Cycling
The French love to cycle, and there is no shortage of choice for visitors to the Mobihan region. You can enjoy long leisurely cycle rides along the well maintained towpath of the Nantes-Brest Canal. The level footpaths of the canal are a great way to discover the area. You can access the canal near Josselin, just 3 miles from our cottage. Click here  to view our canal cycle ride photo album.

For a more energetic ride, explore the local country lanes and cycle routes. As the roads are uncrowded by UK standards and well maintained, this is a great way to explore the local villages. The undulating hills of the area do mean that you will either have to be reasonably fit, or else get off to push up hills! A great day trip would be a cycle to Lizio for lunch. There are also many off-road cycle routes in the area.

We have several bikes available which you are welcome to borrow (free of charge) plus there is a bike hire shop in Josselin, or bring your own.

The Blavet Valley is popular with cyclists, and has been given official recognition for its newly formed tracks and circuits - To date, there are 100 km of way-marked routes waymarked over 9 trails. The Blavet Valley is about 20 miles west of Guegon.

Near to the east of the cottage, the Voie Verte (green route) follows the path of the old railway line from Mauron to Questembert on a 53km surfaced trail. This provides an excellent, safe, traffic free route through some beautiful countryside, which is perfect for both walking and cycling. The track is split into manageable portions between the main towns and villages. There is a map available showing you where you can get food and drinks along the way at auberges or creperies. Alternatively, take some lunch with you and have a picnic.

Cycle enthusiasts can head for the Velopark near Pontivy. It’s a 100 acre park set in the heart of the forest with a bike museum, plenty of cycle routes to follow, a shop and a good bar.

The map (left) illustrates seven of the local cycle routes in the Pays de Josselin area, and is taken from an on-line leaflet  that will you an idea of the routes you might take (leaflet in French). The cycle routes are graded easy (green), moderate (blue), and hard (red) so there should be something to suit most tastes and abilities.

Cycle route No.10 goes virtually past the front door of our cottage, and the route is waymarked with signs on the ground. This particular one is rated as 2hrs/19 km, but it is much more fun to take a picnic and make a half-day of it.

We have purchased a full set of cycle route cards for your use at the cottage, and local maps at 1:100 000 are provided.

Click here to read why the owner of Breton Bikes reckons that Brittany is one of the best cycling areas in France.

Eating Out

We find that one of the great joys of holidaying abroad is the opportunity to eat out, and perhaps to try something a bit different from what we are used to. Within the Morbihan region of Brittany there is a great choice of restaurants, creperies, grills and pizzerias, catering for most tastes and budgets.

With over 700 miles of coastline, seafood is the main Breton speciality. The classic 'fruits de mer' platter will contain the best of the local seafood, likely to include oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, lobster, winkles, crab and prawns, but will vary according to the coast, the season and catch. The best seafood restaurants  have signed up to a charter that guarantees freshness and quality offering a choice of six different sorts of shellfish and crustaceans accompanied by rye bread and white bread, homemade mayonnaise and salted-butter.

The second great Breton favourite is the pancake, or more accurately the crêpe and galette. The main difference between crêpes and galettes lies in the making of the batter. The batter for galettes is made from buckwheat flour and water, whereas the batter for crêpes is sweet and made with milk. Galettes are a savory dish served with ham, cheese and eggs (the typical "complète"). Crêpes are eaten for desert- the butter and sugar crêpe is the classic one.

As for where to eat, there is an excellent variety of places in the nearby medieval town of Josselin. We have identified some of these by location on a Google Map, where we identify the establishment, a photo and add any comments we have. This will give you a good idea of what is available.

A favourite with the French are the Restaurants du Terroir, the traditional Breton restaurants 'of the soil'. These serve the best of local produce cooked to authentic traditional recipes.

You can find out more about the local food and drink at the Tastes of Brittany  web site.

Festivals (Festou-noz)
Fest Noz  are often held in conjunction with a Pardon but not always. A fest-noz involves much food and drink, and above all music and dancing. All kinds of Breton and other Celtic music can be heard, from very traditional singers and instrumentalists, to younger bands with rock or jazz influences. The dances are always traditional Breton dances done in a circle (or many circles). The local village, Guegon, have an annual Fest Noz outside the village church on the eve of Bastille Day. Each July, our neighbours at the Manoir de Mongrenier hold their own Fest Noz.

Music festivals  are a popular part of the summer cultural calendar for Bretons. We attended a festival one July at Pont l'Abbe and had a great time. We arrived in the morning and stayed all day! All the streets were closed off for the day (Sunday), and entry was by payment only. The festival commenced with a parade of bands, dancers, groups from all over Brittany and even abroad. It was a fantastic spectacle. The rest of the day was spent visiting the 3 or 4 stages set up in the Town Centre for different performances. Lunch was French style - great long wooden trestle tables to eat your choice of fresh fish food or barbequed food, wine, beer or cider. This is most definitely a genuine Breton festival, put on for Bretons not tourists, but we were made to feel welcome and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Definitely one of the highlights of our holiday, so if your trip does coincide with a music festival we would recommend a visit.

