Archive for the ‘Families fun’ Category

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: , ,

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: , , , ,

July15

The Zoo at the Parc de la Bourbansais

The 4000m² Zoo de la Bourbansais at Pleugueneuc, is a must for all nature lovers, both adults and children, when visiting Upper Brittany. It is also a great place for amateur photographers to take some brilliant shots of animals that you don’t see every day, and those with a good zoom feature on their cameras can do animal portraits and close-up shots.

On arrival at the Park, you can follow a suggested itinerary. A range of different events are programmed throughout the day including giraffes’ tea-time (photos on show in my flickr album), pelicans, capuchins, squirrel monkeys, parrots, meerkats, a display by a pack of about fifty hunting dogs, storks in flight and a falconry show.

From a photographic point of view, compose your shot carefully, pointing in the same direction as the animal is looking, using a wide-angle lens to include its habitat (if possible without its ‘house’ in the background to give a more natural effect). Catch shots of animals in groups, the different aspects of their nature (playful, aggressive, friendly, etc.) and their day-to-day life.

If your camera has a black-and-white facility, this is great for highlighting the character and presence of an animal. For example, the different shades of colour on a lion’s coat can be captured more vividly in black-and-white, by emphasising the contrasting shades. Have a go – I’m sure you’ll be impressed with the result!

You can see photos I took last summer at the following site : http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bourbansais&w=25782516%40N05

Other examples of my work are available at : http://www.flickr.com/apophisnico

Renard Nicolas

0 by Nicolas in Families fun, Unusual Tags:

May31

« Réveille tes pieds» (literally ‘Wake up your feet’!) at the Jardins de Brocéliande (Gardens)

The Jardins de Brocéliande, 15 km from Rennes, are the site of a unique barefoot walk, ideal for an outing with family or friends in the legendary Brocéliande Forest at the heart of Brittany.

A walk with a difference – and great fun too!

The idea behind this walk with a difference is to have fun and be surprised. When you arrive, you take a map, leave your shoes in a locker and off you go ! The walk is of adult-size dimensions but children can have fun too.

Jardins de Brocéliande

Jardins de Brocéliande

A kilometre of sensations

Forty-five different materials spread along one kilometre to surprise you (and your feet !), providing a range of sensations.  Curl up your toes on seashells, enjoy the coolness of slates and wiggle your feet in oozy mud. Some of the materials are easy to identify, others less so. Can you guess what you’re walking on? Great fun for all the family!

A magnificent park

Although the essential part of this unusual walk concerns your feet, make the most of the beautiful surroundings and enjoy the many varieties of rose, different themed and educational areas.

At the end of the walk your happy, wide-awake feet will almost be sorry to find their shoes. For other family-fun activities in the Brocéliande Forest, watch our video of Brocéliande in Upper-Brittany Ille-et-Vilaine.

For more information on the Gardens: Les Jardins de Brocéliande

0 by Anne-C in Families fun, Gardens Tags: ,

December23

An encounter with geocachers !

This summer, following the launch of geocaching in Brittany and the  website « Treasure hunting in Upper Brittany », we interviewed a family of geocaching fans who  criss-cross  Ille-et-Vilaine (and sometimes further afield) every weekend in search of different treasure sites. This global activity of treasure-hunting using a GPS provides all-year-round fun for its enthusiasts !

Here is our interview…

Catherine, can you tell us about yourself and your family ?

« I’m 37 and married with a 2 year-old son called Guillaume. We love travelling abroad but we are also great fans of our rich local heritage. »

How long have you been geocachers?

Treasure chest

Treasure chest

« Last year for Father’s Day I bought my husband a GPS, an essential piece of equipment for geocachers. He wanted to test it straightaway by locating a cache, so that day we discovered our first cache, just 15 minutes from our home, as well as the ‘treasure’ ! I can still remember the cache – it was the blue house » along the Ille et Rance Canal. »

Does your little boy take part, although he’s only two ?

