Cycling Josselin to Roscoff, France: The Heart of Ancient Brittany
10-13 April 2019
Josselin to Pontivy (10 April 2019, 53 km, 33 mi)
This morning was warmer than it’s been for a while, but still misty. We’ve been having overnight temperatures in the upper 30s F (3-4 C), so starting the day in the mid-40s F (7 C) felt pleasant. But the cloud cover that helped it stay warmer overnight lingered all day, keeping the afternoon temperature low.
Nantes-to-Brest Canal, west of Josselin, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Yesterday, as we were approaching Josselin, we crossed paths with a school group of about 25 kids cycling along the towpath. This morning we passed the same group, cycling this section of the trail. It looks like cycling along the canal is part of their physical education. That seems like such a great idea. Most of the kids looked like they were having a good time. And it’s a great way for them to learn cycling skills, while becoming comfortable exercising outdoors in a wonderful natural area near where they live. I wish we could have had something similar when I was in school.
Between Josselin and Pontivy, the canal goes over a low ridge in central Brittany. This is where the canal crosses a divide from the L’Oust River basin in the east, to follow the Blavet River westward. Soon after passing the town of Rohan, the canal rises 60 m (200 ft) over 4.5 km. We passed dozens of locks, very close to each other as the canal ascended the ridge, then dropped back down into Pontivy on the far side. The ridge isn’t much of a challenge on a bicycle, but it was an impressive feat of engineering to enable horse-drawn boats to cross a physical barrier like this. These locks are still usable, making it possible for boats to navigate all the way from Nantes to Pontivy.
A flight of locks between Rohan and Pontivy, on the Nantes-to-Brest Canal, France. Boats can still navigate through this section of the canal. It must take forever to get through all those locks. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Lockhouse near a flight of locks, between Rohan and Pontivy, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
In the afternoon, the clouds got thicker, and we found ourselves biking through an occasional drizzle. That seemed to keep other people from getting out on the canal, so we had the towpath mostly to ourselves.
Saint-Gonnery, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We arrived in Pontivy relatively early, and checked into a hotel near the town’s main square. But the only room available was located right above the busiest intersection in town. It was really noisy, The proprietor said the room would be quiet because it has double-paned windows, but it wasn’t. We deliberated for a little while about whether to stay, or go and look for a quieter hotel. In the end, we decided we wouldn’t get a good night’s sleep here. So, we left.
Unfortunately, the next hotel we tried was full. This was not looking good.
Then we got lucky. The third (and last) hotel in town had rooms, and we were able to get one facing a quiet courtyard. This hotel is in the process of refurbishing all of its rooms, and our room was fully updated as well. After grabbing a quick dinner and a walk around town, we went back to the hotel to relax and stay out of the cold, wet weather.
Our savior hotel (ironically, with the same name as last night’s hotel). This one had rooms, including some that were facing a quiet area away from the road. Pontivy, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Along the Nantes-to-Brest Canal, nearly every town has a historic chateau. Pontivy has the Chateau of the Dukes of Rohan. It’s being renovated, so it’s not currently open to the public. We walked around the outside, of the chateau, enjoying the beauty and craftsmanship of another one of France’s grand old castles.
The Chateau of the Dukes of Rohan. Pontivy, France. It’s currently under renovation, and not open to the public. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Pontivy to Carhaix-Plouguer (11 April 2019, 87.5 km, 54.4 mi)
For some reason, I wasn’t feeling my best today. That was a shame, because it was otherwise a beautiful day for a bike ride: partly cloudy, without the morning mist. The air felt fresh and crisp.
Once again the route followed the Nantes-to-Brest Canal for most of the day. This is our fifth day cycling along the canal. The section from Pontivy to the dam at Lake Guerlédan was particularly remote. This stretch of the canal is not navigable, and the many locks that we passed looked like they were no longer usable. There is an effort under way to restore this section of the canal for boat traffic. But for now, the canal through this stretch has only a couple of local rowboats, which seem to spend most of their time tied to the bank of the canal.
The nature highlight for today was seeing an albino nutria. It stood out like a bright, white flag while it was swimming in the murky brown water of the canal or trying to hide in the dark vegetation. It’s a wonder that a white rodent like that could make it in the wild. But this guy was pretty big, so he must have figured out how to avoid predators even with his color handicap.
