Etang De Boulet
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www.domaine-de-boulet.fr
This lake is just 10 minutes drive away
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Villecartier
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www.france-voyage.com/.../forest-villecartier-28431.htm
Another lake that is about 15 minutes away and there is lots to do here
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Beaches
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As you can see from this map there a number of very nice beaches (marked with a '*') between St Malo and Le Mont St Michael and they can be reached by car in an hour or less
This is one of our favourite as being a cove it is safe and with both sand and rock pools |
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Combourg
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www.france-voyage.com/tourism/combourg
Combourg is our nearest town which is only about 10 miles away. It is an old market town with local shops and plenty of places to eat. At the bottom end of the town there is the Chateau and a large lake. On the outskirts of the town we have two Hypermarkets and a retail area. There is also a large market in the town on Mondays |
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RENNES
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www.tourisme-rennes.com colombia.klepierre.fr
About an hour away is the city of Rennes, the regional capital for Brittany. There are some magnificent buildings in the old part of the city north of the canal while south of the canal there are old streets and the modern shopping area around Colombia. For more information follow the links. |
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St Malo
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www.brittanytourism.com/.../saint-malo
St Malo is a similar distance to Renne, the beautiful old city was virtually destroyed during the second world war and has been completely rebuilt as it was. Its narrow cobble streets are filled with shops aimed at the tourists. You can walk right round the walls or enjoy the beaches. It is from here that the ferries go to the Channel Islands. Also well worth a visit the Grand Aquarium on the outskirts of the town |
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Fougeres
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The main attraction at Fougeres is the Chateau which is more like an old castle and reputed to be one of the oldest in France. There is also a large town and interesting Churches and like most French towns has its market which is on Saturdays.
It is also where our nearest hospital with an A&E department is (I know, I've had to use on more than one occasion!)www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/rennes-and-brittanys-historic-gateways/fougeres |
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Dinan
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Dinan is one of those must visit places. At the top of the hill is the old town with beautiful building, shops and restaurants while at the bottom of the hill down by the river lots more places to eat while watching the activity on the river. If you are fit you can park at the bottom and walk up to the top up a steep cobbled road. www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/cap-frehel-saint-malo-mont-saint-michel-bay/dinan/
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Mont St. Michel
Mont St Michel is one of the best known landmarks on the north coast of France and is another of those must visit places. Recent work has removed the old causeway and replaced it with a bridge, moving the carparks further inland. To get to the Mont you can walk, use the electric buses or the horse drawn bus. Once there at the bottom of the island there are all the tourist shops and if you are feeling energetic it is well worth the climb to the top to visit the abbey and admire the views across the bay. It is best to either get there early or later in the day as at the height of the season it gets very busy. www.bienvenueaumontsaintmichel.com/en
Chateau La Bourbansais and Zoo
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For a great day out for all the family the Chateau la Bourbansais is a really good choice, there is something for everyone. You can go round some of rooms of the Chateau and while not as grand as some it is still worth visiting, there is a nice zoo, demonstrations throughout the day including birds of prey and fox hounds and there is also a children's play area with a number of bouncy castles www.labourbansais.com
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Sand Yachting and Karting
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On the coast not far from Mont St Michel there is the oppertunity to go sand yachting, if you haven't tried it before it is great fun for all ages nearby the Go Kart Club offers a full sized track for adults, quad biking and a children's kart and quad bike track. This is great fun for the family and the children whiz around with confidence quite quickly. Unfortunately we couldn't fine a web site for the karting but the sand yachting is www.brittany-tourism.com/water/ASCBRE035FS0002G/detail/hirel/avel-char-a-voile
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Canal d'Ille-et-Rance
Famous for its staircase of eleven locks spread over several miles it is possible to join the towpath at several different points and is popular but not over crowded for walking and cycling. The best place to join the canal though is at Hede-Bazouges where the locks are closer together and there is a small museum about why and how Napoleon had the canal built
www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/cap-frehel-saint-malo-mont-saint-michel-bay/the-ille-et-rance-canal-and-the-11-locks-at-hede-bazouges/
www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/cap-frehel-saint-malo-mont-saint-michel-bay/the-ille-et-rance-canal-and-the-11-locks-at-hede-bazouges/
Walking, Cycling & Sport
This is a great area for cycling either along the canal tow path, a disused railway track now made into a cycle path, around either of the two lakes or following the many official cycle routes for which we have local maps that you are welcome to use.
