TRAVERSÉE BRETONNE - DE NANTES AU MONT SAINT-MICHEL

Here's an invitation to the joys of nomadic cycling, from the Atlantic to the English Channel, through the old countryside of Brittany. With a thousand nuggets to glean along the way: surprising works of art, XXL or XXS ports, wild marshes, bucolic waterways lined with dapper lock houses and towns of character with an unforgettable atmosphere. Before reaching the fabulous Emerald Coast and the treasure of the route: the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, which rises timelessly above a vast bay swept by the highest tides in Europe.The cycle route is à la carte, based on 6 stages.
Whether with family, friends, solo or tandem, this six-stage travel diary takes in some of the most popular cycling routes, including La Loire à Vélo, La Vélodyssée and La Vélomaritime. It covers a total of 500 kilometres. So "saddle up" for Traversée moderne d'un vieux pays, to be enjoyed in one go, or to be savoured in selected chunks, many of which are within the reach of every calf!

STAGE 1: Nantes - Cordemais
48 km - easy
The first stage takes in the pretty fishing village of Trentemoult and its colourful houses, just outside Nantes. This first stage is also marked by the works in the Estuaire Nantes Saint-Nazaire collection, an open-air museum featuring 33 works of contemporary art, accessible free of charge all year round. Once in the village of Le Pellerin, take the free Loire ferry across the river to Couëron and the Audubon marshes.
=> Follow the "Loire à Vélo" signs from Nantes to Le Pellerin, then the "Vélidéale" signs from Couëron to Cordemais.

STAGE 2: Cordemais - Saint-Nazaire
42 km - intermediate
Leaving the port of Cordemais, you enter the marshes of Lavau-sur-Loire, in the middle of which stands the Belvedere by Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata, part of the Estuaire Nantes Saint-Nazaire route. We strongly recommend you climb up there to admire the 360° view over the Loire estuary and its industrial and natural heritage.
=> "Vélidéale" signposting.

STAGE 3: Saint-Nazaire - Guérande
30 km - easy
The sea air is very much in evidence on this stage, even if the route remains mainly in coastal areas. After enjoying the stunning atmosphere of Saint-Nazaire, the route moves on to La Baule, listed as one of the most beautiful bays in the world, and then on to the medieval town of Guérande. The salt marshes are soon everywhere.
=> "Vélocéan" signposting

STAGE 4: Guérande - Saint-Molf
33 km - easy
This stage can be very busy in summer, and you'll need to be on your guard for the salt marsh workers, who are at their busiest at this time of year. Please leave them to their work and enjoy the mosaic of salt marshes with your eyes. A short trip to the port of Piriac-sur-Mer is highly recommended, before continuing along the Atlantic coast and the salt marshes of Le Mès. If you're a keen swimmer, there are some lovely beaches of varying sizes along this last stretch of the route.
=> "Vélocéan" signposting

STAGE 5: Saint-Molf - Pénestin
23 km - easy
After passing the salt marshes of Le Mès, you come to Pénestin, with its rocky outcrops and famous Mine d'Or beach, where gold is said to have been found in days gone by.
=> "Vélocéan" signposting

STAGE 6: Pénestin - La-Roche-Bernard
27 km - easy
Goodbye Atlantic Ocean, hello wild and unspoilt Vilaine estuary. The landscape is lush and green, the paths seldom used, and already there's the Arzal dam, the largest estuarine dam in Europe. A little further on, the picturesque village of La Roche-Bernard is cradled in an artist's soul.
=> signposted "V45" to Arzal, then "V42".

STAGE 7: La Roche-Bernard - Redon
38 km - intermediate
The small Breton country roads plunge you into a particularly bucolic atmosphere. Once you've arrived at the Port du Bellion, 6km before Redon, where the Nantes-Brest canal joins the Vilaine, you can put your bike down to climb up to the Belvedere, designed by Nicolas Polissky, and enjoy the view over the Carrière site and its verdant landscape.
=> V42 signposting

STAGE 7: La Roche-Bernard - Redon
38 km - intermediate
The small Breton country roads plunge you into a particularly bucolic atmosphere. Once you've arrived at the port of Bellion, 6km before Redon, where the Nantes-Brest canal joins the Vilaine, you can put your bike down to climb up to the Belvedere, designed by Nicolas Polissky, and enjoy the view over the Carrière site and its lush green landscape.
=> V42 signposting

STAGE 9: Guipry-Messac - Rennes
48 km - easy
What a pleasure it is to observe the Vilaine and see its landscapes change as the kilometres go by. At Bourg-des-Compte, the island of Gai Lieu offers an idyllic setting for a refreshing break, the mills and their locks enliven the route, and the arrival in Rennes is a gentle one via the Apigné ponds.
=> V42 signposting

STAGE 10: Rennes - Hédé-Bazouges
43 km - easy
After enjoying the bustle of Rennes and its exceptional culinary offerings (it's not all about the galette saucisse!), you'll now follow the Ille-et-Rance canal and enjoy pedalling alongside the barges that sail peacefully by. At the Chanclin lock, don't miss Makiko Furuichi's "Floraison" and "Le Cube", which seems to have fallen straight from the sky.
=> signposting V42

STAGE 11: Hédé-Bazouges - Dinan
35 km - easy
The site of the Eleven Locks at Hédé-Bazouges is a technical jewel that can be discovered at the Maison du Canal. After a cultural break in the village of Léhon, with its Saint-Magloire abbey, the route continues on to the medieval town of Dinan, to the rhythm of the locks.
=> V42 signposting

STAGE 12: Dinan - Dinard/Saint-Malo
28 km - easy
The sea air is beginning to make itself felt, and we leave the Rance at Taden, just outside Dinan, to join an old railway line that has been converted into a cycle path. At last you've reached Dinard and the fabulous Emerald Coast. To cross over to Saint-Malo, take the sea bus from the bec de la Vallée slipway (crossings from April to October).
=> V42 signposting

STAGE 13: Saint-Malo - Le Vivier-sur-Mer
39 km - intermediate
For the best views of the corsair town of Saint-Malo, we recommend a short detour to the Cité d'Alet. The route then skirts the English Channel as far as Cancale, famous for its oysters, which you can sample on the harbour, direct from the producer. From malouinières to malouinières, you finally come to the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel and the famous abbey in the distance.
=> Vélomaritime signposting

STAGE 14: Le Vivier-sur-Mer - Le Mont-Saint-Michel
28 km - easy
The final stage of the Traversée Bretonne passes through the polders of the bay, a unique agricultural landscape in France that can be discovered at the Maison des Polders in Roz-sur-Couesnon. The arrival at Mont-Saint-Michel by bike is particularly magical.
=> Vélomaritime

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