St Malo loop of Brittany
St Malo loop of BrittanyOpen this route in the Bikemap appOpen this route in Bikemap

St Malo loop of Brittany

A cycling route starting in Cherbourg-Octeville, Normandy, France.

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  3. St Malo loop of Brittany

Overview

About this route

0
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Duration
1,308.9 km
Distance
1,259 m
Ascent
1,252 m
Descent
---
Avg. speed
---
Max. altitude
Claire Birch

created this 6 years ago

Route quality

Waytypes & surfaces along the route

Waytypes

  • Quiet road

    477.7 km

    (36 %)

  • Road

    375.4 km

    (29 %)

  • Busy road

    197.2 km

    (15 %)

Surfaces

Paved

624.8 km

(48 %)

Unpaved

139.7 km

(11 %)

  • Asphalt

    597.5 km

    (46 %)

  • Gravel

    106 km

    (8 %)

  • Ground

    15.6 km

    (1 %)

Route highlights

Points of interest along the route

  1. Drinking water after 8 km

    Comptoir de la Presqu’Île Facing Barfleur’s broad grey-granite quayside, the Comptoir has to be the least formal in this selection of Norman restaurants. Although they do offer one fixed-price menu, the friendly owners are happy to operate brasserie-style, enabling diners to eat as much or as little as they choose. In summer, tables spread out across the quay. Seafood, naturally, is the speciality, and for freshness and succulence the unfussy grilled bream is a match for any restaurant on earth. The biggest turnover is in Barfleur’s locally famed mussels, available as moules marinière among other styles. Address: 30 quai Henri Chardon, 50760 Barfleur Contact: 00 33 233 203751, comptoirdelapresquile.overblog.com

  2. Accommodation after 27.5 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/hotel-la-marine/

  3. Accommodation after 42.7 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/la-ferme-des-mares-hotel/#productMap

  4. Accommodation after 43.4 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/manoir-de-savigny-hotel/

  5. Accommodation after 72.8 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/le-grand-hard-hotel/

  6. Accommodation after 108.3 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/chateau-la-cheneviere-hotel/#productMap

  7. Accommodation after 114.1 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/ferme-de-la-ranconniere-hotel/

  8. Accommodation after 122.4 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/le-manoir-des-impressionistes-hotel/#productMap

  9. Accommodation after 122.4 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/la-maison-des-galets-hotel/#productMap

  10. Accommodation after 122.4 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/le-manoir-de-retival-hotel/#productMap

  11. Drinking water after 122.4 km

    Le Galion Étretat’s smartest restaurant, between the market square and the sea. Its superb fourteenth-century dining room is adorned with ornately carved, heavily weathered beams, marking a very classy setting, albeit unnecessarily overlit to show off its finest features. The formal service showcases very correct traditional cuisine, ranging from oysters (cooked in champagne on the most expensive menu) or foie gras to beef baked in pastry. Save room for the caramelized poached pears for dessert. Address: Boulevard Prés René Coty, 76790 Étretat Contact: 00 33 235 294874, etretat-legalion.fr

  12. Drinking water after 122.4 km

    La Petite Auberge This cosy little restaurant, near the casino a couple of streets back from the beach, is Trouville’s best bet for high-class food at affordable prices. There’s only room for twenty in the charming dining room, so reserve ahead to be sure of enjoying the changing seasonal menus, which always feature well sourced local meat, like beef or lamb, as well as the eye-catching seafood selections. The crab and shrimp starter is especially recommended. Address: 7 rue Carnot, 14360 Trouville-sur-mer Contact: 00 33 231 881107, lapetiteaubergesurmer.fr

  13. Drinking water after 122.4 km

    Le Bréard Honfleur’s finest restaurant is not by the old port, but in a narrow street near the wooden Ste-Catherine church. Behind the unspoiled façade of an ancient town house you enter a large, modern space, abounding in exposed stonework, which includes an “internal garden” made from a former courtyard. For anyone tiring of ponderous Norman cuisine, Le Bréard makes a refreshing antidote, using lighter cooking methods – be sure to try the poached oysters – and spicing up the flavours with ingredients like wasabi. Portions are on the small side, but amuses-bouches abound, and the desserts, including the gorgeous passion-fruit soufflé and the four-way chocolate “déclinasion” are fabulous. Address: 7 rue du Puits, 14600 Honfleur Contact: 00 33 231 895340, restaurant-lebreard.com

  14. Accommodation after 122.4 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/les-maisons-de-lea-hotel/

  15. Accommodation after 122.4 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/le-flaubert-hotel/

  16. Accommodation after 216.4 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/hotel-de-la-croix-dor/#productMap

  17. Accommodation after 220.9 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/normandy/hotels/Chateau-de-Chantore-hotel/#productMap

