding and noise - is that some of the restaurants are
a bit pricey for what they offer. But a trip to this area would be
incomplete without visiting Josselin |
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Places to visit: Chateau; Doll
Museum; Park (well hidden!); Main Streets and Squares; River/Canal
Side
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Malestroit
Local |
Larger than Josselin and with a
significantly better array of shops and businesses, Malestroit is a
bustling mediaeval town with a pretty town centre about twenty miles
from Menhir Ty. It would be hard to find a whole days entertainment
from a visit to Malestroit, however, it can easily be combined with
a bit of food shopping and a pleasant stroll along the canal or
river. With a large population of resident Brits, some of the
restaurants feel like Little England in the evenings. No noteworthy
restaurants in Malestroit. |
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Places to Visit:
Mediaeval Town Centre; Cafés and Restaurants; Supermarket Shopping;
River Walk; Free Friday Night music concerts on the streets in
season. |
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Ploërmel
Local |
There is a good selection of shops in
Ploërmel and supermarkets are dotted around the edge of town by the
'ringroad'. The town is more modern than other local towns and there
is little by way of architectural interest for the mediaeval town
fan. However, one attraction worth a visit in Ploërmel is a large
lake with beach and other facilities on the edge of town. The beach
is safe and convenient especially for families with young children.
Pedaloes, boating, wind surfing, canoeing and tuition available. |
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Places to Visit:
Lac au Duc on the western side of
Ploërmel. Pleasant lake-side beach, with refreshments, pedalos and
canoes available. Sailing tuition and yacht hire available here.
Nice walks. 9 hole golf (municipal). |
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Rochfort en Terre
15
mins
BEYOND MALESTROIT |
Charming. Simply charming. Although
extremely busy with tourists in summer, Rochefort en Terre is a
wonderfully preserved mediaeval town sitting at the top of a gorge.
The town is bursting with small shops selling all manor of gifts,
candles, soaps, jewellery, etc. With it's flower displays and lovely
buildings, Rochefort is yet another 'must' on the list of places to
visit. A trip here combines well with a couple of hours in
Malestroit either en route or returning. It's nice to visit here
early afternoon when the shops are still shut for lunch, have a
crepe and a bottle of local cidre then just wander around.
|
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Places to visit:
Town Centre; Gift and souvenir
shops; Chateau, Walk the city wall. Surrounding Countryside. |
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Forest of Broceliande
30 mins away |
Arthurian legend abounds in Brittany
with almost everywhere being associated in some way with King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table. Broceliande is a large area of
forest to the north and west of Ploërmel linked to these legends.
The reputed grave of Merlin is in the forest. Just drive, walk or
cycle in the forest and see what you find. |
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Places to visit: Visit Paimpont; The
French Military Academy of St. Cyr-Quoetquidan is located in
the Broceliand Forest |
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Vannes
45-50
mins away |
The large mediaeval city of Vannes is
a 45 minute drive to the south of Menhir Ty and has a very varied
array of activities and things which can entertain visitors. Vannes
is the best place to visit for major shopping with an extensive
'Centre Commercial' on the north eastern side of the city. This is
alongside the main Nantes to Brest expressway and extends on both
sides of the road. |
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Places to visit:
City Centre and Mediaeval Town;
Port; Conleau Peninsula; Sea Life Centre |
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Auray and St. Goustan
45-50
mins away |
It doesn't matter how many times
you'll visit, Auray never gets boring. In particular, St. Goustan at
the bottom of the hill from the main town is an extremely attractive
place with lots of small bars and restaurants where you can sit and
watch the boats on the river or just people watch. A good way to see
the town (particularly as the hill between the port and the town is
very steep) is the Little Train which leaves from the bridge by the
harbour. |
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Places to visit: The Harbour; Town
Market (Fridays); Little Train trip around the town from the
harbour. |
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La Trinité sur Mer
50-55 mins away |
La Trinité sur Mer is about 15
minutes drive from Auray and is one of France's biggest yachting
centres. It is well known internationally as a yachting centre as a
glance from the bridge above the harbour would soon testify. The
immediate vicinity of La Trinité has some beautiful and clean
beaches. The whole coastline between the Gulf of Morbihan and Carnac
and beyond has excellent beaches. |
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Places to visit: Harbour Walk; Bars;
Cafés; Restaurant; Biscuit Factory Shopping Complex. |
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Carnac
Around one hour |
Carnac's fame principally stems from
its association with the megalithic period and its enormous
collection of standing stones. Carnac is also popular with the
holidaying fraternity due to it's excellent and safe beaches. There
are a large number of camp sites in the area and these attract
considerable numbers of British and Irish visitors in season. The
population of English speaking tourists can seem a little bit
overwhelming at times, but this does not alter the fact that Carnac
is a lovely place to visit for a sunny day on the beach. |
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Places to Visit: Beach: La Men Du is
a favourite and very safe for children; Megalithic Standing Stones
and Visitor centre; Sunday Market in season
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Dinan
One hour or just over. |
Dinan is about an hour's drive from
Menhir Ty and is probably Europe's best preserved mediaeval city. To
do it any kind of justice, Dinan requires a long day's visit and,
even then you will only just scratch the surface. Don't forget to
descend the hill and visit the harbour on the River Rance at the
bottom. |
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Places to Visit: Just wander around
and find it for yourself. There's far to much to describe and much,
much more than can be shown in one single photograph. |
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St Malo
75 mins away |
An interesting city often missed by
those who arrive on the ferries and just want to be en route as
quickly as possible. Sadly, the old city of St Malo was largely
destroyed by American bombing during the second world war and what
you see today is a replica of that city. Nevertheless, it is
spectacular in its scale and is impressive both as a city and as a
beach resort. |
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Le Mont St Michel
90+mins away |
About an hour and a half drive from
Menhir Ty, this is apparently France's second most popular tourist
site after Rocamadour. The monastery is certainly impressive as it
stands atop its rocky island in the sea at the end of a long
man-made peninsular. However, the approaches to the monastery are
filled with tacky souvenir shops and little restaurants specialising
in omlettes. Parking is expensive and so is entry to the monastery. |
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Rennes
50-60 mins away. |
Don't be dismissive of Rennes if
you've arrived by car and journeyed around the Rocade (ring road).
The jerry built factories which surround the city and the tatty
appearance which you might have perceived by a cursory glace is far
from the truth of what Rennes is really about. Take a trip into the
very centre of the city and you will be amazed at the richness of
its buildings, shopping, galleries, parks, etc. |
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Places to Visit:
Just wander around and find it for
yourself. There's far to much to describe, but don't miss the
Botanical Gardens. |
