Medium overseas tour - Nantes to Brest Canal in Brittany, France

[aeroperf]

It has been a long pandemic, but Europe is opening up to tourists.  When you are able to tour Europe again, you might want to consider this 208 mile ride.

The Nantes to Brest Canal is a canal towpath ride that goes from Nantes in France west across Brittany to the port city of Brest.  The canal was started in 1811 to keep French shipping out of the range of blockading British ships, and was finished in 1858.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantes%E2%80%93Brest_canal
It is incorporated into the European Velo routes 1 and 6.  It does not actually go to Brest, but kind of peters out at Chateaulin, France.  The section between Redon and Nantes is (as of 2019) “sporting”.

For bicycle touring, this trail is a wonderful ride.  It is:
  Limited grade
  Gorgeous scenery
  Very limited street riding
  Extremely easy navigation

On the downside, it is:
    Typically not paved
    Runs through the agricultural heart of Brittany, not the coast
    English is not the primary language

   

In my opinion, the best bike touring section on the canal is from Redon west to Chateaulin, a distance of 208 miles.  This gives you a ride right down the spine of Brittany.
The section between Redon and Nantes is listed as not quite complete, so we didn’t try it.
https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/canals-of-brittany/the-nantes-to-brest-canal/

Here is Brittany and the Nantes-Brest Canal:

Our tour was: EuroVelo Route 1 from Redon to Carhaix-Plouguer, and EuroVelo Route 6 from there to Chateaulin.  There is good rail transportation at either end that allows bikes.
Map from:  https://www.freewheelingfrance.com/where-to-go/cycling-the-nantes-brest-canal.html
France is one of the best countries for the EuroVelo routes - bike routes that are maintained and connect all of Europe.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroVelo

The canal naturally tends to follow rivers.  Riding west it is a slow rise to Lake Guerlédan, which was completed in 1930, and drowned 17 locks on the original canal.  There is a greenway (rails-to-trails) around the northern side of the lake, and the route joins the original canal again at Abbaye de Bon Repos on the west side.  Then a further gentle climb to Glomel, and then down to Chateaulin.
There is a lot of information about this route on the internet.  The absolute BEST reference is “The Nantes-Brest Canal - a guide for walkers and cyclists” from Red Dog Books (2007), with a Foreword & Introduction by Wendy Mewes.  ISBN 978 0 9536001 9 9.  This book gives a kilometer-by-kilometer description of the entire ride. https://www.freewheelingfrance.com/where-to-go/redon-brittany.html

The tour company we used has  gone on to other things, but other companies are eager to cater to bikers.  Example: https://www.abicyclette-voyages.com/en/cycling-adventure-vacation/nantes-brest-canal
Also, you can arrange your own trip - we specifically wanted to hit Carhaix-Plouguer on market day.  English is spoken as a second language along the route, but a little high school French will get you smiles from the locals.
We set up our September tour to go from Redon to Malestroit to Pontivy to Saint-Caradec, where we took a side trip to Saint-Thelo for an afternoon, then on to Guerlédan to Carhaix-Plouguer to Chateauneuf-de-Faou, and finally to Chateaulin.  9 days total, 7 days biking, only one evening of rain. (Lucky!)

Then we put our bikes on a local train to Rennes to pick up the canal ride from there to St. Malo (on EuroVelo 2) for another two days, with the bonus being that there is a saltwater spa at St. Malo to wash away the sore muscles.  https://en.francevelotourisme.com/cycle-route/saint-malo-to-arzal-cycle-route-2-in-brittany  There is also a saltwater spa in Rennes, if you only want to go that far.  Rennes is one of the main nodes for the TGV, which connects all of France with high speed trains.  It is also a college town with local cafe charm.

I cannot speak to the camping along this route, though it is advertised that you could do it that way.  For us, Brittany has too many great B&Bs and excellent restaurants to camp out, and we wanted to ride unencumbered by luggage.  So we did the definition of a credit card tour - have a taxi take our luggage to the next B&B, ride for the day, and coordinate with WiFi.

For this ride you need a touring bike.  A road bike won’t cut it.  For us older tourers, it does not require an e-bike.  The relative height at the highest point is 184 meters (in 208 miles), so - not a lot of climbing.  I’ve often thought that this would be an ideal tandem-bike tour if you like tandems.

When international travel is normal (or at least defined) again, I can highly recommend bicycling the Nantes-Brest Canal in Brittany for the scenery, the cider, the galettes, and the seafood.  If you think I’m being enthusiastic, you’re right.  This was one of the most enjoyable bike tours I’ve ever done.

Photo 1 - Early morning near Redon.  Photo 2 - Pontivy.  Photo 3 - Chateauneuf-de-Faou from canal.  Photo 4 - Canal from Chateauneuf-de-Faou.  Photo 5 - Ever feel like this?

[GMX]

Europe is not “opening up”. It has been totally open for more than a year. I live in Spain and travel all over Europe for work. Here in Spain the only remaining Covid-related requirement is that you have to wear a mask in health care facilities, including pharmacies. In most other countries there are no restrictions whatsoever.

I does look like a nice ride. I have family in Le Mans, so perhaps one day I will do a tour starting there.

Cheers,

Nathan

Nathan Wajsman

na...@gmx.es

Слава Україні! Героям слава!

On 25 Mar 2023, at 22:45, aeroperf <dore...@comcast.net> wrote:

It has been a long pandemic, but Europe is opening up to tourists.  When you are able to tour Europe again, you might want to consider this 208 mile ride.

