Lovers of landscapes and villages of timeless beauty will be enchanted by the tourist route that follows the winding banks of the Rance, guarded by monumental buildings and malouinières, to the aber, whose waters forever separate the towns of Saint-Malo and Dinard.
If you're staying at our magnificent hotel in Saint-Malo with sea views, you might want to take the opportunity to explore the Vallée de la Rance. This tourist route allows you to discover this beautiful region, deeply rooted in its culture and marked by the influence of the sea.
A JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF BRITTANY
The hamlets and villages of the Vallée de la Rance blend into the landscape without detracting from their timeless beauty, like Saint-Suliac, whose roofs are reflected in the peaceful waters of the estuary.
Saint-Suliac is listed as one of France's Most Beautiful Villages, and the remains of an ancient Viking camp bear witness to the fact that man has long chosen this place to shelter from storms while remaining close to the sea.
Its position at the end of a cove overlooks the Rance estuary and guards its entrance. This privileged vantage point, from which boats can be seen coming from afar, has made the village the Mecca of the terre-neuvas, watched over by the Vierge de Grainfollet.
Port Saint-Jean is the starting point for the Rance estuary and the coastal path that follows the winding course of the river to the Saint-Suliac dam. It was here that the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem settled in the 12th century, in what was then called Port Stablon.
MASSIVE, IMPOSING BUILDINGS GUARD THE BANKS OF THE RANCE LIKE GRANITE KNIGHTS
On either side of the river, the built heritage of the Malouinières in Saint-Jouan-des-Guérêts and Montmarin in Pleurtuit stand like monumental granite jewels above the river's banks, bearing witness to the past wealth of Malouin shipowners.
The Rance ends its course wedged between Dinard and Saint-Malo, and the magnificent aber with its viridesque, cerulean waters separates the two towns forever.
The dry dock at La Landriais, anchored in the eponymous bay at Minihic-sur-Rance, where the boats of the Terre-Neuvas and ocean-going sailors were built, bears witness to the maritime vocation of the Rance.
The calm waters of the estuary, where fresh and salt water mix, conceal an unsuspected and invisible force. The power of the waves, which invade the estuary to the rhythm of the ebb and flow, has enabled the operation of tidal mills such as the Beauchet mill in Saint-Père-Marc-en-Poulet and the Quinard mill in Saint-Jouan-des-Guérêts.
The wear and tear of time, sea air and salt water have taken their toll on certain mills, such as the Fosse-Mort mill in Minihic-sur-Rance, where only an unusual stone arch placed on the bank has withstood the deadly caress of the waves.
The Souhaitier chapel in Plouër-sur-Rance, sheltered by foliage, evokes the harshness of the sea and its good and bad fortunes.
It stands silently and hieratically in the hollow of the bay, signalling to wary tourists the starting point of the hiking trail, and keeping the summer crowds, who prefer to bask on the crowded beaches of the coast, away from these havens of peace sheltered by the maritime pines.
