France 2022 – Cycling along the Rance River from Dinan

April 25, 2022

On my last full day in wonderful Dinan, my plan was to cycle along the river Rance upstream to the small town of Léhon where there was an abbey and a ruined castle, and then downstream about 8 kilometers to the river port of Lyvet. I headed down Rue de Jerzual shortly before the bicycle rental shop was to open. I couldn’t stop myself from taking pictures of a few more half-timbered buildings on the way down the hill. I would like to live in the blue one, and the house on the right may very well have been the inspiration for ”There was a crooked house…”

Down at the port the young man at the bicycle shop was friendly and efficient and he kindly gave me a full-day rental at a discounted priced of 16 euros. This shop offers several guided tours including a tour where you cycle all the way to the coast and then return by boat up the river Rance, or vice-versa. But I was happy on my own and I knew where I wanted to go. First, I headed upstream and was thrilled with the beautiful morning and the riverside ride. There were huge trees on both sides of the river, and I saw several marked trails along the route that branched off into the forest. The trees were bright green with new leaves and the birds sounded very happy. The cycling was easy on the flat path and I passed joggers, dog walkers, and other cyclists, all of whom cheerily said, ”Bonjour!”

I made a quick stop to photograph the viaduct in the distance,

and I made several other quick stops to try and capture the beauty of the river and riverside trees. I was cycling on the “Chemin de Halage”, a towpath.

Quick as a wink I arrived at the lock just outside of the town of Léhon.

This elegant old bridge led me over the river and into the town which is designated ”A Petite Cité de Character” of Brétagne.

The l’Abbaye Saint Magloire was founded here in 850 but the original buildings were burnt by invading Normans. The current abbey was constructed in the 12th century by the Benedictines, and enlarged through the centuries.

I entered the abbey church and the organist was inside playing so the air was filled with wonderful music during my visit as well as rose-coloured light from the magnificent stained class window behind the altar.

Here is the view looking from the altar towards the back of the church with the pews and the walls all dappled!

The warm coloured light bathed the entire church, including a beautiful wooden statue of Mary carved in the 18th century. The stone plaque is in memory of a revered Benedictine monk of this abbey, Noel Mars, who died in 1611.

Unfortunately, the other parts of the abbey were closed because of a private function, and sadly the gardens were closed as well. I contented myself with the fact that I had a hill to climb and a ruined castle to explore. On the way up the hill, there were many beautiful wildflowers alongside the trail which provided me with a good excuse to stop and catch my breath! There were small primroses, bluebells, forget-me-nots, and orchids as well as tiny purple violets.

There is very little of the castle left. First constructed in the early 12th century, the castle was attacked and destroyed by Henry II, King of England, in 1169. A second fortress was built in the 13th century and faced several sieges. By 1490 the castle was in disrepair and abandoned, and in 1644 it was gifted to the abbey which used many of its stones for its own construction projects. The trail leading up to the castle passed beneath the northwest tower which is the best preserved of the eight towers, and then a bridge led me up to the ruined entrance gate.

Low remnants of the castle walls, and remnants of the towers enclosed a large lawned space that was full of bright buttercups and small daisies.

From the towers there were excellent views of the river and valley,

as well as over the old town and the abbey church and buildings.

After enjoying my explorations up on the castle hill, I headed back down to my bicycle and returned on the towpath back to the port of Dinan where I crossed the old bridge and then continued downstream along the riverside path towards the sea. What a beautiful ride! A sunny sky, a peaceful river, and so much green all around – it was glorious! I stopped often to take a photo looking forward,

or looking back,

or looking directly across. I definitely had to take a photo here!

There were birds in the trees and birds on the river and I was very very happy. All too soon I could see boats ahead at the river port of Lyvet.

There was a large lock here, the Ecluse Le Chatelier and I was able to see the mechanism at work.

As I crossed the bridge that was just a bit further downstream, I could see that the entire river to the left of the lock was dammed here.

I finished crossing over to Lyvet, explored a few streets of the town, and then cycled to the marina. Every time one of these many sailboats or pleasure boats wants to go to the sea or come back home it has to go through the lock!

