Brittany Country Gite

Activities

If you are after a relaxing holiday, and just want to get away from it all, our gite, in its tranquil country setting, with access to our private woodland, is the ideal place to stay. In fact, with our shopping service, you could stay put and lounge around for the whole of your stay. However, there are many places to go, things to see and do, and lots of delicious food and drink to discover.

Dinan. Just 15 minutes away by car from the gite Dinan is a wonderful medieval market town. As you approach over the viaduct, the citadel (the best-conserved in Brittany) with 3 km of the old town boundary wall still intact, provides an impressive welcome. The medieval centre of the town is well-preserved, with fine timbered houses and cobbled streets. The tourist office, in the central market square, can supply you with maps to guide you round the old ramparts and this gives some fantastic views of the old town, the river and the surrounding countryside.

Dinan has a large, bustling market every Thursday morning selling all manner of fruit and locally produced vegetables, many certified organic, cheese, honey, meat, fish, flowers, clothes and all manner of fare. A short walk takes you down to the old port, which is lined with boats, restaurants and shops and is an excellent place to sit and watch the world go by or perhaps take a trip down the Rance in a tour boat or hired small boat or canoe.

For culture, try the theatre, which hosts a diverse selection of events; the cinema which often shows version originale (VO) films with French sub-titles; and the museum which is always hosting exhibitions.

If you are feeling more sporty, here is an open-air heated swimming pool just south of Dinan in Lehon that is open most afternoons. Please note that men are required to wear traditional (Speedo-type) swimming trunks: Bermuda style shorts are not allowed (this seems to be general in French pools).

Rennes. Half an hour away by car, Rennes, the capital of Brittany, is a lively, cosmopolitan city and offers something quite different from the countryside that surrounds it. Rennes has a great architectural mix with pretty and elegant squares alongside perfectly preserved medieval houses. It is also a hardworking university and market town and is a magnet for shoppers from the surrounding area. It has a multi cultural street life with artists from all over the world giving the city a very eclectic atmosphere. Renne's famous street market fills the streets every Saturday and attracts sellers and shoppers from the surrounding countryside. The covered markets selling cheese, fresh and cooked meats, fish and honey etc are open every weekday.

Beaches. The Cote D'Armor got its name from "Armorica", meaning, "land of the sea" and the coastline is extremely beautiful with rocky coves and sandy beaches around every corner. The nearest beach, St Jacut-de-la-Mer is about 30 minutes drive away and is a typical large rocky cove with sand, shells and beautifully clean turquoise sea. There are small islands, which reveal themselves at low tide and a fantastic bay surrounded by rocks that are perfect for scrambling and rock pooling. St Brieuc-sur-mer also offers a pretty sandy cove edged with old-fashioned painted beach huts and sailing boats. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants just a flip-flop up from the beach!

St. Malo is about 40 minutes away and offers miles of uninterrupted golden sand right next to the old town. Other beaches within reach are Dinard, a fantastic beach town with a real 50s style about it, St.Lunaire, St Cast le Guildo, and Erquy, famous for scallops.

Chateaux.Dinan's castle used to be a stately home and now contains a museum. A map for a walk around the ramparts on your own can be obtained from the tourist office. Mont St Michael is one of the most famous sites in North West France. You can get an excellent view of it from the mainland or you can travel across the causeway to the Mount itself and climb up through the narrow Tudor cobbled streets to the abbey at the top. There are many other magnificent chateaux and castles in the local area including Combourg, Chateau de Hac and Fougères. Music and festivals.

Live music is very popular, especially the folk music of Brittany and Ireland. Every month at a small bar outside of Dinan, L'Ancienne Forge at Trelat, musicians and some traditional dancers gather for an informal music session playing Irish tunes. The standard is often exceptionally high and the atmosphere friendly and welcoming. Breton dances, or Fez Noz are held regularly through the summer and winter in villages all across Brittany. The local press have details.

Food and drink. Food-wise Brittany is most famous for three things: seafood, galettes and cider, although you will find a wide selection of good food to buy and restaurants to eat in. The fish and shellfish here are fantastic, fresh and local. Galettes are large buckwheat pancakes that are filled with a multitude of savoury things; crepes are the sweet version. Dinan, and the local towns and villages around, are very well served with restaurants and cafes and you will have no trouble finding high quality places to eat.

A wonderful French phenomenon is the menu ouvrier (meaning workmen's menu): this is a midday meal where, for around eur10 you will be served a starter, main-course and possibly both cheese and a sweet course, with red wine included! Representing superb value, the quality of the food is normally extremely high, and we have never been disappointed. We can certainly point you in the right direction and, by happy coincidence, the nearest one to the gite, La Vielle Auberge, wins our gold medal.