If you're visiting France with your teenager and if you want to enjoy a medieval town while he wants to skate, you should go to Dinan. It is nice for you and for him…



Yes, Dinan is a nice touristic town and 15 minutes away from the historical city center, you have a skate park that is safe and enjoyable.



Listen to one of the riders :

It is a nice place hidden by trees… 15 minutes away from the pedestrian quarter, close to Quevert. Ask for a shop called Titi Gil, everybody knows it.



We do have nice objects like mini ramps, funboxes, quarters, half pipes …and others that I can’t translate... even if the “French words” are English ones…

We sometimes play at a game called in French SKATE. You have to do tricks and everytime you fail, you get a letter from the word skate. Once you can spell it entirely, you lost…


Teenagers to young adults (10 to 20) ride in the skate park Cordier – mostly or even exclusively men –. Roller blades or kick scooters (push scooters) are welcome.



Read it in French : le skate parc Cordier à Dinan Bretagne

Once upon a time, there were forests... and trees... now there are climbing courses for adventurers who like to be acrobats.

From April to November, you can in the afternoon climb trees in a park in Rennes (when it is not school holidays, it is open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday). Depending of the weather, of course ... Heavy rain and - du vent à décorner les boeufs - (wind that will dehorn cattle, as we say in French !) are usually day-offs!



Children can try with 2 (my girl was 3 ½ years and a friend 5 years ... they did the course for 2-4 years). Very quickly, kids are independent and climb alone. They can't fall as they are secured by a rope and an equipment including harness and carabiners ... They learn easily and do not get dizzy, those young climbers.

Several other outdoor courses are possible: for 5-8 years, one for 9-13 and then for over 14 years. The rates are on their website ...

Forêt adrénaline is a specialist... they're not only professionnals of tree-climbing, they are also designers of park adventure: they have already opened several parks in the area: one in Carnac in the 2000s ... one at Betton, 10 kms from Rennes.



Don't panic if you are "stuck" on your monkey bridge or if you're frightened by the zip line above the lake. Supervisors, professionals, will help you through.



Adrenalin Forest also offers corporate seminars, "unusual acrobatic exercices" (to test what you're able to do, you and your boss!). Or you can also check thanks to those flights between the trunks'crowns the team spirit of your company. ... You can also celebrate original birthday parties ... or whatever you like ...



In short, they are professionnals in recreational entertainment.

The park entrance is near the campsite Gayeulles... You can't miss it :there are lots of things hanging in the woods ...

One more thing ... Forests'lovers don't have to worry, those professionals are tree/true friends: they do everything to avoid damaging them (don't forget trees are their way of earning a living), or to hamper their growth (the trunks you climb on!). They try to limit their impact on nature and environment. That 's what they say!

Read this article in French : Grimper aux arbres à Rennes : le parcours aventure de Forêt adrénaline

You’re visiting Rennes with your children. And you want to rest after your cultural visit of the old town of Rennes… Leave the historical monuments and go up North. The park of Maurepas (Parc de Maurepas) is located on the North side of Rennes and is open from 8.15 am to 6.15 pm.



It is a nice garden for young kids to young teenagers…

With your young kids :



they can play on/in the sand … or enjoy the toboggan





or the swings…



You can also try the carrousel on sundays afternoon.



If you came with their bicycles, you can let them go round the playground, on a track that imitates real traffic conditions (lights, stops…).



Your young teeny needs a break. He can use his skate board on the opposite side of the garden, on a street park for skateboarders.



And parents can have a picnic or rest on the grass



(in France you need to be allowed to walk on the grass... in public gardens? And here yes you can !!!) while your baby savours sand, your little girl jumps from the toboggan and your teenager learns to speak French with other skateboarders…

And you can also observe and compare the customs of Mister and Missis Duck.



And your artist side ??? Well admire the statue !!!



Some more informations : the park has been created beetween 1936 and 1939 thanks to the landlord of Maurepas that gave his land. It was already a garden with playgrounds for children : a track for tricycles… It is the fourth bigger garden of Rennes, it covers 5,5 hectares (the bigger is the parc des Gayeulles - 100 hectares-, Bréquigny – 17 - et le Thabor 10).

