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Boating in Brittany


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France is a strange place that never seems to change. Some of the menus have been the same ever since we first came in the seventies. Here on the Burgundy canal the season is over and in a couple of weeks the canal closes for the winter and so has our local cafe/bar. Only opens at midday for the lunch trade at 13 euros 3 courses. Shuts Saturday even in the season as his horses are more important than his business, did open for Sunday lunch July and August and even though the majority of his customers are locals it’s to much effort.

nice photos of Brittany I guess you’ve noticed the lack of signs telling you what to do or where to go. On the Nivernais canal this year in one of the river section the wire was straight ahead behind an island and the cut 90 degrees to the right put the arrow on the island was overgrown and hidden behind the bushes. 

Enjoy your boatmans holiday

Edited by Dav and Pen
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What a difference a bit of sunshine makes. It's a beautiful day today. Decided to get the bikes out this morning and cycle the couple of miles to Lidl to stock up on food and drink.

 

Have now made way back down the river Aff and are waiting for the lock to reopen to head onto the canal de Nantes a Brest.

 

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What a difference a bit of sunshine makes. It's a beautiful day today. Decided to get the bikes out this morning and cycle the couple of miles to Lidl to stock up on food and drink.

 

Have now made way back down the river Aff and are waiting for the lock to reopen to head onto the canal de Nantes a Brest.

 

20181008_100811.jpg

 

20181008_100503.jpg

 

20181008_114623.jpg

 

20181008_123936.jpg

 

 

What a difference a bit of sunshine makes. It's a beautiful day today. Decided to get the bikes out this morning and cycle the couple of miles to Lidl to stock up on food and drink.

 

Have now made way back down the river Aff and are waiting for the lock to reopen to head onto the canal de Nantes a Brest.

 

20181008_100811.jpg

 

20181008_100503.jpg

 

20181008_114623.jpg

 

20181008_123936.jpg

 

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Last night we moored at the Locaboat yard at St Martin where the guys sorted a couple of problems with the boat for us. Unfortunately one is still not sorted but we can live with it. 

 

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We will certainly look at the Locaboat to hire from next time. Nice chaps and the boats look very nice indeed.

 

Today we are heading to Malestroit. Just having a quick stop while we wait for the lockie to come back from lunch then we will be on our way again.

 

We did manage to find a bar open last night for a few drinks. Today we are hoping to eat out for the first time so far!

 

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  • Greenie 1
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4 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

Last night we moored at the Locaboat yard at St Martin where the guys sorted a couple of problems with the boat for us. Unfortunately one is still not sorted but we can live with it. 

 

20181008_130606.jpg

 

20181008_143924.jpg

 

20181008_185636.jpg

 

We will certainly look at the Locaboat to hire from next time. Nice chaps and the boats look very nice indeed.

 

Today we are heading to Malestroit. Just having a quick stop while we wait for the lockie to come back from lunch then we will be on our way again.

 

We did manage to find a bar open last night for a few drinks. Today we are hoping to eat out for the first time so far!

 

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My missus wont go on a boating holiday ☹️

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Malestroit was beautiful yesterday and we found a bar that was open. Woo hoo.

 

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But in the interests of not having such a long day today we decided to head back downstream and through a couple of locks. 

 

We had a lovely meal on board of lesgargot, local scallops, calamari and some lovely cheese and tomato bread. 

 

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Today we head to Redon.

 

 

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On 05/10/2018 at 17:52, Graham Davis said:

We quite regularly do the run from Calais to the Guipry area, since we are twinned with a town near there, and have found that the easiest way is the A16, A29, A13, A84 to Rennes, and then follow the Nantes signs.
Love driving in France and keep meaning to get a Tag. Will need when we take this over next year!

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Friends were cruising in that area in July and had a wonderful time but did get caught out with a failed lock or bridge in Redon which caused them to take a slght diversion.
If you do go to Redon we can recommend the Patates et Campagnie restaurant on the Quai Jean Bart, which is where the public moorings are and the O'Shannon pub by the lock where the canal crosses the river, a short walk away.

