October21

Fougères Castle (Le Château de Fougères)

A voyage through history

Whether you’re a devoted fan of history and old buildings or you just want to visit a local place of interest,  head for Fougères Castle. Your journey will take you back to the Middle Ages when Brittany was a Duchy to discover the secrets of the largest and without doubt, one of the most beautiful castles in Europe.

Outer wall of the Château de Fougères

Outer wall of the Château de Fougères

The castle has been extremely well restored and fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment, to enable it to tell both its own story and that of the Brittany Marches. It offers a range of different tours for everyone aged from 7 to 77 and a Discovery Trail which will delight children and adults alike. In each of the three main towers, Mélusine, Surienne and Raoul II, a new sound and vision experience takes visitors back into the castle’s historic past and the history of Fougères … Simply breathtaking !

Surrounded by history

You can visit the castle at your own pace with an audio-guide or in a group with a guide. Either way, you’ll find yourself totally immersed in history – from major events to small anecdotes. An absolute delight ! Even the children will love it ! After 2 hours exploring the castle, you can finish your tour in the castle shop, where you may just give in to temptation…!

>> Discover other photos of the Château de Fougères

Near the castle

Don’t forget to visit the Church of St-Sulpice, which stands just beside the castle. It has a splendid Baroque-style choir and the nave is shaped like an upside down boat. Children may not like it quite as much as the castle…

So to make up for it, go to the Rue de la Fourchette to the Crêperie ‘Le Bonheur est dans le Blé’ for crêpes and cider.

>> More information about the Château de Fougères

0 by Marina in Historic Tags: , ,

May18

Explore Montfort sur Meu by canoe

For the fourth summer running, Montfort-sur-Meu is organising guided tours with a difference – along the river by canoe.

Discover the historic medieval town of Montfort sur Meu from the river Meu !

You don’t have to be a confirmed canoeist or a history specialist to enjoy this trip – far from it! The idea is to paddle gently along the river Meu and view the historic buildings of Montfort from a different angle.

Visite en canoë de Montfort sur meu

Exploring Montfort sur Meu by canoe

Trips start from the local Canoe Club, canoë-kayak du pays de Brocéliande, and you are accompanied by a guide from the Ecomusée du pays de Brocéliande (living museum) and under the supervision of a qualified canoeing instructor.

The peace and quiet of the river make an original and unusual backdrop for discovering the history of the town starting with the building of the first fortification back in the 11th century. Local tales, in particular the legend of the duck, and commercial activity along the Meu at the turn of the 20th century will also be explained during the trip.

An original, fun outing for all the family

This relaxing, sight-seeing trip is open to everyone as the Canoe Club accepts children aged 3 and upwards (accompanied by their parents, of course).  It is available on 6 different dates this summer:

  • 11th and 25th June
  • 2nd, 9th and 16th July
  • 10th September

For further information and to book your place, please contact the office de tourisme du pays de Montfort on 02-99-09-06-50. Booking is essential as places are limited to 12 per trip.

For a preview of this innovative outing, watch this video made in 2010 by  Philippe BOUSSIN. More videos about the Montfort en Brocéliande area are available on our  YouTubechannel.

0 by Florian in Families fun Tags: , ,

May10

A Photo Walk : the 11 Locks at Hédé

The lovely spring weather whetted my appetite for exploring our lovely region, so after Brocéliande Gardens,

Ecluses vues vers Rennes © AC. Gravrand

View of the locks towards Rennes © AC. Gravrand

geocaching in Cancale and visiting Rennes, I decided to explore a site which I only knew by name : the 11 locks at Hédé.

Between Rennes and Saint-Malo

The Ille-et-Rance Canal, which links Rennes and Saint-Malo, is known for its lovely walks through gorgeous, diverse scenery, so one afternoon I decided to stop for a while to take some photos at the 11 locks at Hédé.
It’s an amazing place as the eleven locks are spaced over only two kilometres, which means people lucky enough to sail through them have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the scenery.