On my return trip, I stopped to have my lunch at one of the two sections of the path that were paved and where a road came down for people to access the river. Here boats were moored along the shore and there were benches, picnic tables, and lawned areas.

I took my time over lunch and then continued back upriver, pedalling slower because I didn’t want my ride to end! I couldn’t resist taking another photo or two or three (!) of the canola field across the river.

A little further up stream a small tributary joined the river. I had noticed it on my way downstream but I hadn’t noticed the chateau in the distance at the top of the hill!

Soon I arrived back at the river port of Dinan, with the Saint Saveur steeple calling me back up the hill to my apartment. I had the bicycle until six and my plan was to rest for an hour and then come back down to the river and cycle again to Léhon to have a swim in their heated outdoor pool.

I took a photo of the busy terraced restaurant across the river as I locked up my bike,

and then this photo looking downstream from the bridge.

I headed back up the hill and after my hour of rest I was feeling tired so I decided to enjoy my lovely apartment for the rest of the afternoon and prepare for my next day’s journey. In the late afternoon, a took a last walk in my neighbourhood in Dinan to the Basilique Saint-Saveur and behind it to the Jardin Anglais with its beautiful trees, gardens of spring flowers, and views from the Tour Sainte-Catherine down over the river valley.

It was the perfect way to end my visit to the wonderful city of Dinan!

Addendum: I have a book called “Cycling in France” and one of their routes is a four-day loop which begins in Saint-Malo on the coast and follows the Rance River upstream to Dinan, continues up the river a good long distance (passing 20 locks), and then heads to Combourg. From there, it loops back towards the sea and continues on to Mont Saint-Michel (in my opinion the most stunning sight in France), and then finishes back at Saint Malo. I’m happy to loan the book to anyone who is interested!

France 2022 – A tippy tower and a tour of Dinan’s churches

April 23 and 24, 2022

Dinan has a most wonderful clock tower that caught my attention soon after I arrived in town. My first thought upon seeing it was exactly this: ”Whoa, that’s a tippy tower!” Here is the view that inspired that thought.

In other photos that I took from different vantage points the tippiness is less apparent, but I was very aware of it when I climbed to the top of the tower. These two photos are taken from different ends of the same street, but sadly I do not have an image of the clock face at the front of the tower.

On the bottom level of the tower there is the original set of clockworks, made by Hamzer in Germany in 1498.

A spiral stone staircase led up to a room where town councillors used to meet to discuss civic matters. On the next floor up there was a very entertaining and informative computer animated film that presented some of the history of the town and the tower from the fictional point of view of an old sailor, born and raised in Dinan, who returns home in 1750 after many years at sea and becomes a watchman on top of the tower.

About two thirds of the way up this 46 metre tower, the stone staircase ends and a wooden staircase begins, and at the very top there is a steep narrow ladder for the final climb onto the platform for views all around. Warning, this next collage might make you feel a bit vertiginous!

The views were tremendous in all directions! The image on the left is of the Basilique Saint Saveur (I see the steeple from my apartment window), and the image on the right is looking down to the river valley.

While up here on the tower, I will magically transport you to the interior of some of the principal churches of Dinan. The Basilique Saint-Saveur was founded by a knight who had safely returned from a crusade. Begun in the 12th century, it was not completed until the 16th century and has been built in a combination of Romanesque and Flamboyant Gothic styles. The altar was very elaborate.

I liked the simplicity of a peaceful side chapel that featured beautiful stained glass and a statue of the Virgin Mary, and I also appreciated the fatherly tenderness that is evident in the sculpture of Joseph and Jesus.

In this basilica, the heart of Bertrand du Guesclin, a son of Dinan and hero of the Hundred Years’ War, is entombed in a vase. There is also a statue of du Guesclin in the area which served as the town’s fairgrounds during the Middle Ages.

The next view from atop the tower is of the Eglise Saint-Malo which is just a five minute walk from the Basilica! This second large church also took 400 years to build and its planned steeple was never completed.

