TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
● the castle of la Groulais in Blain
● Fishing
● Rennes, capital of the Bretagne : its parliament, its cathedral St Pierre, its Beaux‐arts museum
● Redon, town classified as “plus beaux detours de France”, also called “Venice of the West”, and its western shipping museum
● the castle of Josselin, known as the most beautiful in Brittany
● La Gacilly, village of Yves Rocher and its craftsmen (more than 40 different craftsmen : glass‐blowers, painters, wood sculptors …
● the gastronomy of the region : the famous "crepes" and pancakes and of course its cider

see Rennes-Dinan -click here...
see Rennes southbound -click here...
see Canal de Nantes à Brest-click here...
photos and interesting links
Breton waterways -click here...

WEST OF FRANCE
BRETAGNE ( BRITTANY )
Rediscover how to take life easy
From Redon, discover the beauty of Brittany, Merlin's home. Go west towards the Atlantic Ocean and you will discover Malestroit with its wooden houses. Further on, visit the magnificent Josselin château and then Rohan... All along your trip, guesthouses welcome you for discovery stops. Take the opportunity to taste local food server with cider or Muscadet wine: grilled lobster or "à l'Armoricaine", cotriade (stewed fish), fish with "beurre blanc" sauce...and, of course, the delicious Breton pancakes. It is easy to get daily food supplies everywhere.
suggested routes:
from Redon
see for boats based here....(pdf file)
mini week:
Redon-Niort/Erdre-Redon 134 km-32 locks-21 hours
one week:
Redon-Josselin-Redon 126 km-36 locks-21 hours
Redon-Nantes-Redon 190 km-32 locks-28 hours
Redon-Rennes-Redon 174 km-26 locks-25 hours
two weeks:
Redon-Pontivy-Redon 218 km-164 locks-48 hrs
Redon-Dinan-Redon 332 km-120 locks-57 hrs

photo: Bretagne Panoramique - click here...

CHARENTE   Info : Charente with Fléac and Cognac -click here-
Between the Loire and Garonne rivers
From Angoulême to the ocean, through the Cognac vineyards, between the Loire and Garonne rivers, the Charente river flows gently towards the Atlantic ocean. Two drinks, Cognac and Pineau, come from the Charente region. A visit of the cellars where Cognac is distilled and stored to age will reveal the secret of this famous Brandy. The lush valleys are bordered with renaissance châteaux and romantic churches that you will certainly enjoy discovering.

suggested routes: more details soon
our base of Fléac (Angoulême) has moved to Cognac
self service lock handling (no lock keepers)

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
From Cognac
● Pineau and Cognac cellars
● Saintes and its roman vestiges
● Bourg‐Charente and its dugout
● Jarnac, town of F. Mitterrand
● Angouleme : comics' capital

Beautiful Anjou-Pays de Loire:
river Sarthe (Angers-le Mans)  -click here...
river Mayenne (Angers-Daon-Mayenne) -click here...
Ideal in combination with cycling (81 km tow path!)
Ideal in combination with playing Golf: Laval Golf Club at the river banks
ANJOU PAYS DE LOIRE  -click here for photos Mayenne cruise
A rich historical past
The Mayenne, Sarthe and Oudon rivers offer 300 km of navigation. From Mayenne to Angers, you will cruise through undulating and wooded landscapes and small quiet villages and towns with rich historical past. Laval, with its castle towering above the Mayenne river, deserves a stop. On the Maine river, you can visit Angers, hometown of the powerful king René. On the Sarthe river, you can visit Le Mans, capital city of the telegraph, car racing and aviation, Solesmes and its Benedictine Abbey and also Sablé, where you shouldn't forget to taste the local shortbread biscuits.
Lined with charming small villages like Ménil or Chenillé-Changé, the Mayenne is one of the most pleasant waterway in the West part. Heading the north, the river gets wilder, between Laval and Mayenne, with steep slopes, whereas in the south, you’ll discovera Mayenne river crossing an unrelieved landscape and more villages along the way. During your cruise, stops will be numerous, in charming towns such as Laval or Châteu-Gonthier. Between Mayenne and Daon, your holiday will be more
pleasant cycling through the renovated tow-paths.
The Sarthe river flows into the Mayenne river close to Angers, along its way, it crosses diversified and picturesque villages.
Don’t miss Solesmes Abbey, Malicorne-sur-Sarthe famous for crockery and also the wellknown town of Le Mans which will open its gates to you.

suggested routes:
from Daon
see for boats based here....(pdf file)
Week-end
Daon - Le Lion d’Angers - Segré - Daon : 70 km, 14 locks, 10 hours
Daon - Entrammes - Daon : 80 km, 18 locks, 12 hours
Mini week
Daon - Entrammes - Le Lion d’Angers - Segré - Daon : 150 km, 32 locks, 22 hours
One week
Daon - Angers - Solesmes - Daon : 200 km, 30 locks, 30 hours
Daon - Laval - Angers - Le Lion d’Angers - Segré - Daon : 170 km, 48 locks, 31 hours
Daon - Montflours - Daon : 130 km, 48 locks, 25 hours
Two weeks
Daon - Mayenne - Écouflant - Malicorne - Daon : 402 km, 112 locks, 68 hours
Three weeks and more
Daon - Mayenne - Angers - Le Mans - Daon : 512 km, 130 locks, 84 hours