A perfect stroll

Maison éclusière de Hédé © AC. Gravrand

Lock-keeper's cottage at Hédé © AC. Gravrand

This enchanting walk is made even more delightful by the different colours of each set of lock gates which are echoed by the shutters of the lock-keepers’ cottages.

The site presents two interesting viewpoints for the amateur photographer : the view from one of the bridges looking along the flight of locks towards Rennes and the vista of the colourful lock gates looking towards Saint-Malo.

Ecluses vues vers Saint-Malo © AC. Gravrand

View of the locks towards Saint-Malo © AC. Gravrand

I really enjoyed this change of scene and plan to go back again very soon, perhaps during the Jazz aux Ecluses Festival or to go geocaching with friends, as I’ve heard that there’s  hidden treasure at the 11 locks ! For more info, go to the local geocaching website : Treasures of Upper-Brittany

0 by Caroline in Favourites Tags: ,

May04

Go wild in the kitchen

Wild herb cookery workshop

Mother Nature is very generous and provides great opportunities to vary our menus, introduce new flavours and be more aware of what is around us.

Atelier de Cuisine sauvage

Atelier de Cuisine sauvage

Marie-Renée runs workshops called « Cueillette et cuisine » (literally, gather and cook) and discovery walks to make the most of the wild plants and flowers around us during the ‘merry month of May’.

Gather and cook wild herbs and flowers

Workshop…

9.30am – 3pm.
A country walk to identify and gather wild herbs and flowers, followed by a friendly, no-frills meal.
Next sessions : Monday 16th , Saturday 21st  May.
Price: 40 € per person – including meal. Location: Bais

Discovering Wild Plants

One Sunday per month, we organise wild plant discovery walks, either in the morning (10am-midday) or  the afternoon (3pm-5pm). After each walk, participants can taste different dishes made from wild plants.
Sunday 22nd May, 3pm-5pm
Price : 16 € per person – Location :  Bais
More information is available at http://cuisinesauvage.wordpress.com
or on facebook

‘Going wild in Fairyland’ !

If the idea of cooking ‘real’ vegetables appeals to you, why not spend an enchanting weekend discovering this unique cookery in delightful surroundings. Stay in a gite at the heart of the Brittany countryside near Fougères, where you can also enjoy a ‘table d’hôte’ evening meal prepared by the owners. Your weekend break is rounded off nicely by a guided tour of the famous  Roche aux Fées (fairies’ rock) megalithic site, which is often mentioned in our blog.

0 by Caroline in Food and Drink Tags: , ,

April27

On board Surcouf ‘s ship at Saint-Malo

Discovering what life was like for Saint-Malo corsairs aboard ‘Le Renard’, the cutter which once belonged to Robert Surcouf.

Le Renard, coastal cutter

The ghost of one of the most famous French corsairs haunts the quayside at Saint-Malo : Robert Surcouf. David, skipper of the traditional sailing vessel Le Renard, the last boat owned by Surcouf, welcomed me aboard - corsair vessels are commanded by skippers (like fishing boats) not captains. Surcouf commissioned Le Renard in 1812, and it was aboard her that he won his final corsair victory off the French coast.

My video of Le Renard and life aboard :

Bateau corsaire de Surcouf a Saint-Malo en Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne) from Hautebretagne on Vimeo.

Daily life on board a corsair ship

In days gone by, the skipper slept in a small cabin at the stern of the ship, and the crew slung their hammocks on what we would call the mess-deck. A corsair cutter like Le Renard used to put to sea and cruise around off Saint-Malo, lying in wait for enemy merchant ships to attack. (Corsairs only attacked ships from countries who were at war with France.)

Damage the rigging, but not the hull !

At that time, the crew of a cutter numbered about forty : twenty men to manoeuvre the cutter and twenty to recover the captured vessel and sail it back to Saint-Malo. In fact there were no heavy cannon on board the ship, just carronades which fired lead shot, enough to damage the rigging, but not the hull, because the ship needed to be intact to be re-sold later. Surcouf never commanded Le Renard, he was in fact its owner. It was towards the end of his life and his days of sailing were over; he had made his fortune and was living in Saint-Malo.