Pillaged during the Revolution, the interior was very stark but I appreciated the bareness and simplicity and absolute quiet of the space.

The lack of excess ornamentation helped one to focus on the beautiful modern stained glass, most of which depicted scenes from the bible or from Dinan’s history. There was also a case which displayed some liturgical objects that must have been hidden away somewhere during the pillaging!

From the film in the clock tower I learned that many religious orders established convents and abbeys in Dinan, including the Benedictines, the Franciscans, the Clares, the Ursulines, and the Dominicans. I will point out a few of their edifices to you, as the old sailor did to me in 1750! The large church in the middle ground of the photo, plus the adjacent buildings to the left, was built by the Cordeliers (Franciscans) who first came to Dinan in 1247.

Now used as a private Catholic school, parts of the “Couvent des Cordeliers” were open to the public for an art exposition so I visited here on Sunday. (My favourite photo is of the lovely rose bush behind the old yellow and purple glass.)

This steeple belongs to the 1662 chapel of the Benedictines who arrived in Dinan in 1631 to found their monastery. After damage by fire, the monastery became a college in 1775. It was closed during the French Revolution until 1841 when it re-opened as the College Roger Vercel.

I do not have a view from the tower, but I did visit the Chapel of Sainte Catherine, built between 1661 and 1664 by the Dominicans. Here is a collage of photos from the very beautiful chapel, elegant in its simplicity and with a stunning wooden ceiling.

The convent buildings adjacent to the chapel were taken over during the French Revolution and converted into barracks, then a prison, and then a hospital in 1817. After restorations in 2005, the stately building now contains the library of Dinan. There is quite an expansive esplanade leading down to the old convent lined with sculptures by Dinan artist Roger Vene, including this statue entitled ”Homme.”

Now that our tour of some of Dinan’s many churches is finished, we are back up on the tippy tower. Here’s a somewhat scary view looking as “straight down” as I was brave enough to achieve leaning (a bit!) over the wooden railing.

And here’s the bell, which did ring when I was up here. This bell was recast in 1906 from the iron in the original bell which was gifted to the town by Anne of Bretagne, Duchess of Brittany, in the year 1500, and which range for more than four centuries.

And, finally, here is my favourite photo taken from atop the tower. I have given it the rather obvious (but pleasing to me) name of ”Rooftops of Dinan.”

France 2022 – Down to the river and up to the castle in historic Dinan

April 23, 2022

On my first full day in Dinan I got up early in order to be able to photograph the wonderful buildings in this town without having to wait for tourists to exit the frame! It was cool and fresh and a light rain had fallen just before I left my apartment. My first destination was the Rue de Jerzual which would lead me down to the river Rance. This steep street was the route between the port on the river and the city on the hill, and was continually busy with the flow of people and goods. It is still a busy pedestrian street for tourists and locals but this morning I had it all to myself.

The buildings, many housing artists’ and crafters’ studios are beautiful!

The road continued steeply down the hill past half-timbered and stone houses and shops.

Part-way down was the Porte Jerzual which was the gateway between the river port and the city. This particular defensive gate was built in the early 14th century, but a gate has been at this location since as early as 1123. The lumber in the archways is there because this is one of the places where stones fell from the ramparts.

From the Porte Jerzual the road (now named the Rue du Petit Fort) continued steeply downhill,

and further downhill,

until finally reaching the River Rance. I walked a short distance upstream to take this photo of the old bridge which crosses the river.

I then walked onto the bridge and took these views looking first upstream and then downstream. The river meets the sea downstream some twenty-five kilometres away at Saint Malo and Dinard.

Returning to the shore, I walked downstream along the cobbled walkway. This river is largely responsible for the growth, prosperity and importance of the town of Dinan during the early middle ages as it provided maritime links with Flanders and England for the trade of linen cloth, leather goods, wood, and agricultural products. Ships were hauled upstream by mules and men!

Looking back upstream, the tall viaduct was built in 1852 to bring goods and people into the upper city as an alternative to the narrow and steep Rue de Jerzual. The viaduct was routed to bring traffic to the city along the outside of the medieval walls, thus helping to ensure the preservation of most of the town’s ramparts and towers.

