Wednesday 22nd September - Dinan - walk along the Rance to Léhon
Slept on this morning until gone 8:00am, when it was light outside, though no movement from CCEng before then either. Woke myself up properly by drinking a cup of tea outside, watching the Rance. Felt much better for that and tried to sketch the reflected buildings and boats further up the river at Dinan Port. Tricky in the changing light, particularly when the sun came up over the valley side. From then on it quickly warmed up.
Still very warm during the middle of the day, though sensed the forecast change in the air as it clouded over during the afternoon. After a couple of days involving car travel, thought we'd have a quiet, easier day around Dinan. Stocked up on bread etc at a small grocers, near town centre. French bread and camenbert for lunch at the gite.
Afterwards, we walked up the Rance to Léhon. Crossed the Pont de Gothique, where some school children were out in colourful canoes. Walked under the viaduct, following the bend of the river beneath the cliff. Then came to some woods which looked distinctly French with the tall poplar trees on the far side. Approaching Lehon, came to a lock, here a more regular canal type one, this part of the river forming the Canal d'Ille et Rance which continues on to Rennes. Above the lock on the far side was Léhon Abbey. Next to it an outdoor municipal pool. Rounding the bend from here, we saw the Abbey from another viewpoint, stone structures on the bank reflected in the water. Near here, too, was a humpback bridge, the Vieux Pont. CCEng photographed some cyclists crossing it, before we walked into the village and round the front of the Abbey. Some pictureesque cottages and flowers here. Went up the hill to the Chateau Fort. Views over the village and Abbey, north to Dinan, too, with the Chateau tower on the Ramparts here visible up the top of the hill. In the opposite direction, glimpses of the Rance between the trees. Saw the Jamien IV boat sail up here before turning round. Saw it again later when we came to the lock, this time walking on the west side of the river. Walked among the poplar trees and then out into the green area near the viaduct, past the allotments. Back at Dinan Port early evening.
Thursday 23rd September - Dinan - Maison de la Rance
Today's Ouest France weather page (Meteo) - Dégradation automnale. A good description of the change in the weather, not to mention what we've already had back home. Overall quite a bit cooler, which was refreshing. Morning dry, mainly cloudy, but wet in the afternoon. Because of
the forecast, another easy, car-free day around Dinan. Went up to the town in the morning, CCEng interested in looking round the cycle shop near the railway station. I quickly found it too crowded / car flappy everywhere, so headed back.
Lunch at the creperie opposite the restaurant we'd eaten at on Tuesday evening. The food was fine, likewise the local cider in boules (cups), but the waitor didn't speak much English and I found it hard to hear his French over the car flap by the bridge. Some confusion between salad and cider, and didn't realise we could have had salad with galatte.
From there, we crossed the bridge and took a walk along the Rance, passing the gite, brasserie and working woodworks factory on the far side. Then turned back to visit the Masion de la Rance. As it name suggests, all about the Rance river, everything from wildlife, tides, barrages, local industry, also a bit of geology. It answered most of the questions I'd had during week about the valley. Bought a book from the shop afterwards (15 euros). Reading and understanding the French a slow process with the dictionary, but well illustrated with good photography. A good memento of what we'd seen from the boat on Tuesday / along the valley. Nearly all the material was in French, but as it was familiar with the subject and scientific terms are pretty similar in all the European languages, I got the general gist of much of the static display at least. The audio-visual thing in the cinema room was harder, but still appreciated the visual content, with scenes along the valley, including the Viking port seen from the boat, Léhon Abbey (though didn't get the bit about the fire). What looked like a natural oxbow, forming the wetlands near Dinan, though, was actually an artificial, the meander short circuited when the river was canalised; similar to the Burpham Loop on the Arun.
Geology - granite further up the valley at La Hédé, schists nearer than Channel. Also Miocene sediments (about 15Ma), limestone and sandstone. Deposited in a shallow sea, much of Brittany to the west was an island at the time. Granite / stones quarried in the valley transported by barge when the river was canalised. hadn't been sure what I'd been looking at in Dinan and St. Malo. It looked very granite-like, coarsely crystalline with a high mica content. Some of it, though showed alignment, consistent with a metamorphic schist. Saw an igneous dyke from the boat trip on Tuesday, too. Don't know how common these are. Had also been curious about how the incised valley at Dinan had formed and how long it took. Seems it was formed during the past two million years, as the river cut down into the bedrock to meet the lower sea levels during the Pleistocene cold stages. When the sea level rose at the end of the last ice age, the lower part of the valley was submerged, forming the tidal ria seen today. Presumanbly, ongoing sea level rise accounts for the Viking camp now being semi-submerged.
Palaelithic habitation from 300,000 years ago, Homo Erectus. Presumably some Neaderthals later (about 40,000 years ago), though didn't see much about them.
Vikings (Michelin Brittany Guide - invasion of Brittany in 919AD, driven out by Normans twenty years later.
Granite working - gather it's stopped now in the Rance valley, though a commonly used building stone. A display about the poplar woodworks / products.
Wildlife room - canal wetlands and tidal estuary - short films / audio info about birds, such as herons, egrets, comorants and gulls. Think I saw a kingfisher on our short walk along the river earlier.
A whole room, the last one, devoted to all things tidal, including some short films with audio through headphones. A bit about tide mills, the barrage and the astronomy behind tides.
Outside, some granite sculptures surrounded a boat carved out of granite - it floats, due to the Archimedes thing and has been out on the water fourteen times. Took 4000 hours to carve. As well we viewed these before we went in, as while we were looking round inside, heard rain on the roof, some thunder, too. When we came back outside it was still raining. Sheltered in a very homely cafe on the west side of the port, drinking tea. Comfy chairs and good coffee table books about Brittany and fairies (fees). The Irish have that word, too. Must be a Celtic thing. Hadn't realised the King Arthur - Merlin legend was over here, too. Some see it set in Medieval England, some in Brittany. The third series of Merlin has just started back home, so recognised some of the names in one of the fairy books.