My next blog posting will be all about a gastronomic institution of Upper Brittany : la galette-saucisse.

See you!

Philippe

0 by Philippe in Seaside Tags: , , ,

April26

A magical day out at the Domaine de Trémelin, Brocéliande…

Domaine de Trémelin en BrocéliandeThe beautiful spring weather presented a perfect opportunity for a grand family day out at the Domaine de Trémelin to try out their Treetop Adventure Park. We weren’t disappointed ! My 6-year old daughter and her 7-year old cousin had great fun on the King Arthur adventure course, while the two older boys (aged 9 and 10) went right to the top of the forest canopy on the Chevalier course! Lots of thrills and excitement for everyone, as well as a great sense of achievement !

Accrobranche à TremelinThe two boys went on the giant zip slide over the lake and even the youngest member of the family, aged 2, had great fun playing hide and seek in the trees.

At the end of the day, we cooled off with a paddle in the lake at Trémelin followed by an ice cream, which made a delicious end to a delightful afternoon ! As soon as we got back into the car, the children struck up the chorus « Mummy, when can we come back again ? »

Plan d'eau de TrémelinDon’t forget that the Domaine de Trémelin is a member of the Gîtes de France Haute-Bretagne Ille et Vilaine Holiday Passport. This Holiday Pass is free to everyone staying in Gites de France accommodation and entitles the holders to reduced price admission to numerous places of interest throughout Ille-et-Vilaine.

We look forward to seeing you…

0 by Nadege in Families fun Tags: , , , ,

April19

2011 West Country Festival at Bain de Bretagne

Here we go again!

I’m sure that Country and Western fans will know the dates already, but for those of you who don’t … come to Bain de Bretagne from 12th to 16th August 2011 for one of the largest Country and Western Festivals in France, which last year attracted more than 35 000 visitors!

Rodeo shows, Roping, Bull Riders and Broncos and Line Dancing are just some of the activities on offer.

The large programme of events includes the famous lumberjack contest, visits to an Indian village, not forgetting hot-air balloon trips for those who have a taste for adventure and pony rides for those who prefer to stay on the ground !

Why not be a VIP …

Julie has once again put together a VIP package to enable you to make the absolute most of every moment of the Festival !

As a Festival VIP you will benefit from numerous advantages including a free ‘cowboy’ apéritif, reserved seats in the viewing stands, guided tours and… an introductory session on a Bucking Bronco Rodeo Machine ! What more can you ask for !

Book your VIP Festival West Country Break and spend 2 or 4 days as a VIP visitor. Prices start from 47 euros. Full details are available here.

Online booking

For further information, please contact

Julie on 02-99-78-47-46

and if you say the password « Highlights of Brittany » you ‘ll get a pleasant surprise when you book! You can also fill in the online booking form to save time.

If you just want to buy tickets for the 2011 West Country Festival, please go to : Tickets Festival West Country

Share your West Country Festival moments

We have a photo album devoted to the West Country Festival where you can post your own photos and videos. You can also share your impressions and experiences via our blog (just post a comment and we’ll tell you how to make a posting). We’d love to hear from you!

0 by Caroline in Festive Tags: , ,

April12

The Fountain of Youth (La Fontaine de Jouvence) in Brocéliande

Legend has it that the Fountain of Youth right in the heart of the Brocéliande Forest, holds the key to eternal youth…

How to stay young forever…

The Fontaine de Jouvencein the Brocéliande Forest, is close to a small quarry where walkers traditionally mark their visit by adding a stone to one of the many piles (unless this is the work of Breton pixies !). So if you’d like to live forever, follow me ! By drinking some water from the fountain, adding a few secret ingredients and carrying out special rituals, you can stay eternally youthful !

I’m afraid I don’t know the secret recipe, so we can’t try out this experiment today !

My video of La Fontaine de Jouvence :

La Fontaine de Jouvence a Broceliande en Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne) from Hautebretagne on Vimeo.

