FRANCE
Les Machines de l’Île, Nantes
Grand Réservoir de Vioreau
Octopus street art, Nantes
turn south again, at one point following a section of the Canal de Nantes à Brest. Then the final couple of hours are taken at speed, racing along a broad asphalt cycle path as we approach the northern edge of Nantes, counting off signposts as we pass them: Nantes 19 minutes; Nantes 17 minutes; Nantes 12 minutes…. It’s hard not to fall in love with Nantes. A city with oodles of character and stacks of history. It was the capital of Brittany for several hundred years and, in the 18th century, the largest port in France, although it also comes with a healthy dose of quirkiness and counter-culture grunge. We spend the following day wandering around the buzzy streets of old Nantes, packed with cafés and restaurants, and cool second-hand shops along Rue Maréchal Joffre. The really excellent Musée d’Art de Nantes, has an amazing collection stretching from Artemesia Gentileschi to Monet to Anish Kapoor. And 15th century Château des Ducs de Bretagne houses the Musée d’Histoire de Nantes, which presents the city’s kaleidoscopic medieval and maritime history, including its time at the centre of the French slave trade in the 1700s. And as Jules Verne was born in Nantes, the Musée Jules Verne is another must do. Finally, we head over to Les Machines de l’Île, to see the legendary mechanical giants. Tours through the exhibition space introduce you to a steam-punk menagerie, including a hummingbird and a giant spider. Although the huge armoured elephant is undoubtedly the best known, and several times a day it goes walkabout, spitting water at unsuspecting passers by: it also carries passengers, but make sure you book in advance. Returning to Saint-Malo by train, we spend a final evening in the old town, taking in a gorgeous sunset from the massive sea walls overlooking silhouetted islands and offshore forts. In the morning we have just enough time to skim stones on the beach, before shouldering our packs, and boarding the ferry home.
the lowdown
HOW TO GET THERE Portsmouth to Saint-Malo overnight ferry from 10 hours brittany-ferries.co.uk Nantes to Saint-Malo train from 2 hours, 30 minutes sncf-connect.com WHERE TO STAY Hôtel des Voyageurs, Family Room (2 adults, 2 children) from £292 per night hotel-fougeres.fr Domaine de la Ferrière, Queen Suite (2 adults, 2 children) from £232 per night hotellaferriere.com Le Moulin de Bel Air, La Minoterie Jaune (2 adults, 2 children) from £210 per night lemoulindebelair.com Hôtel de la Cité, Nantes, Family Room (2 adults, 2 children) from £158 per night hotels-centre-nantes.fr GOOD TO KNOW Abicyclette Voyages e-bike hire abicyclette-voyages.com Brittany Tourism brittanytourism.com
Loire-Atlantique Tourism atlantic-loire-valley.com Nantes Tourism levoyageanantes.fr Saint-Malo Tourism saint-malo-tourisme.co.uk La Régalante francevelotourisme.com
Saint-Malo, Brittany
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