It’s extremely unusual to see albino animals in the wild. So we were quite surprised to see this snow-white nutria along the Nantes-to-Brest Canal, just west of Pontivy, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We also think we may have seen an otter, which would be incredibly special as well. Otters are rare, while nutria are fairly common. We saw the mystery animal swimming in a quiet area of the canal. It had a smaller head than the nutria we’d been seeing. When it saw us, it dove underwater, and it appeared to have a long body and tail. But after it dove it disappeared, and we didn’t see it again. So we were unable to get a good enough look to confirm exactly what it was.
Abandoned old buildings along the Nanates-to-Brest Canal, Neuillac, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We’re now in the very heart of ancient Brittany. Most of the signs in this area are posted in two languages, both French and Breton. Breton is a Celtic language most closely related to Cornish, and is the native language of this region. It was brought over from the British Isles during several waves of migration, around 450-600 A.D. Some of the place names look similar in Breton and French, as if the French just adapted to the local names. But most other words are completely different.
A lockhouse in Neuillac, France. The sign over its door gives the place name in both French and Breton. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Along the canal west of Pontivy, we stopped to look at a series of signs that showed photos of how the canal looked 100 years ago. Neuillac, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
At 21 km into the ride, we reached the town of Keriel where a sharp right turn took us into an 80 m (265 ft) climb topping out at a heart-thumping, 15% grade. That got us up to the level of the Guerlédan Dam - the big hydroelectric dam built in the 1920s that pretty much ended the use of the Nantes-to-Brest Canal as a commercial waterway. The Guerlédan Lake created by the dam is one of the largest lakes in Brittany, and it is a very popular tourist destination. The EuroVelo 1 trail doesn’t follow the edge of the lake, but stays up in the hills to the north, providing for some scenic views.
As we were biking around the lake, we encountered another school group out for a bike ride. Their instructor spoke some English, so we learned that they were cycling 15 km along the trail route. What a great way to spend the day. They were curious about our bike ride, and could hardly believe it when we told them we had cycled all the way from Portugal.
Like a silent witness to Brittany’s tumultuous past, the Abbaye de Bon-Repos overlooks the Nantes-to-Brest Canal at the west end of Lake Guerlédan. The abbey was burnt down in 1795, in the aftermath of the French Revolution. It’s shell now serves as the backdrop for art exhibitions, and a summer sight-and-sound light show. Bon-Repos, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
About 5 km outside of Carhaix-Plouguer we turned north, and left the Nantes-to-Brest Canal behind.
One last rest break, at the junction where we left the Nantes-to-Brest Canal. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The rest of the ride into Carhaix-Plouguer was nearly all uphill. Most of it was manageable. But the last climb, in town, up to the hotel was a killer. Combined with the ascent over the Guerlédan Dam, today’s hills were much bigger than anything we’ve had to climb in a while. We had to find our climbing legs again, after many days of cycling on pretty flat terrain.
We decided to stay at the Noz Vad Hotel. In the Breton language, Noz means night, and Vad means good. So we stayed at the Good Night Hotel. Carhaix-Plouguer, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Layover day in Carhaix-Plouguer (12 April 2019)
Given yesterday’s long ride, and the fact that I wasn’t feeling 100%, we decided to take a day off in Carhaix-Plouguer. That turned out to be a good idea, because we had noisy hotel neighbors last night, who partied until the wee hours of the morning. So we didn’t get a full night’s sleep. It was fantastic to be able to sleep in.
Walking around town, we saw several signs that Carhaix-Plouguer might have been a town on the Tour de France cycling route. Sure enough, the Tour passed right through the center of town in 2018, less than a year ago.
One of the indications that Carhaix-Plouguer had recently been visited by the Tour de France was this fun statue. The Tour actually went right up this street in 2018. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We hate to sound like a broken record, but once again we had trouble finding food. This was particularly frustrating because it was a Friday - not a weekend or a holiday - so you might expect restaurants to be open. We were really in the mood for crepes. But four out of five attempts to go to creperies were unsuccessful. At first we though we’d get crepes for a late lunch, around 1:00 in the afternoon. But the first place we tried didn’t open until 7pm. So we went to another place that Google said was open 24 hrs. Nope. The proprietor said they had just closed (fermé!). And the third place we went, which on the door said they served lunch until 2:00, turned us away at 1:30 saying the kitchen had just closed. We ended up grabbing a light snack which we ate back in our room, with the hope of getting a crepe from the first restaurant at 7pm.
