Tuesday 2nd October 2018 – Maure de Bretagne, Brittany, France

We decided that Malestroit deserved another look so we went back into the town and explored for an hour or so. The town is at the confluence of the Brest-Nantes Canal and the L’Oust river. There were two weirs on the L’Oust but there was no water running over them. They have obviously had a dry period here but plaques showing the height of floods in the past shows that this is not always the case.
Our next destination was Monteneuf for some more archaeology. Until 1989 only a few menhirs were known here but more were discovered and a full investigation started. In the end over 400 menhirs were found over a 6 hectare site. Most of the menhirs are not standing and it is thought that the site was deliberately destroyed in the Middle Ages. About 40 of the menhirs have been re-erected when the archaeologists had evidence of their original position. There is a very good walk around the site on good paths through woodland and scrub. Maps are available at the entrance and although the English copies had run out, it was easy to follow the route with the French version. Many boards explain the sites (in French) and there is a good area of reconstruction showing life in prehistoric times. Most impressive was the educational area dedicated to experimental archaeology where many ideas were shown for the methods of transporting and erecting the menhirs. The visit took us much longer than expected so we decided to find another aire rather than going on to the next site. We chose Maure de Bretagne where the aire overlooked a park and small lake. The services were good and there were three good hardstanding pitches and we had our choice. Unfortunately, the town is not at all interesting and the road noise and church clock lead to a disturbed night. Like some other churches in France that we have come across, the clock chimes the hour twice. So at 10 o’clock there are 10 chimes and then two minutes later there are another 10 chimes. The only reason that I can think of for this is in those cases when you don’t know whether you heard all of the chimes or you lost count. Chiming twice means that you can concentrate hard on the second ones.
Photos: Two of the ‘Les Lapins Cretins’ carvings – a rabbit plays the bagpipes whilst a man popes out his tongue at the church opposite and a man batters his wife, a scene straight out of ‘Punch and Judy’; This unusual pulpit in the Malestroit church has no visible means of entry – there is actually a concealed door that leads to a staircase that goes through the wall; One of the carvings on the outside of the church representing sins – this one is debauchery; The confluence of the canal and the L’Oust; A menhir and alignment at Monteneuf; The experimental area at Monteneuf.

Monday 1st October 2018 – Malestroit, Brittany, France

The plan for today was to go to a resistance museum this morning and then move on to a couple of prehistoric sites. However, we arrived at the Musee de la Resistance Bretonne in Sainmt-Marcel at 11:00, had a break for lunch at 13:00 and eventually left at 16:00. Needless to say, it was very interesting!
There is a very good subtitled film that sets the scene and then rooms full of exhibits and more videos. All of the text is in French but we were each provided with a very good file with English explanations. Inevitably, given the number of exhibits, the files did not tell us about all of the stories told and we were left wanting to know more in many cases. Having said that, it was a fascinating exhibition and well worth the visit. There is a small exhibition of guns and German defences in the grounds but the hanger holding the military vehicles was closed. This was due to preparations for the large refurbishment project that starts at the end of the year. This will see the museum closed for a year but the plans show that the museum will be even better when it has been completed.
Our aires book shows 5 different aires in Malestroit and we headed for the one indicated as being the best. When we got there, it had obviously been upgraded as there was space for at least 50 vans rather than the 12 mentioned in the book. We were expecting it to be quiet on a Monday in late September but it was really busy with at least 30 vans present. The aire is very well located, very close to the picturesque Brest-Nantes Canal and we set off to investigate the town, walking down the side of the canal and crossing it arriving in the town within just a few minutes. Malestroit is designated as a ‘town of character’ and it lives up to that description. The main square is a delight and on the roads off the square are many interesting houses mainly dating from the 15^th century. We decided that it should be called the town of carvings as there were many fascinating carvings, especially on the church and the 15^th century half-timbered building on the corner opposite, known as ‘Les Lapins Cretins’, amongst other names.
On the way back to the van I discovered that the village provided free WiFi and it actually covered the whole of the aire. This place just gets better and better!
Photos: A wartime café, inevitably named ‘Chez Rene’, at the museum; A cartoon from the museum – it says ‘born in Germany, fattened in France, eaten in England’; The main square of Malestroit; The church in the square – the two cars were prizes in a local lottery.

Sunday 30th September 2018 - St. Nicolas Des Eaux, Brittany, France

We had plans to visit Melrand, a reconstruction of a village from about 1000 AD but as we were driving there we heard some rather disturbing noises coming from the engine. We decided to go directly to the aire that we had intend to stay at in St. Nicolas Des Eaux. The noises stopped fairly quickly and there were no visible signs of a problem and no warning lights. With luck, all will be OK.
As we approached the village we came across the Chapelle de St. Nicodeme with a wonderful steeple, visible for miles. The church itself was closed but we were able to admire the carvings on the outside and the three-in-one fountain with more carving. As if three fountains wasn’t enough, there was another fountain just a few metres away.
The aire at St. Nicolas Des Eaux looked really good in our aires book but the space was restricted due to the rebuilding of the marine centre used for canoes and kayaks. There were a few other vans there but also enough room for us. The aire is right next to the river Blavet, now canalised, and there are lovely views and walks from the site. Just a hundred meters away are a number of cafes and restaurants clustered around a lock and weir on the canal. We spent some time wandering along the river in both directions and investigated the small village.
Photos: Two of the fountains in the three-in-one fountain of the Chapelle de St. Nicodeme; The weir and lock; The Blavet further down river; We couldn’t believe our eyes as this man passed by taking his dog and sheep for a walk – the sheep was so well trained that the man didn’t need to hold his lead!