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NOTES |
PHOTOGRAPHS |
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 with decent shoppoing facilities. Even so, Josselin has a population of only 7-8,000.
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 |
Places to visit:
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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. |
Places to Visit: Mediaeval Town Centre; Cafés and Restaurants; Supermarket Shopping; River Walk; Free Friday Night music concerts on the streets in season. |
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. |
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). |
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. |
Places to visit: Town Centre; Gift and souvenir shops; Chateau, Walk the city wall. Surrounding Countryside. |
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. |
Places to visit: Visit Paimpont; The French Military Academy of St. Cyr-Quoetquidan is located in the Broceliand Forest |
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. |
Places to visit: City Centre and Mediaeval Town; Port; Conleau Peninsula; Sea Life Centre |
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. |
Places to visit: The Harbour; Town Market (Fridays); Little Train trip around the town from the harbour. |
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. |
Places to visit: Harbour Walk; Bars; Cafés; Restaurant; Biscuit Factory Shopping Complex. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