I returned to the old bridge,

and then turned right to return up the Rue de Petit Fort as far as the Porte Jerzual.

Rather than passing through the gate, I took a staircase to the left which led to a pathway leading steeply uphill along the base of the ramparts. Soon I reached the base of the Tour Sainte-Catherine, one of the oldest towers in the 13th century walls.

The trail continued uphill to the next tower, and before passing through it I took a photo of the trail below, the walls leading towards the Tour Sainte-Catherine, and the view down over the viaduct, port, and river.

Once I passed up and through the tower, the path continued along the top of the ramparts, with an excellent view towards the back of the Saint Sauveur church and the tall trees of the Jardin Anglais, and also more views down over the river valley.

I was able to walk on the ramparts almost all of the way around to the 14th century castle which consists of a tall keep with its roof top terrace, the Tour de Coetquen which I am standing on for this photo, and the Porte du Guichet entrance gate which is built in the wall between the keep and the tower.

The castle keep looked small to me from the outside but there was a lot to this castle and it was presented really well. The tour route began with a walk on the ramparts, past the four flags to where I am on Coetquen tower which was built in the late 15th century to strengthen the defences of the keep. The keep, or ducal tower, was the principal residence of the dukes of Brittany for several centuries.

In the guard room of the Coetquen tower there was a model of the ramparts and towers of Dinan and some information about the strategic importance of the site and of sieges over time.

On another floor, there was a small display of armour and armaments from the 13th to the 15th centuries.

A tunnel at the base of the tower allowed guards to pass undetected from the Coetquen tower to the keep.

After entering the keep, the tour led first down to the large kitchen in the basement with its massive fireplace, well, and water drainage system.

Rising up to the next level I entered the banqueting hall, a large reception space meant to impress guests. Elaborate meals with an abundance and variety of dishes were served to display the duke’s wealth and prestige.

The principal room on the next floor was the ”Facing Room” where the dukes received homage from their vassals and rendered justice. The dukes would sit on a high-backed seat that was set on a dais bearing their coat of arms.

Also on this level was a small chapel that would have been reserved for the use by the duke and his family.

Here is the retiring room where the duke would meet with his family and closest advisors, and there were also private apartments and garderobes adjacent.

As well as these principal rooms, there was access to and information about many other rooms and anterooms. The top level of the castle keep was reserved for guards and in this room there was an audiovisual presentation that showed the evolution of the castle over the centuries. It was amazing to me how many changes occurred over time with entire walls being moved, dry moats dug, drawbridges added, gates and towers fortified etc. The physical changes to the castle evolved in partnership with the fortunes and ownership of the castle through time and through wars with England and the King of France. The castle was abandoned in the mid 17th century as it had fallen into disrepair and it was partially restored at the beginning of the 18th century to be used as a prison for captured English sailors and soldiers. (It would have been a terrible imprisonment in small, cold, dark and dank stone cells.) Finally, it became a civil prison from 1817 until 1904 and then was bought by the city of Dinan to be used as a museum. The current, excellent restorations, tour route, and educational displays were completed in 2019. I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in Dinan!

I exited the castle through the Porte Guichet. Flanked by two towers, the gate’s defences included a portcullis, murder holes, and seventeen arrow slits.

From here, I had a good view of the keep from its base. I walked past the keep and along the wide promenade that paralleled the eastern edge of the city walls.

Along the walk I passed another large tower, a narrow tower which once held a bascule drawbridge, and a very narrow tower which very well could have been the tower which held Rapunzel.

And that was just my morning! After lunch and a restful hour or two in my apartment I explored more of this wonderful town, but this post is surely long enough already so I’ll end here. Apologies for all of the historical details – I did try to whittle it down! (Though I know several readers of this blog who love this stuff as much as I do.) As always, thank you for reading.

