Channel Adventure Day 13

Day 13 - Friday, April 20, 2018 – Drive to Saint Siliac, Explore the Harbor, Village, and Pointe du Puits; Drive to Dinard, Lunch on the Waterfront, Walk the Promenade du Clair de Lune, Climb to Pointe du Moulinet

We slept in a bit this morning as it was foggy with no sun to wake us up. The temperature was 51 degrees but by the time we had eaten our breakfast, the sun was out and we could tell we would have another beautiful day in Brittany.

We headed back west and north to a small village on the Rance Estuary called Saint Siliac. The history of this village was interesting as the men were trawler fishermen who sailed off to the banks of Newfoundland. Crossing the North Atlantic, many settled the Canadian Outer Banks, bringing their French culture with them.

Saint Siliac was on the list of the Most Beautiful Villages of France and we stopped at an overlook to take a few photos of the peaceful valley below. Remnants of early Viking culture were found in the sheltered coves. After entering the village we could see the old trawler nets drying on the sides of the granite homes.

We drove down to the port and watched the boats, men preparing their sail boats for a spring outing, and even a sailing school for young children. There seemed to be more splashing and screaming than sailing, but once they got further out into the estuary, they got more serious about the task at hand.

The homes are once again very well kept, with beautiful flower gardens, and very stately gray granite structures with black slate tile roofs. We are amazed at the quality of life in these small villages.

We also drove to Pointe du Puits, an overlook of the estuary and saw many newer homes, all as elegant as the older fishermen’s residences dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.

At noon we left Saint Suliac and headed toward the sea to Dinard, about five minutes away as the crow flies, but 40 minutes by road. We crossed the dam over the Rance Tidal Power Station. Built in 1966 it was the world’s first tidal power station and takes advantage of the renewable energy of the tides.

Dinard was located on the estuary and was another village of the Emerald Coast. We found ourselves directly across the Rance River from St. Malo. We had a lovely lunch of pizza and salad at Côté Plage, right on the beach.

Danielle had suggested we take time to walk the Promenade du Clair de Lune and so after our plentiful lunch, the walk was perfect. From the seafront walk along the rocky shore, we could see the many elegant mansions overlooking the Emerald Coast and the English Channel.

Once a fishing village, the high society of France built their mansions along the coast in the early 1900’s as a complement to Nice, another of France’s “be seen” cities for the rich establishment and royalty during the summer season.

We made our way back to Beauvoir and at 4:15 we began the journal and sorted photos. Danielle came to see us so we could settle our bill and then we started packing our bags for our journey back to Paris in the morning.

Our last day in Brittany was as beautiful as all of the rest. We came in the rain, but had a week of gorgeous days and very peaceful nights in Les Vieilles Digues. The location of our B&B gave us ample opportunity to drive to the various cities along the Emerald Coast and to visit Le Mont Saint Michel, one of the true engineering wonders of the world.

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Accommodations: Les Vieilles Digues B&B - - - Meal: B