So you are getting rid of the Lomax!

Edited by Loddon
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29 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Malestroit was beautiful yesterday and we found a bar that was open. Woo hoo.

 

20181009_142035.jpg

 

20181009_142106.jpg

 

20181009_142521.jpg

 

20181009_143405.jpg

 

But in the interests of not having such a long day today we decided to head back downstream and through a couple of locks. 

 

We had a lovely meal on board of lesgargot, local scallops, calamari and some lovely cheese and tomato bread. 

 

20181009_191921.jpg

 

Today we head to Redon.

 

 

France does do "beautiful" rather well; it can do "fugly" quite competently too, but you appear to have missed those bits!

But how are you coping with all the traffic, the constant stream of boats?

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2 minutes ago, Athy said:

France does do "beautiful" rather well; it can do "fugly" quite competently too, but you appear to have missed those bits!

But how are you coping with all the traffic, the constant stream of boats?

The traffic is terrible. Can count on one hand the number of boats we have seen moving this week :D

 

All joking aside it would be nice to see a few more boats so we don't feel all alone!

 

 

 

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Had another lovely days cruising today. It rained a little around 3pm but we had found  bar and were having  drink by then.

 

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We now have a couple of easy days cruising to get back to the yard and plan to spend most of Friday exploring Messac and Guipry. 

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We had a lazy start this morning and it was almost 11.30am before we had done with breakfast and picking a few bits up from the shop.

 

We have left Redon and are now at Port Roche just in time for the wind to pick up and the forecast rain to arrive. We have managed a walk around the village though which is very pretty but seems mostly for sale!

 

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Knowing that the village was likely to be shut today we have bought some horse steaks for dinner tonight. 

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1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:

We had a lazy start this morning and it was almost 11.30am before we had done with breakfast and picking a few bits up from the shop.

 

We have left Redon and are now at Port Roche just in time for the wind to pick up and the forecast rain to arrive. We have managed a walk around the village though which is very pretty but seems mostly for sale!

 

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Knowing that the village was likely to be shut today we have bought some horse steaks for dinner tonight. 

Many rural places in France do seem to be largely for sale. There has been massive rural depopulation over the last couple of generations, and as the country is so large, repopulating it will take some time.

We live on a square with about 35 properties, and I think there are 6 for sale at the moment.

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16 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

Many rural places in France do seem to be largely for sale. There has been massive rural depopulation over the last couple of generations, and as the country is so large, repopulating it will take some time.

We live on a square with about 35 properties, and I think there are 6 for sale at the moment.

We have been to the same areas sometimes years apart and when we return properties that were for sale when we last went still are.

 

It s quite depressing to see as some of them sit in fantastic locations.

 

The last time we stayed in a Gite in the Lot and not the 'van the owners had it for sale. Originally it was up for something like 250,000 Euros when we returned two years later it had been reduced to 175,000 Euros and it still hadn't sold. I don't think it even has now.

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There are some stunning and very unique properties for sale where we are now. But there is nothing here to attract people to buy them.

 

The village bar, shop and patteserie are all closed down. The village is essentially shut down. Whether or not it opens again during tourist season we don't know as we didn't find anyone to ask. It is a ghost town!

 

Very peaceful though.

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10 minutes ago, MJG said:

We have been to the same areas sometimes years apart and when we return properties that were for sale when we last went still are.

 

It s quite depressing to see as some of them sit in fantastic locations.

 

The last time we stayed in a Gite in the Lot and not the 'van the owners had it for sale. Originally it was up for something like 250,000 Euros when we returned two years later it had been reduced to 175,000 Euros and it still hadn't sold. I don't think it even has now.

As a sort of rule of thumb, the French consider it will take about 3 years to sell the average rural property. One vendor said to me that in the first year, we over value it, and if some (idiot) comes along and pays the price, well then whoopee. In the second year we reduce the price and hope, and in the third year we ask what it is actually worth, and negotiate and sell it.

It isn’t easy to sell a house in most of the places in France that are less well known, so outside of many coastal areas, or ski centres, or the Dordogne or wine growing areas, for example.