  18. Accommodation after 266.6 km

    https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/de-l-abbaye-le-tronchet.html?aid=364757&label=b74984329uzz#map_opened-hotel_header

  19. Point of interest after 337.7 km

    Fôret de Paimpont In the days when it was much easier to travel by sea than by land, Brittany (or “Little Britain”) had close ties with Great Britain across the water. Its interior, on the other hand, was dark and dangerous, covered in legend by a vast forest known as the Argoat. At the heart of the woods lay the enchanted forest of Brocéliande, home to Merlin the magician and supposed site of the Fountain of Eternal Youth. Fôret de Paimpont, Brittany From the lakeside village of Paimpont itself you can enjoy some superb walking CREDIT: CREDIT: EDUARDO FUSTER SALAMERO / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO/EDUARDO FUSTER SALAMERO / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO What’s left of that mythic landscape is now the Forest of Paimpont, southwest of Rennes. It’s considerably less wild these days, but from the lakeside village of Paimpont itself you can still enjoy some superb walking; you never know, as well as the odd castle, you just might stumble across the Fountain itself.

  20. Accommodation after 360.3 km

    https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/la-gree-des-landes-eco-spa-yves-rocher.html?aid=364757&label=b74984512un booked and paid in full 20th, direct with hotel but orig booking.com for 21st

  21. Point of interest after 386.4 km

    pretty medieval village

  22. Point of interest after 431.7 km

    Golfe de Morbihan There’s said to be an island for every day of the year in the Golfe de Morbihan, the almost entirely land-locked “little sea” that eats into Brittany’s southern coast. In truth, land and sea are so intermingled that the only rational way to explore is by boat. The walled town of Vannes, at the inland end of the gulf, is worth visiting in its own right, home to lively bars and restaurants as well as a modern aquarium, but it’s also the home port for a wide array of boat trips both around the gulf and out into the open sea beyond. Golfe de Morbihan, Brittany There’s said to be an island for every day of the year in the Golfe de Morbihan CREDIT: CREDIT: HEMIS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO/HEMIS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO Prime destinations include minuscule Gavrinis, topped by a megalithic step-pyramid that conceals an ancient tomb, and the largest of the islands, the Île aux Moines, which holds a couple of hotels and some fine beaches.

  23. Drinking water after 433.8 km

    La Table de Jeanne This bustling, very friendly place, next to Vannes’ fish market – always a good area to go to restaurant-hunting – is hugely popular as a romantic rendezvous with young-ish local couples, but attracts visitors too with its zestful take on traditional recipes. The changing daily menu, chalked up on a blackboard, always includes some meat, but the freshest fish from the market is the speciality, from clams or scallops to burbot spiced with turmeric. The three cave-like dining rooms make a snug retreat in low season, and there’s an exceptionally well-priced wine list.13 place de la Poissonnerie, 56000 Vannes Contact: 00 33 297 473491, latabledejeanne.com

  24. Drinking water after 433.9 km

    Le Roscanvec This half-timbered town house, on a busy little lane in the heart of old Vannes, makes an unexpected venue for the innovative, experimental cuisine of up-and-coming chef Thierry Seychelles. Regularly changing menus focus on local, seasonal ingredients; often there are just two main-course options, one fish and one meat, though they may combine surf with turf, as with foie gras in a smoked eel sauce. Prices are high by regional standards, but Roscanvec really is something special. In summer, there are a few outdoor tables; otherwise the dining room is upstairs. Address: 17 rue des Halles, 56000 Vannes Contact: 00 33 297 471596, roscanvec.com

  25. Accommodation after 441.3 km

    https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g425012-d3297925-Reviews-Maner_Kozh-Arradon_Morbihan_Brittany.html emailed re 22nd NO full ottomanerkoz@gmail.com For Ile aux Moines there are boats every hour and the crossing lasts 5 minutes. For the Ile d'Arz the crossing lasts 15 to 30 minutes depending on the season.

  26. Point of interest after 470.9 km

    megaliths Alignements de Kermario https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/carnac/attractions/carnac-alignments/a/poi-sig/1538266/359226

  27. Point of interest after 470.9 km

    Carnac Carnac may look like a perfectly ordinary little Breton village, but amazingly enough archeologists consider it to be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe. Head to the rolling heathlands immediately north and you’ll see why: long, mysterious rows of standing stones (or menhirs, as the Bretons call them), erected in parallel lines long before the pyramids of Egypt. Carnac, Brittany Carnac may look like a perfectly ordinary little Breton village, but amazingly enough archeologists consider it to be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe CREDIT: CREDIT: TRAVELLINGLIGHT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO/TRAVELLINGLIGHT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO Tucked away in the woods are ancient burial mounds, pierced by eerie tunnels through which intrepid visitors can creep. And for good measure, if that doesn’t appeal, Carnac also boasts magnificent beaches, making it a prime destination for bucket-and-spade holidaymakers.