France 2022 – Hello to Bretagne, and wonderful Dinan

April 22, 2022

I said goodbye to Montmartre, found my way to the Gare Montparnasse via the metro, and took a TGV to Lamballe, Brittany. We travelled mainly through relatively flat, agricultural land with expansive fields of new green growth as well as bright yellow fields of canola in bloom. There were fields with small herds of black and white cattle, and occasionally we passed a farm with a few sheep or horses. There were glimpses of towns and villages, each with a tall church steeple visible from a distance, and sometimes the train paralleled a main freeway for a distance and easily out sped its cars and trucks.

At Lamballe, I transferred to a small, and seemingly very slow train (after the TGV) to Dinan. I loved the journey to Dinan as we travelled a very good distance through a deciduous forest, fresh with new leaves, and the agricultural fields we passed before and after the forest were smaller and wilder-looking with many hedges, large copses of trees, and old farm houses. I was very happy to see three raptors on this journey, a small swift and two beautiful hawks. Also, it was like I was having a second spring as the trees and plants that were in bloom a month ago in Provence are in full bloom here like cherry and apple trees, lilacs, camellias, and wisteria. Very fun!

I was immediately charmed by Dinan as I walked through its medieval streets headed towards my apartment. This walled town, full of half-timbered houses from the 14th to the 17th centuries, sits atop a hill high above the valley of the Rance River and my apartment is located on a quiet street just a few minutes’ walk from the centre and all of the town’s historic sights. I am so pleased with my apartment and feel very lucky to be here for four days. Here it is!

And, even better, here is the amazing view out of my living room window (left photo) and then my bedroom window! Wow! I invite you to click on each photo for a larger view. How exciting to stay here!

After taking a few moments to settle my things, I eagerly headed back out to explore the nearby streets. Here are some of the beautiful half-timbered houses in Dinan, many of which expand outward as they go up. Property taxes were based on the amount of square footage of a building, so clever merchants built smaller ground floors with overhanging second and third stories. This had the added bonus of providing covered space on the ground floor for setting up tables and selling their goods.

I loved the small panes of old glass in some of the windows.

Some of the buildings were quite colourful, and there was a wide variety of patterns in the placement of the wooden beams as well as a surprising amount of asymmetry!

Some of the buildings had carved wooden figures tucked under the overhangs or in little alcoves.

This building, built in 1559, was moved to Dinan from the small town of Lanvollon when it was threatened with demolition. It features 14 carved figures sporting weapons and clothing typical of the 16th century.

Here is the last half-timbered house that I will show from my afternoon walk though there were many more! The dark slate roof tiles on all of the buildings here, and the preponderance of granite as a building stone, are typical of Brittany and an obvious change from the building styles that I saw in Provence.

I also took photos of the exteriors of the two massive churches in medieval Dinan (they are located only blocks from each other!), but I will save presenting those until after I have viewed the interiors. It is predicted to rain on Sunday so I will save my visits to the churches until then. Walking away from the town centre I found this quiet street lined with stone houses and followed it to the gate at the end.

This is the Saint Malo gate which was built in the 13th century to guard access to the northern part of the city. Extra defences and a drawbridge were added during turbulent times at the beginning of the 15th century.

To the left of the Porte Saint Malo was the Tour de Gouveneur. A walkway for pedestrians atop the tower and adjacent walls was recently closed after stones fell from the wall during a storm. Turning to the right of the Porte Saint Malo, a walk of about 100 metres brought me to the largest of Dinan’s towers, the Tour Beaumanoir. There are almost three kilometres of ramparts surrounding Dinan, with ten of the original fourteen towers still standing, as well as the four gates that provided entrance to the city. The ramparts are the largest in France north of the Loire to have survived to the present day.

I continued my walk around and beyond the Tour Beaumanoir and there was this view back that shows the remains of a second wall that was added at the end of the 16th century in front of the curtain wall to give extra protection against cannon fire.

From here, I wandered back into the city to the main square and then on to my apartment, taking pictures all along the way. I will leave you with only two more photos though, again from my apartment windows but now with the sun lowering in the sky. The view from my front window is zoomed in on the steeple of the Basilique Saint-Saveur. Goodnight from Dinan, Brittany.