Sunday 19th September - Dinan - walk along the Rance to Écluse Châtelier (a lock / barrage)
Orion over the Rance when I woke up. The sunny and warm, especially during the afternoon. Spent the morning looking round Dinan - no runners, today, but still very busy by the middle of the morning. Took the cobbled Rue de Petit Port and Rue de Jerzuel up the hill into the old town. Past various artist studios, with ceramics, painting and jewellery. In the old town, it seemed to be mostly eateries, souvenir shops and collectables such as metallic signs. Some amusing signs in French, warning, as far I could understand, about guard dogs with the capability of racing the door to gate distance in four seconds, or a tally of postmen, theives maulled.
Felt slightly smug about trying out my French at the tourist office, when booking tickets for the Chateaubriand Rance cruise on Tuesday.From the tourist info' walked passed the chateau and roughly followed the ramparts to the Jardin Anglais, in front of St. Sauveur's Basilica. Summer flowers still in bloom. View from here over the Rance, the Port, viaduct. above the viaduct some greenery on the inside of a bend in the river, some allotments. From here, continued following the ramparts part way along the north side, then headed back into the old town. It was now getting a bit hot and busy here, so thought we have bagettes back at the gite before heading out again after lunch. Port busy with boats and cyclists.
Spent the afternoon walking along the west side of the Rance below Dinan, following the GR34c path. Busy with cyclists and walkers. Passed the timber factory near the gites. Sizeable place, making wood products from poplar wood, predominantly crates for veg etc. Quiet over the weekend, but quite a bit of traffic movement in and out, some lorries leaving very early Monday morning. Once past the factory, the Rance began to widen and it became more rural. Past a park with some picnic tables. Rock outcrops either side, though not quite sure what I was looking at, probably schists, though they looked very weathered. Hot walking in the valley. Some wooded bits, but could have done with more shade. Walked as far as the lock, l'Écluse du Châtelier. Here, the Rance underwent a marked change in character. Above the lock, through to Dinan and Léhon, the Rance is canalised. Deep green water and very slow moving. Don't think I saw any flow on it through the Dinan Port. The wider stretch of water we walked along today was bit canal, bit wide, slow winding river: a cross between the Severn and the Basingstoke Canal, we thought (well, as with BC, we had to be on the lookout for cyclists all the time). Yachts were moored in the wide stretch of water approacing the lock. Along the lock here, at La Hisse, was a dam. Immediately below it, was a very muddy, and virtually empty tidal river. Certainly not navigable at this state of the tide (low), though we noticed the water begin to rise. Suspected the tidal barrage has contributed to heavy sediment accumulation here. I couldn't see any information about this kind of thing at the lock-dam; only declining eel populations, a problem throughout Europe, climate change and pollution probably contributory factors. Don't think dams and barrages would help them either. Presumably, they've found a way round this on the Rance (the Pitlochry hydroelectric dam has a fish ladder, allowing salmon to reach their spawning grounds).
A bit cooler, with more shade on the way back. Some guys walking the other way showed a strange interest in my sunhat, the brim lifted at the front so I could see where I was going. One of them took a photo. Gather they thought it looked like something out of the French Revolution. The effect of a few glasses of wine, beers or cider, maybe?
Took another early evening stroll through the Port. Tried sketching the viaduct; a rather complex subject to do quickly. Had to move as the Jamien IV docked. This was the pleasure boat cruising to Léhon Abbey. Mum and Dad did it when they were here in June.