The largest traditional music festival in Brittany is held in Lorient. Every year, Celts from Asturias, Galicia, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, Isle of Man and Brittany descend on the Interceltic Festival  in Lorient. 600,000 festivals-goers are brought together by their cultural roots - quite a party! other major regional festivals include:

• Quimper - held over nine days at the end of every July and featuring a huge gathering of Celtic artists, musicians and dancers from all over Europe, Festival de Cornouaille is almost certainly the region's largest folk festival. Quimper is one of the best places to see regional costumes, and to listen to both popular and traditional Breton music.
• Rennes - Brittany's capital city gets in party mood at the beginning of each July with its Tombées de la Nuit, a spectacular street festival celebrating theatre, music, poetry and dance. The traditional music and comtemporary Breton rock takes place side by side, catering for the tastes of Rennes' 45,000 students.
• Dinan - medieval days come vividly to life during Dinan's spectacular Fête des Remparts held over four days in late July. This is probably the largest celebration of medieval culture in Europe, and includes exhibitions of jousting, drama, dance, music and ancient crafts. As quite probably the most perfectly preserved medieval town in Brittany, and with a population immensely proud of this fact, Dinan is the perfect setting for such a display.
• Concarneau - is France's largest fishing harbour, and the town's Fête des Filets Bleus (Festival of Blue Nets) held in mid-August began life in 1905 as a fund raising exercise for distressed families of local fishermen.These days it is a traditional Breton festivity recalling the fishing, culture and music of the region. Celebrations include grand scale dining on seafood and singing of Breton seafaring songs. Festivities conclude with a huge fete, which every year attracts around 25,000 visitors.
  The Worldwide Encounters of Dance & Music festival, or "Le festival de la Baie", attracts more than 500 performers from several countries, ranging from local Breton groups to dancers from as far away as China, Bolivia, Russia. The event is held every year in early August. There is also a huge crafts fair, with jewellery, rugs, clothes, pottery and musical instruments from countries including Brazil, India, Peru and Bali.
• Brest - held every four years since 1992, the Brest Maritime Festival has rapidly grown into a truly spectacular affair. In mid-July 2004 it attracted over 2,000 traditional sailing craft and tall ships from seafaring nations all over the world. In addition to a wealth of maritime heritage, music and other forms of entertainment from these countries also featured heavily, as did many fine replicas of the world's historic vessels. Full-scale festivities usually cover six days, and include firework displays and concerts every evening.
• Saint Brieuc - held in late may, the Art Rock Festival in Saint-Brieuc combines modern music with performance art, and attracts over 35,000 visitors every year. The festival cencept is to draw together contemporary music (pop, rock, jazz or DJ-ing) and art (theatre, dance, plastic arts, video, multimedia etc). The varied programme combines international stars with established artists to create something entirely new. Past participants have included the Fun Lovin' Criminals & Happy Mondays as well as new French and Breton talent.
• St Malo - La Route Du Rock Festival has two shows a year, one in summer and the other in winter. Lasting for three days, the festival continues to attract a diverse array of quality performers, and the idyllic location is ideal for those who enjoy catching a few rays while checking out the music.
• Vannes - each year Vannes has a six day jazz festival.

There are many other smaller festivals throughout the summer - look out for details advertised on the bus stops and supermarket notice boards.

Fishing

Brittany is France's most favoured region for game fishing. The Elorn, Blavet, Ellé, Triieux, Aulne, Steir and Odet are all rivers which flow swiftly down from the flanks of the ancient Armorican plateau, and where fine salmon can be caught.

Excellent trout can also be caught in the above rivers, as well as in the Vilaine, Scorff, Penzée, Leff and Léguer. In the quieter waters to the east there is an abundance of pike, perch and other coarse fish.

A holiday permit (la Carte Vacance) was introduced several years ago to give visitors a fortnight's access between June 1st and September 30th to all fishing grounds within the Morbihan. It costs around 30 Euros and can be purchased from bar tabacs. Note that you are still subject to the rules concerning quotas and sizes.
Lake fishing can be arranged at the Duke's Lake (Lac au Duc), nearby, for perch, carp and pike. There is also the Nantes-Brest Canal, and a large fishing lake just outside Guegon which is popular with locals.

Fishing from a sea-side beach does not require a permit. There is also a good selection of bases along the coast where you can go deep sea-fishing for the day, such as the Port d’Etel (Tel: 02 97 55 23 80) they are very helpful and you can fish for either a whole day or half a day.

More information on fishing in Brittany is available here .

