BRITTANY

Coast/Beach

The sandy, safe beaches at Vannes are within a 35 minute drive. Sarzeau is the nearest, but Carnac and Quiberon are not much further. Damgan Plage and the yacht basin at La Roche Bernard are on the way to La Baule, 20 miles from Rochefort.

La Baule is approximately 35 miles away and also has the benefit of the excellent shopping in nearby St Nazaire.

The Isle aux Moines

This is a great place for walkers and cyclists alike. Nip down to Port Blanc near Vannes, catch the half-hourly boat out to this beautiful island and then either hire a bike (right at the port) or go walking. The whole island is really attractive and you can either go just around the town or spread out and take it all in. There are plenty of places for lunch as well.

Shopping

There is a wide variety of shops in Rochefort, including art and sculpture galleries. Of special interest to the ladies is La Bergerie in Rochefort, stocking discounted Paris fashions. Malansac, 5 kilometres from Rochefort, has a brand new Super U supermarket.

There is also the Vannes Market on Saturdays and Redon for local shops.

Pottery

The village of St-Jean-la Poterie near Redon is the place to visit if you like a bit of pottery. See the potters at work then visit the exhibition and shop. There's also a pottery at Lizio and at Chapelle Caro.

Other days out

• Tropical Park

• Parc de Prehistoire
  Golf in village of Caden
  Sculpture Park
  Carnac Megalithes
  Butterfly Park
  Vannes Market - a typical (huge) French market on Saturday mornings.

Travel

Nantes airport is approximately 45 minutes away from Rochefort by road. We can offer a discount of up to 15% off Brittany Ferries price from St Malo, Caen or Cherbourg.

St. Malo is only 84 miles from Rochefort, the other two ports being somewhat further, but the longest drive involved would be roughly 3 hours.

Further details

The chateau in Rochefort is open to the public and is well worth a visit. There is an abundance of restaurants bars and cafes, especially the Cafe de la Pente which features live music concerts free during the season. Redon, which is approximately 20km away, is a canal port and also has excellent shopping. Even closer is Questembert with its 16th Century thatched covered market and regular entertainment.

Also close by are Josselin and Malestroit, two more fabulous French medieval towns, and of course the Lac au Duc in Ploermel. This is a large swimming and boating facility open to the public, with a restaurant/cafe, very reasonable boat rentals and courses for both adults children to learn sail boating and canoeing. Water skiing is also available.