Hiking tour – Along the Rance River

Day 1 – Arrival in DINAN

Build on a steep plateau overlooking the Rance Valley, Dinan is a city that has managed to keep its medieval character. The city preserved the entirety of its 12th-century ramparts, which protects numerous medieval wooden homes and beautiful edifices of the time – among them the tour de l’Horloge (clock tower) and the château – all of which you will discover while venturing through the narrow city streets. Lodging and breakfast in a two-star hotel

Day 2 – EVRAN – DINAN (16 km)

For the next three days you will discover the different faces of the Rance River, making your way along its banks. Today will begin with a taxi escort to Evran, located on the Canal d’Ille et Rance. You will arrive at the banks of the tranquil river and follow it through prairies and woods and around hills until you reach Lehon, a small city nestled into one of the river’s curves, rich in history and recognized for its location and monuments. You will discover the fortified castle that protected the Rance Valley from Norman invasions and the magnificent Royal abbey of Saint Magloire. The abbey was founded in 850 by Nominoë, the king of Brittany, along with six monks who willfully embarked on a journey for the Ile de Serk where they stole relics of Saint Magloire, once bishop of Dol, so to place the new abbey under the protection of a patron saint…and attract donations! The first abbey having been burned by the Normans, the Benedictines rebuilt it in the 12th century and it continued to grow until the 17th century, when the Revolution left it abandoned. It has been under successive reconstructions since the end of the 19th century. Lodging and breakfast in the same two-star hotel.

Day 3 – LANGROLAY SUR RANCE – DINAN (23km)

Escort by taxi to Langrolay, a village situated at a distance from the banks of the Rance. Here you will discover maritime Rance, changing in landscape with each incoming tide. You will come to one of the numerous little creeks of the Rance Bay, marrying with the twisted relief of the banks, and will follow the water’s edge to the hamlet of Souhaitier. Here lies a lovely little chapel which is frequented by pilgrims each year on the 15th of August. You will continue inland towards the Port Saint Hubert, with its two bridges crossing the Rance. The path curves to and away from the waterside and then arrives at the écluse du Chatelier (lock). Just beyond, the Rance becomes nothing more than a peaceful flow of water, pleasant if not placid, which you will follow to the port of Dinan. You will admire the old gothic bridge and then climb towards the old city by way of the Rue du Vieux Port and Rue du Jerzual (city streets) – Lodging and breakfast in the same two-star hotel

Day 4 – LANGROLAY – SAINT MALO (24 km)

Transfer by taxi to Langrolay for a discovery of the maritime Rance. You will arrive at the Pointe du Chatelet (headland) and follow the Grève de Morlet (strand). You will arrive at the holds and strands which stretch across the commune of Minihic. Early in their history, the activity of the villages along the Rance turned entirely towards the sea. Men became sea fishermen or offshore carpenters, shipyards began to be numerous along the coast, and watermills were installed in the protection of the coastal recesses. You will still find remains of these mills along the path. You will follow the strands to La Richardais and its restored mill, and cross the cove of the streams to the power plant which borders the Rance estuary. You will cross the river and continue your walk along the opposite bank to Saint Servan sur Mer and the Tour Solidor. You will then arrive in the ancient city of Saint Malo. Lodging and breakfast in a two-star hotel in the Saint Malo’s old city

Day 5 – SAINT MALO

Tour ends after breakfast. We recommend taking time to visit Saint Malo. The city is rich in history and hides numerous testimonies of the past behind its ramparts