  28. Drinking water after 470.9 km

    restaurant La Criee 10 quai de l’Océan, Port-Maria, 56170 Quiberon For utterly fresh fish, cooked to perfection, look no further than this homely little restaurant, right by the port in Quiberon and attached to a fish shop with a smokehouse that supplies shops and restaurants all over France. Waiters bustle around with blackboards that list the day’s catch, or you can simply choose from baskets piled high with shellfish. Besides classic recipes like sole meuniere, they offer choucroute and stews, and a delicious bream cooked with chorizo. The one down side is that it’s all indoors.

  29. Drinking water after 544.6 km

    Chez Jacky The seafood restaurant of your dreams, tucked away in a ravishingly beautiful riverfront setting, down a dead-end road near the mouth of one of southern Brittany’s lesser-known estuaries (don’t worry, the last few miles are signposted). Its prime raison d’être is that the owners cultivate oysters in the adjacent waters; they don’t believe all that nonsense about only eating oysters when there’s an “r” in the month, and stay open all through the summer. Plentiful other piscatorial pleasures are available though, including huge shellfish platters, and lobsters served with rice. Eat at simple tables in the cluttered interior, or on a gorgeous open-air terrace. Address: Port de Bélon, 29340 Riec sur Bélon Contact: 00 33 298 069032, chez-jacky.com

  30. Accommodation after 550 km

    https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/manoir-dalmore.html?aid=364757&label=b74984910lfz#map_opened-hotel_header available only on 22nd (not 23 or 24th) 235m

  31. Accommodation after 577 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/brittany/hotels/belle-vue-hotel-restaurant/#productMap

  32. Accommodation after 592.9 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/brittany/hotels/villa-tri-men/#productMap https://www.secretplaces.com/sainte-marine-boutique-hotels/villa-tri-men

  33. Accommodation after 609 km

    Chateau de Penfrat https://www.sawdays.co.uk/france/brittany/finistere/chateau-de-penfrat/?guests%5Badults%5D=1&term=Brittany

  34. Point of interest after 615.4 km

    Brittany’s oldest city, Quimper, in the southwestern corner of Finistère, began life as the capital of the myth-shrouded kingdom of Cornouaille. Despite the presence of a huge Gothic cathedral, and a souped-up art museum, it still feels like a pretty provincial market town, stretching languidly along the banks of the river Odet, which is criss-crossed by flower-bedecked little footbridges. Quimper, Brittany Brittany’s oldest city, Quimper, in the southwestern corner of Finistère, began life as the capital of the myth-shrouded kingdom of Cornouaille CREDIT: CREDIT: BORIS STROUJKO / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO/BORIS STROUJKO / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO For most of the year, it’s a pleasant place to stroll, snack and shop – especially for the local glazed, hand-painted faience pottery – but for a week each July it comes alive during the Festival de Cornouaille, a celebration of Breton music and traditions. dpn't miss musee de la faience (like majolica)

  35. Accommodation after 710.6 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/brittany/hotels/ty-mad-hotel/ booked on 25th

  36. Accommodation after 739.4 km

    http://www.domaine-moulin-mer.com/activite-loisirs-spa-reflexologie-balneo-thalasso-finistere/carte-chambres-hote-charme-finistere-brest/ emailed re 24th - 3 night minimum

  37. Point of interest after 772.1 km

    Presqu’île de Crozon spectacular scenery etc esp pointe de penhir, pointe des espagnols

  38. Accommodation after 778.4 km

    https://www.logishotels.com/en/hotel/hotel-de-france-1311 lots rooms available 40 from Quimper via douarnenez

  39. Point of interest after 791.8 km

    ferry to Brest 1010am and 1805 https://www.lebrestoa.com/billetterie-en-ligne

  40. Drinking water after 797 km

    La Maison de l’Océan Whether you prefer to get your sea views from the outdoor terrace at street level or the panoramic dining room upstairs, this harbourfront restaurant, facing the ferry port, offers the finest seafood in Brest. Even the cheapest £17 dinner menu includes a mixed shellfish starter along with grilled fresh catch – as well as meat alternatives – while seafood platters range from the £27 Dégustation, featuring half a crab, to the £50 Royal Océan, with a whole crab and half a lobster. Address: 2 quai de la Douane, 29200 Brest Contact: 00 33 298 804484, restaurant-fruit-mer-brest.com

