Our host Nicole has been concerned that we have not hired a car to get out of Dinan and see the coast and the countryside. So today Alain and Nicole put us in their car at 10:15am and drove us around until 7pm. Our first stop was Dinard, a resort town on the other side of the Rance River from St Malo. It has beaches, old buildings, new mansions (many belonging to English people) and fortifications. This coast line was substantially used by the Germans to defend against the British. It is now known as The Emerald Coast and we were very impressed with its beauty and charm.
At 11am we drove into a Novotel Sea and Spa Resort which specialised in thalassotherapy. It was situated on a headland with fantastic views and we had drinks and lunch there. It felt like Queen Mary 2 on land. Nicole has read our blog now and was keen to learn about our family and our plan for the rest of the trip. There was a small fort in the bay, which was said to be the most bombed spot of any in WW2. There are still live bombs being found around the town and many people have been killed and injured by them since the war.
During the afternoon we watched the water receding until many boats were stranded and the sandy beaches were a hundred meters from the water. They have had a 14 meter tide recently. We strolled along a section of the grande randonnee 34 and saw some serious walkers with backpacks. It would be a very scenic trek. We turned back at a marina which had perhaps 500 boats moored.
We visited briefly a lighthouse (old and new) at Cap Frehel and the seaside town of Erqy, which was Alain's favourite as he used to live nearby at St Brieuc.
We stopped at the Tarterie on the way home and bought a Foret Noir and a Religieuse (cafe). We are getting addicted to French cakes.
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