Brest-Nantes Canal Towpath

[Paul_T]

Firstly, thanks for hitting this thread.

Does anyone have any tips on cycling Brest-Nantes Canal Towpath route please? A friend has always wanted to do this route and has persuaded me to embark on it, or at least part of it, and I thought it wise to see if anyone has any advice. I've scoured the 'net with a very small amount of success and he's bought 'that book' on the tow path, but I thought that the good ol' CTC community might be the best source of useful info (as my French is not that good!). I will probably buy the Rough Guide to cycling in France as it looks to be of use, and I will probably renew my lapsed CTC membership to gain access to info/services.
Details:
We intend to bike across to Roscoff from Plymouth and use public transport to get to and from the route. It will probably be a 6 day jaunt but my friend is currently unsure as to how many miles he can manage a day but has until late spring to prepare himself (I used to Audax so it's not going to be a problem for me to match him ). We are aiming to travel light and stay in accomodation (Hotel's, B&B, YHA's or whatever) and savour the cuisine - I expect to be fatter on my return!
The only thoughts I've had are a) not use my (Thorn) Audax (after reading the exisiting threads on this site) and to use this as excuse to buy a mid-price MTB and mount a rack to it, and b) to probably start mid-point and to aim at either Brest or Nantes (probably Brest) as the return transport might be easier to organise in advance from one of these two (I'd be happy to cycle home from Brest but that's not an option as we'll be limited on time) - depending on what time my chum can take off work, and how fit he can get himself, will obviously be the deciding factor as to how much we can aim to cover.

Any thoughts, suggestions, or links will be greatly appreciated - many thanks in advance.
Paul T (Devon)

[dodger]

Paul,
It doesn't run from Brest, but Chateaulin, and you can't ride on the last 20 miles or so towards Nantes.
You could try using Redon as the start or finish and catch a train back to Morlaix. (there are still a few trains to Roscoff from Morlaix too). Not all trains will take the bike but I've caught one from Redon back to Morlaix, via Rennes.
It's quite a nice run from Roscoff to Morlaix along the seaside route and you could then go to Carhaix-Plouguer via Huelgoat along quietish roads and pick up the canal there. A CTC member offers B&B in Huelgoat - He's called Alan Edwards (mobile 07949900907)
The path is cut by the canal being dammed between Gouarec and Mur de Bretagne, but there are plenty of alternatives, including a Green Way. The Abbaye de Bon Repos is worth a look alongside the canal just on from Gouarec. There's a nice, but dated tiny hotel there too. The rooms (only 6) are out of the 60s, but the food in the restaurant is good value. You probably need to book for a room. (e-mail lesjardinsdelabbaye@wanadoo.fr)
(Check out www.af3v.org for Green ways in Brittany and rest of France)
The stretch from Pontivy to Rohan is interesting in that it actually climbs and falls noticeably, with around 50 locks to pass.
Josselin is worth a stop - great B&B there(www.thecuckoosnestbrittany.co.uk)
Malestroit is also an interesting little town.
It's a nice run, and wonderfully traffic free, but it can get a bit boring at times. Plenty of wildlife - kingfishers galore and I came across a small herd of wild boar once. Plenty of places to stay without booking. Friendly people, including most of the drivers, good food, good wine.
Have fun.
Roger

[dodger]

Forgot to mention the surface is reasonable - tarmac in many places and usually firm.
Also, you get a better deal from Brittany Ferries if you go for 5 days. Finally, I took my car over and left it so I could fill up with wine to come back. It's only a few pounds more if there are 2 of youRoger

[Paul_T]

Cheers Roger/dodger, some really useful tips - I can't believe I got a reply so quickly!

[rickangus]

Here's a little taster for you. Makes me want to go here...

http://www.highpath.net/touring/france/01.html

[Millhouse]

Hi, I toured Brittany with my son, who was 16 at the time, last year. We had a fabulous time and used a small travel company called Breton Bikes. I had never camped and cycled with a bike before so they were ideal. They provide the bike, all the equipment, routes and recommend campsites. They also provided backup for emergencies or mechanical problems and translation if needed!! The company is based at Gouarec which is adjacent to the canal. We did a small amount of cycling on the tow path but found the other cycling far more interesting. The routes were mainly on very quiet rural roads. An excellent holiday at a reasonable price and well woth considering. Taking that holiday gave me the confidence to cycle/camp on my own. Regards Millhouse.