  41. Accommodation after 1,002.7 km

    19 place lacaze Duthiers https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/brittany/hotels/le-temps-de-vivre-hotel/#productMap

  42. Drinking water after 1,003.6 km

    L’Écume des Jours Set in a converted 500-year-old mansion, halfway around the quayside between Roscoff town and the ferry port, this inconspicuous restaurant deserves its sky-high reputation for the best in modern Breton cuisine. Look for some intriguing flavour combinations, like scallops with smoked duck, or pollock cooked with onion marmalade and cider. Book ahead to get a table on the sea-view terrace, or snuggle up by the fire in winter. Address: quai d’Auxerre, 29680 Roscoff Contact: 00 33 298 612283, lecume-des-jours.pagesperso-orange.fr

  43. Accommodation after 1,066.2 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/brittany/hotels/grand-hotel-des-bains/#productMap plenty rooms available on website for 29th no refund

  44. Accommodation after 1,116.8 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/brittany/hotels/castel-beau-site-hotel/

  45. Accommodation after 1,122.8 km

    https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g207340-d10118834-Reviews-Villa_Les_Hydrangeas-Perros_Guirec_Cotes_d_Armor_Brittany.html#MAPVIEW

  46. Accommodation after 1,149.8 km

    https://www.sawdays.co.uk/france/brittany/cotes-darmor/manoir-d-hotes-de-troezel-bian/?guests%5Badults%5D=2&term=Brittany emailed re 30th

  47. Drinking water after 1,232.5 km

    Le Vivier Erquy’s magnificent half-circle bay makes the perfect setting for this little seafood restaurant, the pick of several alternatives clustered like so many seagulls where the fishing boats pull into harbour. Scallops are the local speciality here, available as unadorned starters or accompanied by langoustines in a succulent stew, on dinner menus ranging £20–28. There’s also a special lobster menu costing £85 for two, while the £12 lunch menu naturally includes moules frites. Address: 64 rue du Port, 22430 Erquy Contact: 00 33 296 723424, le-vivier-erquy.com

  48. Accommodation after 1,237.5 km

    https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g644084-d639411-Reviews-Hotel_le_Manoir_Saint_Michel-Frehel_Cotes_d_Armor_Brittany.html booked deposit paid direct with hotel, asked about dinner

  49. Drinking water after 1,271.4 km

    Chez La Mère Pourcel Accessible via an ancient weathered staircase, the first-floor dining room in this creaky old half-timbered mansion, in the heart of medieval Dinan, makes the perfect place to enjoy a good old-fashioned French feast. Service is formal and attentive, and the food rich and rewarding, with a wide array of girth-enhancing meat specialities such as veal kidneys, or slow baked lamb with lentils. Fish is available too, notably oysters from nearby Cancale, and roasted half-lobsters. Address: 3 place des Merciers, 22100 Dinan. Contact: 00 33 296 390380, chezlamerepourcel.com

  50. Point of interest after 1,271.4 km

    Dinan Some twenty miles upstream from St-Malo, the perfectly preserved fortress town of Dinan perches high above the river Rance, at the point where it starts to widen into a broad estuary. Dinan’s sturdy ramparts and towers remain impressive, but this is a town of smaller pleasures; cobbled alleyways and squares, top-heavy half-timbered houses that hold cosy bars and crêperies. Above all, the great joy here is the twisting, chest-thumpingly steep Rue du Petit-Fort, which connects the town proper with the riverfront quayside down below. 426993841 Some twenty miles upstream from St-Malo, the perfectly preserved fortress town of Dinan perches high above the river Rance CREDIT: TRAVELLIGHT Walking slowly down in the early evening, dawdling in the various galleries en route; savouring a drink and a meal down by the river, spanned here by a little stone bridge; and then walking even more slowly back up again, and passing beneath the mighty gateway to re-enter Dinan proper; that’s what makes Dinan worth a night or two in any Brittany itinerary.

  51. Accommodation after 1,300.4 km

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/brittany/hotels/didier-meril-hotel/#productMap booked and paid for can cancel I think 1st Sept

  52. Drinking water after 1,306.7 km

    Au Pied d’Cheval In sight of Mont St-Michel across the bay, and an easy drive from St-Malo, Cancale is renowned for its oysters. And there’s no better place to try them than this simple restaurant, one of dozens squeezed along the waterfront. Originally it was just a streetside stall with a sideline in shucking oysters to eat on the spot; now dining rooms on two floors complement the tables outside, but the principle remains the same – pick what you fancy from the baskets piled with shellfish, and it’ll be ready to eat within minutes. Address: 10 quai Gambetta, 35260 Cancale. Contact: 00 33 299 897695; restaurant-aupieddcheval.fr

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