The Nantes to Brest Canal is a canal towpath ride that goes from Nantes in France west across Brittany to the port city of Brest.  The canal was started in 1811 to keep French shipping out of the range of blockading British ships, and was finished in 1858.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantes%E2%80%93Brest_canal
It is incorporated into the European Velo routes 1 and 6.  It does not actually go to Brest, but kind of peters out at Chateaulin, France.  The section between Redon and Nantes is (as of 2019) “sporting”.

For bicycle touring, this trail is a wonderful ride.  It is:
  Limited grade
  Gorgeous scenery
  Very limited street riding
  Extremely easy navigation

On the downside, it is:
    Typically not paved
    Runs through the agricultural heart of Brittany, not the coast
    English is not the primary language

    <signages.png>

In my opinion, the best bike touring section on the canal is from Redon west to Chateaulin, a distance of 208 miles.  This gives you a ride right down the spine of Brittany.
The section between Redon and Nantes is listed as not quite complete, so we didn’t try it.
https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/canals-of-brittany/the-nantes-to-brest-canal/

Here is Brittany and the Nantes-Brest Canal:

<Route.png>

Our tour was: EuroVelo Route 1 from Redon to Carhaix-Plouguer, and EuroVelo Route 6 from there to Chateaulin.  There is good rail transportation at either end that allows bikes.
Map from:  https://www.freewheelingfrance.com/where-to-go/cycling-the-nantes-brest-canal.html
France is one of the best countries for the EuroVelo routes - bike routes that are maintained and connect all of Europe.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroVelo

The canal naturally tends to follow rivers.  Riding west it is a slow rise to Lake Guerlédan, which was completed in 1930, and drowned 17 locks on the original canal.  There is a greenway (rails-to-trails) around the northern side of the lake, and the route joins the original canal again at Abbaye de Bon Repos on the west side.  Then a further gentle climb to Glomel, and then down to Chateaulin.
There is a lot of information about this route on the internet.  The absolute BEST reference is “The Nantes-Brest Canal - a guide for walkers and cyclists” from Red Dog Books (2007), with a Foreword & Introduction by Wendy Mewes.  ISBN 978 0 9536001 9 9.  This book gives a kilometer-by-kilometer description of the entire ride. https://www.freewheelingfrance.com/where-to-go/redon-brittany.html

The tour company we used has  gone on to other things, but other companies are eager to cater to bikers.  Example: https://www.abicyclette-voyages.com/en/cycling-adventure-vacation/nantes-brest-canal
Also, you can arrange your own trip - we specifically wanted to hit Carhaix-Plouguer on market day.  English is spoken as a second language along the route, but a little high school French will get you smiles from the locals.
We set up our September tour to go from Redon to Malestroit to Pontivy to Saint-Caradec, where we took a side trip to Saint-Thelo for an afternoon, then on to Guerlédan to Carhaix-Plouguer to Chateauneuf-de-Faou, and finally to Chateaulin.  9 days total, 7 days biking, only one evening of rain. (Lucky!)

Then we put our bikes on a local train to Rennes to pick up the canal ride from there to St. Malo (on EuroVelo 2) for another two days, with the bonus being that there is a saltwater spa at St. Malo to wash away the sore muscles.  https://en.francevelotourisme.com/cycle-route/saint-malo-to-arzal-cycle-route-2-in-brittany  There is also a saltwater spa in Rennes, if you only want to go that far.  Rennes is one of the main nodes for the TGV, which connects all of France with high speed trains.  It is also a college town with local cafe charm.

I cannot speak to the camping along this route, though it is advertised that you could do it that way.  For us, Brittany has too many great B&Bs and excellent restaurants to camp out, and we wanted to ride unencumbered by luggage.  So we did the definition of a credit card tour - have a taxi take our luggage to the next B&B, ride for the day, and coordinate with WiFi.

For this ride you need a touring bike.  A road bike won’t cut it.  For us older tourers, it does not require an e-bike.  The relative height at the highest point is 184 meters (in 208 miles), so - not a lot of climbing.  I’ve often thought that this would be an ideal tandem-bike tour if you like tandems.

When international travel is normal (or at least defined) again, I can highly recommend bicycling the Nantes-Brest Canal in Brittany for the scenery, the cider, the galettes, and the seafood.  If you think I’m being enthusiastic, you’re right.  This was one of the most enjoyable bike tours I’ve ever done.

Photo 1 - Early morning near Redon.  Photo 2 - Pontivy.  Photo 3 - Chateauneuf-de-Faou from canal.  Photo 4 - Canal from Chateauneuf-de-Faou.  Photo 5 - Ever feel like this?

<Redon.JPG>

<Pontivy.JPG>

<Chateauneuf-de-Faou from canal.JPG>

<Canal from Chateauneuf.JPG>

<Ever feel like this.JPG>

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<Route.png><Ever feel like this.JPG><Chateauneuf-de-Faou from canal.JPG><Canal from Chateauneuf.JPG><Redon.JPG><Pontivy.JPG><signages.png>

[M-gineering]

On 4/3/2023 8:24 PM, GMX wrote:
> Europe is not “opening up”. It has been totally open for more than a
> year.

In NL the only thing I can think of is that the free coffee machines in
the back of the supermarket are still out of order.

--
mvg

Marten Gerritsen

Kiel Windeweer
Netherlands