Grow one year younger…

The Fontaine de Jouvence (fountain of youth) is so called because in days gone by, newborn babies were baptised there on Midsummer’s Day (21st June). However, if for any reason, a baby couldn’t be baptised that year, it was brought the following year for baptism by the high priests, so in fact it gained an extra year of life ! Hence the legend that we can grow one year younger by bathing in the waters of the fountain – not something to be sniffed at !

To mark my visit to Brocéliande Forest, I’ve added a stone to one of the piles already there.

In my next blog posting, I’ll tell you all about daily life on board Le Renard, a Saint-Malo cutter which was the last ship owned by the famous Corsair, Surcouf.

See you !
Philippe

0 by Philippe in Myths and legends Tags: ,

March30

Les Epices Roellinger at Saint-Malo

The history of Saint-Malo, departure point for the Route du Rhum Yacht Race, is strongly linked to the spice trade. Daniel, from « Epices Roellinger » at Saint-Malo, describes the chef, Olivier Roellinger’s passion for spices along with several historical anecdotes.

Les « Epices Roellinger »

Today I’m in Saint-Malo awhere I’m meeting Daniel at the spice warehouse belonging to Olivier Roellinger, the well-known chef from Cancale who was awarded 3 Michelin stars in 2006. On its entrance sign « Epices Roellinger » is described as « a research and creative centre for herbs and spices ». Daniel says that his role is above all to : « have the pleasure of taking people on a journey by means of food rich in spices and flavours ». Monsieur Roellinger is well-known for his passion for spices, but « spicy » food does not necessarily have to be hot (in the peppery sense), something the chef continues to emphasise so that the word should be associated with flavour, taste, pleasure and fine food and not just pepper. My video on « Epices Roellinger » at Saint-Malo :

Les Epices Roellinger a Cancale et Saint-Malo en Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne) from Hautebretagne on Vimeo.

The Rum and Spice Route

Saint-Malo has strong links with the history of spices, rum and sailors : in days gone by, ship-owners needed large crews to man the huge vessels they sent to India, so they used to go to the Rue de la Soif (literally ‘Thirsty Street !), which is today called Rue Jacques Cartier, to recruit sailors. Casks of rum were stowed on board the vessels and served a double purpose: firstly, the ship-owners promised their crews they could drink the rum when they reached India and secondly, the barrels acted as ballast and stopped the ship from rolling too much. When the cry « Land Ahoy » rang out, the men were allowed to go down into the hold of the ship and empty the casks, ready for them to be filled with spices for the return journey.

The story continues…

Since he stopped cooking, Olivier Roellinger has travelled the world in search of spices to add to his collection, enabling him to create new blends for his customers to enjoy and, of course, to dream up new recipes. The link between spices and Saint-Malo is far from over. In my next posting, I’ll tell you all about the Fountain of Youth (La Fontaine de Jouvence) in the Brocéliande Forest, whose waters, according to legend, hold the secret of eternal youth. See you ! Philippe

0 by Philippe in Food and Drink Tags: ,

March22

The « Eclat de Haute-Bretagne » rose in Rennes

Here I am in Rennes to discover the rose with the name « Eclat de Haute-Bretagne », before going for a stroll through the medieval districts of the city.

An impressive bloom

I’m on my way to the Parc du Thabor in Rennes, one of the loveliest parks in France to visit one of its most important inhabitants, the « Eclat de Haute-Bretagne » rose. Created by the well-known grower Michel Adam, the rose has a subtle, refined scent and is sponsored by the famous actress Elsa Zylberstein.

My video about Rennes and the rose « Eclat de Haute-Bretagne » :

Rose Eclat de Haute-Bretagne en Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne) from Hautebretagne on Vimeo.

In view of the gorgeous weather, after my tour of the park, I decided to go for a walk through the medieval streets of Rennes : rue Saint-Melaine, place Sainte-Anne, rue Pont-aux-Foulons, rue de la Visitation, … the old part of the city is a delightful district to visit with its splendid, half-timbered houses and imposing churches !

My next blog posting will be a spicy affair ! My meeting with Daniel who works at the Epices Roellinger Spice Store produced some wonderful anecdotes !

See you !
Philippe

0 by Philippe in Gardens, Historic Tags: ,

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