If you don't want to bring your own bikes we have three adult bikes, a child's bike and a small bike with stabilisers that you are welcome to borrow but you will need to bring your own helmets
If you don't want to bring your own bikes we have three adult bikes, a child's bike and a small bike with stabilisers that you are welcome to borrow but you will need to bring your own helmets
There are also lots of places to walk depending on how fit and energetic you are. Again there are walks at both the lakes and through the forests from a casual stroll to something for the more active.
If you are more keen walkers then there are cliff top walks round the coast from St. Malo west toward Mont St. Michel.
If you are more keen walkers then there are cliff top walks round the coast from St. Malo west toward Mont St. Michel.
There are four golf course within an hours drive with the closest one only about twenty minutes away. As a non-golfer I can't comment on how good they are but these are the links to each of them
Des Orme en.leadingcourses.com/europe+france+brittany/golf-des-ormes/
Golf De St. Malo en.leadingcourses.com/europe+france+brittany/golf-de-saint-malo/
Le Golf Cap Malo en.leadingcourses.com/europe+france+brittany/le-golf-cap-malo/
Golf De Tremereuc en.leadingcourses.com/europe+france+brittany/golf-de-tremereuc/
Des Orme en.leadingcourses.com/europe+france+brittany/golf-des-ormes/
Golf De St. Malo en.leadingcourses.com/europe+france+brittany/golf-de-saint-malo/
Le Golf Cap Malo en.leadingcourses.com/europe+france+brittany/le-golf-cap-malo/
Golf De Tremereuc en.leadingcourses.com/europe+france+brittany/golf-de-tremereuc/
If you want a proper game of tennis we have two public tennis courts within about ten minute drive from Le Grange. If you just want a bit of knock about we have a tennis net and badminton nets that can be set up in the garden. The grass is not very even thanks to the efforts of the moles which might make for some interesting bounces.
If you enjoy visiting gardens there are several with quite easy reach, this picture is of one of our favourites, the Parc Floral De Haute Bretagne
www.french-gardens.com/gardens/parkfloral-hautebretagne.php
For more formal gardens the Parc Du Thabor in Rennes is worth a visit
www.tourisme-rennes.com/en/organize-my-trip/what-to-do-in-rennes/parc-du-thabor-2/
A little further away on the other side of the Rance are the Jardins du Montmarin and they are a mixture of formal and informal gardens stretching down to the banks of the river . They are well worth including in day out driving round the Rance basin
www.french-gardens.com/gardens/jardins-montmarin.php
We also have a local garden open the public just outside our village of Bazouges le Parouse in the Jardin de la Ballue. The main attractions are the topiary and the views across the valley
www.laballuejardin.com/en/
www.french-gardens.com/gardens/parkfloral-hautebretagne.php
For more formal gardens the Parc Du Thabor in Rennes is worth a visit
www.tourisme-rennes.com/en/organize-my-trip/what-to-do-in-rennes/parc-du-thabor-2/
A little further away on the other side of the Rance are the Jardins du Montmarin and they are a mixture of formal and informal gardens stretching down to the banks of the river . They are well worth including in day out driving round the Rance basin
www.french-gardens.com/gardens/jardins-montmarin.php
We also have a local garden open the public just outside our village of Bazouges le Parouse in the Jardin de la Ballue. The main attractions are the topiary and the views across the valley
www.laballuejardin.com/en/
English Speaking Churches
The Church of St Batholomews in Dinard is an English speaking Church which holds its Sunday service at 11.00 and is about an hours drive to the other side of the barrage from St Malo but at the height of the season extra time needs to allowed as parking can be quite difficult www.achurchnearyou.com/church/8342/
The Church at Verey is about a 45 minute driveaway and they hold their service at 5.00pm. There is quite a small congregation but they are all very friendly and although it is Church of England anyone is very welcome. This is the Church that I attend when we are in France
manche-church.net
manche-church.net