[Moondog]

http://home.versatel.nl/mouringh.marga/ ... st_eng.htm

You might find this of use.

Nick

[Paul_T]

More! many thanks.

I've had a further thought re accomodation:
Whilst in France, I've only ever stayed in a Gite, for a few days, and camped - does France have a lot of places where you can simply drop in at the end of the day like the humble British B&B? I ask in part due to the ambiguity of the amount we may be travelling, but mainly due to my rather poor French (on the phone)!
Having said that, I dare say that this reservation (about reservations!) will probably vanish once we start properly planning things out on a map and see what lies en route (sorry about the puns!).

Thanks again.

[dodger]

Loads of places to stay, but remember their holiday season tends to end early and some places close after September. Also, you usually pay by the room, so it's cheaper per person if there are 2 of you. Most Chambres D'Hote (Like B&B) and hotels have a bit of English since we go there in our millions every year. Just try some French and they won't laugh, but will be pleased you tried.
If you go to tourism offices, they have lists of accommodation and will usually book for you by phone.

[Paul_T]

Thanks again dodger that's excellent info. Sounds like we can travel light and still keep a flexible itinerary.
Trying a bit of French the first time was nerve-racking and I felt very self concious but after a while I got into it and it's well worth getting over the initial fear and pretty well everyone you practise on is happier for it (they may even try practising their English in return).

The tip about avoiding out of season times is so true - 10 years or so ago, I cycle-toured/camped around Brittany with another friend only 1 or 2 weeks past the end of the summer season and it was dead - the camp sites were still 'open' but there were no facilities, though the toilets and showers still worked if you didn't mind cold ones! that was rough

[JohnColeman]

We are planning a cycling holiday for 2008 in Brittany and I was finding decent information hard to come by. All this stuff is brilliant so thanks to everyone involved in the CTC forum for sharing your bulletin board.

I'm one of the Sustrans 'Volunteer Ranger's in Glasgow and I run an amateur cycle routes website at http://www.dalriada.org.uk/gmaps/RouteViewer.php have a look if you're interested. This year we had a great (and easy) ride round the Funf- Fluss tour in Bavaria, which I added to the RouteViewer routes. Hopefully next year I will add the results of our current planning for Brittany. Now all we have to do is figure out how to get from Glasgow to Plymouth with our bikes and within our budget of time and money!

Anyway, thanks again, I think you have got us off to a good start.

John Coleman

[nigel_s]

Hi, I toured Brittany with my son, who was 16 at the time, last year. We had a fabulous time and used a small travel company called Breton Bikes. I had never camped and cycled with a bike before so they were ideal. They provide the bike, all the equipment, routes and recommend campsites. They also provided backup for emergencies or mechanical problems and translation if needed!! The company is based at Gouarec which is adjacent to the canal. We did a small amount of cycling on the tow path but found the other cycling far more interesting. The routes were mainly on very quiet rural roads. An excellent holiday at a reasonable price and well woth considering. Taking that holiday gave me the confidence to cycle/camp on my own. Regards Millhouse.

I and my family have done two holidays with Breton Bikes. Highly recommended. The web site is www.bretonbikes.com. And, not surprisingly, there is a picture of bikes on the Nantes-Brest towpath on their front page.

[Dave2189]

Hi, Like Paul_t I am planning to cycle in Bittany in 2008 and have had dificulty finding any useful info (until I joined CTC forumjavascript:emoticon(':D')
Very Happy ) I have been looking at the French map site IGN and wondered if anyone had used these maps and if so which ones cover the canal and surounding cycleways. I have also heard of Voie Verts but cannot find information on them

[dodger]

Dave,
I just use the Michelin 1:200,000 maps, but there are plenty of larger scale maps and they are usually cheaper when you get to Brittany in most newsagents.
The Voie Vertes website is www.af3v.org

[Calandra]

Dave, if you go to www.geoportail.fr

you can see the maps of whatever area of France you want to look at, on line in whatever scale you desire, or aerial photography, or the two combined in whatever proportions you wish. There's even a 3D (beta) mapping visualisation available on line after downloading the appropriate program for free ...

Do you have good enough French to use the site effectively? I would be happy to post a step-by-step guide if you like.


For instance here is the location of Chateaulin and environs on the Nantes-Brest canal at 1:40000

{ Long link edited into LINK format by Graham }


HTH