Yesterday we arrived in Nantes, former capital of Brittany and now in the Pays de la Loire region. Unfortunately it wasn't to the same sunny reception we have received elsewhere! Just as we made it to the hostel (which was closed over the middle of the day to our disappointment) and I found a place to look after the bags while Tom went to grab some food, the heavens opened and poor Tom was drenched while I scrambled to get out the waterproof covers for our bags i...

Rennes is a great city. The capital of Brittany, it is a perfect mix of medieval wooden buildings, wide boulevards an leafy open spaces. So while it contains nothing overly touristy, we have had the opportunity to live more like locals, getting to know these streets, exploring the local market and relaxing in the large park grounds. The market was a definite highlight. Unlike the market in Dinan where most stalls sold clothes and jewellery, the Rennes Market on ...

Our two days in Dinan were both beautiful and a little scary. Our hostel was a 2km walk from the town centre and only 1km from the Dinan Port along a road in the forest surrounds. We spent most of our first day at the port, which is only small as it is only on a river. But what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for with beauty and charm. After a very cool lunch that consisted of buckwheat crepe filled with eggs, bacon and cheese, we booked our place on a fe...

Our two days in St Malo were great fun. It is a beautiful city with the weather to match - we loved walking the many beaches, soaking up the sun, sand and sea. It was beautifully summery! The Intra Muros (old town) has been so well restored after 80% was destroyed by WWII fighting. It is definitely driven by tourism but we had fun exploring and losing ourselves in the smaller, quieter streets as well as the busier shopping and dining streets. We found ourselves i...

We spent yesterday at Mont St Michel! Before we even got there, we were beginning to get a feeling for it's popularity as there was was a traffic jam 3 km long up the narrow road to the Mount. Apparently it was even longer a couple of weeks ago! But it was a magical sight as we kept spotting it and as it finally revealed itself as we left the mainland. We battled our way through the crowded tiny streets up to our hotel for night. It's in a great spot, halfway up ...