Golf
If golfing is your chosen holiday activity, you'll spoilt for choice in the Morbihan. There are five 18-hole courses within 50 minutes drive. There is also a 9-hole course just 20 minutes away.
9 hole courses:
   Rimaison          Lac au Duc
18 hole courses:
   Val Queven        St Laurent        Ploemeur-Ocean        Baden        Rhuys-Kerver

A good website for comparing golf sites in Brittany can be found at BrittanyTourism.com , with diagrams of the course layout, access details and cost. You can also visit www.formule-golf.com to find out how you can play at different courses throughout the week at very reasonable rates. 
St Laurent was a chosen venue for the French Professional Championships in 1988 & 1989, and the National Open in 1995. All the courses are pay and play.

Check out wannasurf.com   for surf information. Nautisme en Bretagne  has details of surf schools and clubs.

Swimming
There is a very large open air pool at Pontivy 50m x15m open summer months 11am-7:30pm daily. [22miles/30min]. 50 metres should be long enough for even the keanest lane swimmers!

The nearest indoor pool is at Ploermel 25m x 10m [11miles/13min]. There is also another at Baud.

The nearest outdoor pools are at Plumelec [7miles/10min], and Serent [10miles/16min] - we have used them both and found them to be excellent.

For off-season breaks, the indoor swimming centre Les Aquatides at Loudeac [22 miles/33 min] is worth a trip. As well as the 25m swimming pool, there is a 70m water slide, fountains, lagoons and rivers, jacuzzi and spar bath. There is also a cafeteria for lunch.

The Lac au Duc provides supervised lake swimming with a man made sandy beach, or you can always take a dip in the sea - the water of the Southern Brittany coast is a bit warmer than the north and west coasts.

Tennis
Guegon has its own outdoor tennis courts, just 5 mins from the cottage.

Many other towns and villages also have tennis facilities e.g. there is an indoor tennis court at St Barthelemy. There is a minimal charge. Tuition is available if required.

At Baud's sports centre, there are 2 outdoor courts and another four courts at Camors.

Walking

Brittany has more way marked paths than any other region of France and there are many beautiful walks and footpaths in the area – from strolls along the river bank to country, forest or coastal hikes. We provide local maps and a selection of routes to help you get the

best out of the local area. Here are some suggestions:

• Take a short walk of 3km right from the cottage front door - ideal for sunny evenings.
• A way marked cycle route/walking route passes by the hamlet (Circuit de Tregranteur  follow the link to see the route on Google Maps, 11km/2h30 foot or cycle). Examples of other local walks in Pays du Josselin can be found here .
• You will find a pack of walking/cycling/riding route cards at the cottage containing details of 30 routes, with varying lengths from 5 to 30 km.
• The nearby Lac au Duc (Dukes’ Lake) has a circular walking trail planted with hundreds of Hydrangea shrubs (leaflet in the cottage).
• You can walk along the entire length of the Nantes Brest Canal path.
• The Voie Verte (green route) is a converted railway-line foot & cycle path of 53km from Mauron to Questembert.
• The small town of Lizio is the base for several circular waymarked trails of various lengths.
• Explore the coastal footpaths.
• Use one of our many walking guide books to find a location and length of walk that suits you.

Brittany has a total of 1,700 kilometres of coastal footpaths running along capes, headlands, dunes and beaches. These footpaths are extremely accessible and follow the entire length of the coastline, passing through superb scenery. Now maintained for rambling and walking, they once had a major role to play in coastal surveillance, being originally used to combat smuggling and wreck-looting, hence the term "Customs Paths". But times have changed, and these paths are now the preserve of nature-lovers, dedicated hikers, those keen for a taste of adventure and others simply out for a stroll.

In France there is a national network of walking paths. Apart from the Coastal Path (the GR34) many other Grandes Randonnees, as they are called, go through Brittany. They are marked with white and red signs.

Smaller walking paths (known as GRPs) are marked with yellow and red signs and are planned to offer a week of walking.

PRs are even smaller and are marked in yellow (or sometimes with a thematic "walking" symbol) and are meant to last from an hour to a whole day.

The signposts along these routes give you the time, rather than the distance, which might take a little getting used to. The times are calculated on a steady walking speed of 4km an hour without any stops.

The Hortensia Trail is unique in Brittany and is an invitation to stroll along and dream or to discover this botanical path. The walk runs along the edge of the lake through an arboretum where hydrangea, the flower of Brittany, burst open in all their splendour. There are pink, blue, mauve, white with sun-yellow centres, two-coloured hortensias, etc., from the smallest and most delicate species to what are truly flowering trees. About 2,000 hydrangeas of 220 different species are planted, and flower between May and October. The outer walk is 3km/1hr30 and inner walk 0.8km/0hr30, and both start from the parking area  near King Arthur Hotel.