Where we are the town has a supermarket, 2 butchers, 2 bakers, 2 chemists, 4 bars, 6 restaurants, all schools, a hospital, doctor’s surgery and dentist, railway station, cinema, library. All this with a population of under 2000! Oh, and a show jumping arena, the Anglo Arab horse breed was first bred in this area.

Yet properties are still cheap and not easy to sell.

Maybe next year, thanks to the World Sheepshearing Championships, which are happening here, things will change.

 

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8 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

There are some stunning and very unique properties for sale where we are now. But there is nothing here to attract people to buy them.

 

The village bar, shop and patteserie are all closed down. The village is essentially shut down. Whether or not it opens again during tourist season we don't know as we didn't find anyone to ask. It is a ghost town!

 

Very peaceful though.

Sadly quite common off the very busy touristy track.

 

Honey pot locations like Sarlat or Domme in the Dordogne or Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in the Lot are a different ball game with lots of bars and shops open but much more common is what you have experienced. Down side of course is that those places are very crowded in high season.

 

Most of the towns we stay near manage to have at least one bar open sometimes even two or three along with a restaurant but we prefer things 'off the beaten track' anyway so to speak.

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3 minutes ago, MJG said:

Sadly quite common off the very busy touristy track.

 

Honey pot locations like Sarlat or Domme in the Dordogne or Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in the Lot are a different ball game with lots of bars and shops open but much more common is what you have experienced. Down side of course is that those places are very crowded in high season.

 

Most of the towns we stay near manage to have at least one bar open sometimes even two or three along with a restaurant but we prefer things 'off the beaten track' anyway so to speak.

Now that we have gotten used to the idea that nothing is ever open and if you find somewhere open make the most of it,  we are quite enjoying the peace and quiet. 

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2 minutes ago, MJG said:

Sadly quite common off the very busy touristy track.

 

Honey pot locations like Sarlat or Domme in the Dordogne or Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in the Lot are a different ball game with lots of bars and shops open but much more common is what you have experienced. Down side of course is that those places are very crowded in high season.

 

Most of the towns we stay near manage to have at least one bar open sometimes even two or three along with a restaurant but we prefer things 'off the beaten track' anyway so to speak.

Despite the amenities in town here, it is still sufficiently quiet that at night  in the spring, we can clearly hear the nightingales singing on the edge of town. Also, if we hear any noise at night, such as someone walking home at night making a noise, it’s a bit of a shock!

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27 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

As a sort of rule of thumb, the French consider it will take about 3 years to sell the average rural property. One vendor said to me that in the first year, we over value it, and if some (idiot) comes along and pays the price, well then whoopee. In the second year we reduce the price and hope, and in the third year we ask what it is actually worth, and negotiate and sell it.

It isn’t easy to sell a house in most of the places in France that are less well known, so outside of many coastal areas, or ski centres, or the Dordogne or wine growing areas, for example.

Where we are the town has a supermarket, 2 butchers, 2 bakers, 2 chemists, 4 bars, 6 restaurants, all schools, a hospital, doctor’s surgery and dentist, railway station, cinema, library. All this with a population of under 2000! Oh, and a show jumping arena, the Anglo Arab horse breed was first bred in this area.

Yet properties are still cheap and not easy to sell.

Maybe next year, thanks to the World Sheepshearing Championships, which are happening here, things will change.

 

Its great that properties are still cheap, it hopefuly means youngsters in France can buy a house if they want to? unlike the present day case in much of the UK. One of my grandkids is putting a deposit down on his first house this week he is 21 and its a local help to buy scheme. He still had to find five percent and the small house is 250k........bloomin ridiculous.

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1 minute ago, mrsmelly said:

Its great that properties are still cheap, it hopefuly means youngsters in France can buy a house if they want to? unlike the present day case in much of the UK. One of my grandkids is putting a deposit down on his first house this week he is 21 and its a local help to buy scheme. He still had to find five percent and the small house is 250k........bloomin ridiculous.

Good on him doing it now rather than waiting later. It will only get worse.

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