Day Trip Suggestions

Reguiny (3 Miles / 4.8 km): Reguiny is the closest to Parc de Lutin. It is larger than Pleugriffet and has a supermarket, hairdresser, beauty parlour, various shops such as bakeries, butchers, newsagents, post office, banks, a Renault garage, two restaurants, several bars and a large heated swimming pool complex. The swimming pool is only open in the afternoons in July and August. There is also a large lake and a small children’s playground. A medical centre (dentist, doctors, veterinarian) is opposite the supermarket.

Pleugriffet (3 Miles / 4.8 km): Pleugriffet is a very small village, but still offers a small supermarket, baker, hairdressers, two bars, a restaurant, and a library. There is also a small lake and children’s playground. The doctor’s surgery is in Pleugriffet.

Nantes / Brest Canal: A few minutes by car from Parc de Lutin is the Brest canal, which is great for long walks and cycling.

Josselin (10.5 Miles / 16.9 km): The nearby historical town of Josselin, with a beautiful castle overlooking the canal and narrow windy roads, is a very popular tourist attraction. Consequently, there is a huge choice of bars and restaurants to try out. Market day is on Saturday mornings.

Pontivy (12.5 Miles /20 km): Larger than Josselin and also situated by the canal. Pontivy has hundreds of boutiques and restaurants. Especially interesting are the little shops and services to be found in the side streets. The old town around the Place du Martray has narrow streets with overhanging wooden houses. There is a popular Monday morning market. The Basilique Notre Dame de Joie church in the centre of the city is worth a visit. Pontivy is divided into two halves – the medieval town with its fortified 15th-century château overlooking the river and the regimented streets laid out according to Napoléon’s plan. It was a military base which he renamed Napoléonville. There is a well-visited market on Monday mornings.

Ploermel (15.5 Miles/ 25 km): The Lac au Duc with its artificial beaches offers picnic opportunities, water sports and a near opportunity for ‘some time at the beach’. The town center of Ploermel has a good selection of boutiques and shops.

Lac au Duc: The Lac au Duc lies just outside Ploermel and is the largest inland lake in Brittany. It has a man-made sandy beach with supervised lake swimming (summer). Sailing, water skiing and pedalos are available. There is also a small restaurant and café. Golf (9 holes), tennis and fishing are also available. Alongside the lake is the ‘Voie verte’ a 53 km cycle trail, which is open to everyone who enjoys cycling, hiking, rollerblading or just strolling. You can also enjoy a stroll around the path marked Hortensia (Hydrangeas) Trail.

Loudeac (16.8 Miles / 27 km):A traditional town with a lively atmosphere. The mediaeval town of Loudeac in the Côtes D’Armor department is a very pretty market town with many traditional buildings and mediaeval streets. The centuries-old weekly market sells the best and freshest of local produce is always worth a visit. Loudeac is set in a picture-perfect landscape with Loudeac National Forest on its doorstep, and its 2,500 hectares of beautiful forestry. Perfect for cycling and horse-riding, there are 45 kilometres of marked trails to follow. The forest is a conservation zone, offering a delightful cornucopia of wildlife and plants for nature enthusiasts. Swimming enthusiasts should visit the huge aquatic park Aquatides with its 700 square meter swimming pool, giant waterslides, fast flowing ‘river’ section and safe shallow play pools for the little ones. Among the more sedate activities, Loudeac offers golfing, fishing and hiking.

Auray (35.4 Miles / 57 km): Auray is a beautiful city and has an excellent market on Monday mornings. A short walk from the town centre is the port of St. Goustan, where many good restaurants are located.

Vannes (28 Miles / 45 km): A beautiful harbour town and many of its sights can be found within its ancient city walls. Vannes is very cosmopolitan. It has an excellent market and fish market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Carnac (43 Meilen/69 km): Carnac is a popular recreation area with a very long sandy beach. The sea shelves gently but waves can be rough (!) There are many bars, restaurants and shops typical of those found in tourist areas. Carnac is famous for its ‘standing stones’.

Lorient (44.4 Miles /71.5 km): Like Carnac, it aims at the tourist market. Sunday is market day. There is a good beach at L’amour Plage. There is a wide variety of different types of restaurants/bars. The revitalised dockland and ‘state of the art’ fish market at Lorient is an interesting spectacle in its vast harbour. Boat trips to Ile de Groix and Belle Ile are popular excursions from Lorient. The fishing port is immense (second largest in France) and worth a visit for the auction of the morning catch. The old submarine base (originally built by the Germans) is now deserted – the last submarine left in 1997. Alternatively, visit the Victor Pleven, a trawler once used for cod fishing off Newfoundland. Lorient plays host to important yacht races every year and the Festival Interceltique takes place during the first fortnight of August. The festival unites Celtic people from the British Isles, Spain and Brittany, drawing more than 4,500 artists and musicians every year for traditional music and dancing in the streets. Cider, crêpes and cotriade (fish stew) are on sale around the fishing harbour, complete with an Astérix-style village. The festival is highly recommended, but with over 300,000 people attending it can get crowded.

Rennes (100 Miles / 160 km): For those looking to go further afield, Rennes is a very large and beautiful city. Its market day is on a Saturday morning in the Place des Lices, which is huge and very popular. It is one of the largest markets in France with an impressive flower market. There is no shortage of places to eat and drink! The Rue Saint Michel has been nicknamed the ‘Street of Thirst’ by locals due to the fact that nearly every building has a bar. In the town centre, there is a 24-acre The Garden of Thabor that once belonged to an abbey.