« We’re introducing Guillaume to geocaching ! He always comes with us and although he’s still a bit young to understand, he loves it when we find the treasure. Geocaching is an exciting game. When we arrive at the cache, all of us want to be the one holding the GPS!»

What’s your favourite part of geocaching ?

«Everything ! It’s a fun game for all the family which can be played not far from home but also anywhere in the world.

Each outing is different and full of surprises. On a little footpath in the Rennes Forest, we saw a couple armed with a GPS coming towards us… in fact they were geocachers too and we now email each other regularly! Geocaching often leads us to discover lovely and sometimes unusual places. It’s a very sociable activity and we sometimes take friends with us on our treasure-hunting adventures. »

Thanks ever so much, Catherine, for telling us about geocaching. I’m sure we’ll meet again on one of our geocaching treasure hunts in Upper Brittany !

More information is available at: Geocaching in Brittany

If you would like to share your geocaching adventures with us, please leave a comment on the Facebook page dedicated to Geocaching in Brittany !

0 by Caroline in Families fun

November03

Geocaching has arrived Upper Brittany

What is Geocaching?

It’s a treasure hunt using a GPS. You can use a hiking GPS, a street one, a car one or even a mobile phone equipped with a GPS like an I-phone. It’s a global activity enjoyed by thousands of people all over the world. There’s even an I-phone App for enthusiasts.

Geocaching in Upper Brittany

geocaching-uk

Geocaching haute- bretagne

There are already 20 caches hidden throughout our region ! Geocaching in Upper Brittany is an adventure and also a great way to explore 20 places of interest and have fun at the same time ! You can do it alone or with family or friends. All you need is a GPS, the starting point coordinates and a road map with clues leading to the treasure.

More information is available on the Tourist Board of Upper Brittany Ille-et-Vilaine website : www.tresorsdehautebretagne.fr

Geocaching is a great fun, all-year-round activity! So come and look for hidden treasure in Upper Brittany.

0 by Caroline in Families fun Tags: , , ,

November02

Geocaching in Cancale

A hi-tech treasure hunt

Geocaching is definitely the activity to do in 2009 ! Everyone is talking about it: newspapers and TV programmes are full of the phenomenon which attracts both adults and children throughout the world. This is a modern-day version of a treasure hunt where the compass has been replaced by a GPS. You can do it at any time of year in any weather. Geocachers discover their second childhood when they go off in search of the famous treasure.

Three caches in Cancale

Cancale is a popular place for geocaching. The clues and trails around the town and through the country are imaginative and fun. Geocaching in Cancale has more than a touch of humour in the names of the caches and the places where they are hidden.

The Pointe du Grouin

The Pointe du Grouin

‘Rooting  around’ the Pointe du Grouin (Grouin is French for a pig’s snout!)

It was just too tempting to hide a cache (treasure) in this legendary place, starting point of the famous Route du Rhum transatlantic Yacht Race every four years. This cache is a traditional one, there are no clues to solve, just the co-ordinates for the treasure. However, it isn’t quite as easy as it sounds in this busy tourist spot!

>> Discover Rooting around the Pointe du Grouin

The Customs Officer’s treasure

The hunt for this treasure starts from the chapel at the Anse du Verger. There are clues to solve as you walk along the quiet coastal footpaths, but you’ll still have time to admire the beautiful views!

Oyster beds in Cancale

Oyster beds in Cancale

>> Discover the Customs Officer’s Treasure

The Cancale Pearl

This cache is a play on words as, for me, it is indeed a pearl among the caches of Upper Brittany. It enables the geocacher to discover a different aspect of Cancale, the narrow lanes reveal an often forgotten maritime past, the clues are entertaining and the end result is as breath-taking as a firework display.

>> Discover the Cancale Pearl

Have a go at geocaching !

If you would like to have a go at geocaching in Upper Brittany Ille-et-Vilaine, either go to the website www.treasure hunting in Upper Brittany.fr or visit your local Office de Tourisme. Some Tourist Offices have GPS to rent so you can start straightaway. In Cancale the GPS are free-of-charge !

0 by Caroline in Families fun Tags: , ,