After 7pm, we headed to the creperie. And guess what, the restaurant was closed (fermé) because the proprietor had a fever! Most of these small, independent restaurants are run and managed by a single person or two. So if one’s sick, no food that evening. We were almost ready to give up. But we decided to go back to the third creperie, that had closed their kitchen early that afternoon. And, miraculously, they were open! After great persistence, we had a truly wonderful and delicious crepe dinner.
On our fourth try to get a crepe today, we found the restaurant closed because the proprietor has a fever. Hope he feels better soon. Carhaix-Plouguer, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We finally got our crepes! Buckwheat crepes are a specialty in Brittany, and these were delicious in addition to being artistically presented. Carhaix-Plouguer, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Carhaix-Plouguer to Roscoff (13 April 2019, 78.7 km, 49 mi)
We took our time getting out on the road this morning because we had originally planned a short day of only 50 km. On our way out of town, we spotted another piece of art commemorating last summer’s passing of the Tour de France through the area.
A yellow bicycle on the roadside in France is a likely indicator that the Tour de France came by. Last year the tour came down this road on its way into Carhaix-Plouguer. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The dazzling yellow of the mustard fields is one of the sights along our route that never gets old. Plounévézel, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Not long after leaving the city, we entered the lovely Armorica Regional Natural Park. Armorica was the original name given by the Bretons and Gauls for the region now known as Brittany. Within the very large park, which stretches all the way to the sea, there are numerous Stone Age relics as well as legends and churches from ancient Breton times. Our path followed an old railroad grade on a long, easy ascent into the Monts d’Arrée and past the legendary bogs of Elez Yeun, then down the other side into the city of Morlaix. The Monts are a series of low, but rugged and windswept hills, with few trees, cloaked in heather and gorse bushes. And the Elez Yeun swamp was believed by the early Bretons to be one of the gates of hell. In the 1600s, they built a chapel on Montagne St-Michel dedicated to the Archangel Michael, so he would watch over Elez Yeun, and keep the devil in his place.
Although we crossed the ridge of the Monts d’Arrée, most of our ride through the park passed through lush, mossy, temperate forests. On the way uphill, we followed a small, clear stream called the Squiriou. It looked like a great trout stream.
The cycle path through the Armorica Regional Natural Park was smooth, gently graded, and lined with moss-covered trees. Plougonven, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Along the way we passed an old, abandoned railroad station, and we stopped for a rest. Plougonven, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
PedalingGuy went inside to look around. When he came out, he told me that there were ghosts in there. I decided not to go look for myself. Plougonven, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We had originally planned to stop for the night in Morlaix, and bike the last 30 km to Roscoff in the morning - before catching an afternoon ferry to the UK. But because the trail surface made for such an easy ride, we arrived in Morlaix earlier than expected. On top of that, a check of the weather showed that tomorrow would be cold and rainy. So, we decided to cycle the rest of the way to Roscoff today while the weather was sunny, and the afternoon was just getting warm.
The railroad viaduct in Morlaix, France is truly impressive. It dominates the view from old town. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
What a cool idea for a mural. It neatly reflects the seafaring spirit of Morlaix, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Heading out of Morlaix, we crossed over another ridge, and headed towards Roscoff. Signs here continue to be in both French and Breton. Kerlaudy, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The mouth of the Penzé River ahead, means we’re getting close to Roscoff. Plouénan, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
On the approach to Roscoff, we passed through acres and acres of onion fields. We later learned that onions have been an important crop here since the 1600s, when they were believed to have a higher nutritional value than other onions because of the elevated iodine content of the soils. As many as 1500 “Onion Johnnies” from Roscoff would take the ferry to sell their prized onions throughout England and Wales. In 2009, the farmers were granted a “label of origin” by the French government to certify onions grown in the Roscoff region. Plouénan, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
In Roscoff, we got a room in a hotel right on the rocky coast, less than a km from the ferry terminal. Tomorrow we hope to find a break in the rain to make the 5 minute ride to the ferry.
After checking in, we walked into old town. Tide was out, leaving all of the boats in the harbor stranded on the mud. It doesn’t seem like that would be good for the boats. But there were lots of them out there, so maybe it’s not as big of a problem as it looks.
When we arrived at our hotel near the harbor in Roscoff, France, there was plenty of water and all the boats were afloat. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Later in the evening, when the tide went out, all those boats were left stranded on the mud until the tide comes back in. Not very convenient. Roscoff, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The lighthouse on the harbor in Roscoff, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Tomorrow we will catch the ferry from Roscoff, France to Plymouth, England.
