The Brest to Nantes Canal was built on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte as a way of undermining the British Navy’s blockade of France’s Atlantic ports in the early 19th century. But now these 326 kilometres of canal and its 236 locks have been put to an altogether more peaceful use – as an ideal route for holidaymakers and tourists!

Visitors who want to explore the route from the north coast of Brittany down to the capital of the Loire Atlantique département can hire canoes to paddle their way along its quiet waters, rent a larger boat to see the canal in comfort, or take a bike and pedal along its inviting towpaths.

The best two sections for cycling are the 27 km stretch from Nort-sur-Erdre, north of Nantes, west to Blain, and then the 22 km from Blain to the picturesque Guenrouët.

These two cycle routes on the Brest to Nantes canal are part of the much longer French Atlantic coast cycle route known as La Vélodyssée. This starts off in Ilfracombe in Devon – yes, Devon! – and goes to Plymouth, and then picks up again in Roscoff in Brittany where there is a ferry from Plymouth. Some 1,400 km later it reaches Hendaye on France’s border with Spain.

There’s a leisure centre at Guenrouët where you can have a rest and a picnic, or hire a pedalo to get a different form of exercise! The tourist office at Saint-Gildas-des-Bois, just to the west, is a good place for more detailed information about the canal and the immediate area.

Between Guenrouët and Blain is the wonderful forest called the forêt du Gâvre, which is another good place to stop off and relax or go exploring. The name Gâvre comes from a Breton word for deer and the forest is full of wildlife, including woodcock and green woodpeckers. In all this ancient forest covers some 4,500 hectares.

Photo 1 by Pierre Guezingar / CC BY 2.0 image cropped; Photo 2 and Photo 3 by mathieudreo / CC BY 2.0 image cropped