You can also discover the two unique umbrella pines of Rennes ? Where are they ???



Read it in French : Le parc de Maurepas à Rennes (bretagne) pour les enfants de 7 mois à 77 ans

You love flowers, you love trees, parks and gardens. Le Parc Floral de Haute Bretagne, I visited in springtime will please you. Even if its name is not very poetic, the place is nicer.



Located about ten miles from Fougères, the park created in the late nineteenth century welcomes you from March to November (Parc Floral de Haute Bretagne, La Foletiere - The Châtellier 35133 Tel: 02 99 95 48 32).

What I like in this tour is that the landscape changes all the time. Depending on the season you'll visit a garden with different colors, a different garden ..

- Spring corresponds to the blooming of camellias, daffodils... End of May, rhododendron's lovers will enjoy the 800 feet planted in the garden.
In summer, roses, hydrangeas, lilies and lotus color the park.
In the fall, asters and cyclamen and liquidambars finish the season.
Gardeners, choose your month!. Or take a subscription to come when you want.

Of course, many other varieties of plants, flowers and trees (whose name I don't know) grow in this garden and delight visitors.



In an hour and a half, you'll cross 25 acres of green paradise ... I went through bamboo forests (all colors), avenues of pink or rubbed magnolias ...
20 gardens are to discover and each has its specialty: gentian or camellias ... And everyone will find his pleasure.



Children (3 ½ years and 4) are a bit small to enjoy the flowers... They liked getting lost in the maze. Or loved to test the balance of the suspension bridge. It was too early in the season to feed the carnivorous plants ... Too bad.

A greenhouse offers to buy seedlings of plants that you have seen ...
The park also rent places for business or for weddings ... ... Or rooms in the Manor of Foletiere ... 5 nice rooms named... Renoir, Degas, Monet ...



... Everything is on their website ... And if you book early, it's cheaper ...



Read this article in French : visiter un jardin en Bretagne : le parc floral et ses chambres d'hôtes

The zoo, a predictable success with children! Follow me ...

Located on the expressway Rennes - Saint Malo (Brittany, France), the zoological park of La Bourbansais is, as you guess, full of wild and exotic animals, … monkeys, wallabies, flamingos ...



lions, tigers and other zebras…In short, the classics are here.

Zoos today often are not only park animals but are also a place to save endangered species. That’s one of the goal of the zoo La Bourbansais.

The park is beautiful, you can stroll around and look at this wild world.

Animal shows are to be seen : flight of raptors, pelicans meals or giraffes care…



Wildlife is on…

Hunting dogs like to run around : a choreography of the French tricolor (name of the dogs), used for hounds.



You can also take a guided tour (fee) of the castle



which is listed since 1959. and admire the French gardens of the park.

At the end of the trail, a playground with inflatables (slides ...)… a delight for children.

A little walk on a corn maze and that ‘s the end of a busy day.

No surprise but no disappointment either. Around € 15 for adults and 12 for children.
Open all year.



Shows and events are only held during the summer. You can picnic there.

Read it in French : Visite avec des enfants du zoo et du parc du chateau de La Bourbansais (Ille et Vilaine, Bretagne)

The idea is pharaonic ...
its size first: a breton valley with monumental statues (over 3 meters high) .... and its number: 1000 granite Saints ....
What a job! Most of them are still invisible, they are waiting for the sculptors to create them...



The project of the association, is to create an Easter island, a Breton one for the 3rd millennium … to glorify the memory of 1500 years of popular Breton culture ... and to protect the identity of the region.

The first Patron Saints to be carved are those who helped for the Christianization of Britain.
At St. Pol de Leon, during the summer of 2009, artists began to carve the granite and St. Pol was born. 6 other saints of Christianity have followed: Pattern, Malo, Brieuc, Corentin Tugdual and Samson. Each one done by a different artist ...

These works of art were looking for a place to stay : 9 cities have been competing to receive the project. And the city of Carnoët , central Britain, (a few kilometers from Carhaix), won the bet.

After a summer on the coast, the statues returned to their final home, the elected site Tossen Sant Gweltaz .... And the valley began to be inhabited.
The project continues ... There are still a few (!) dozens of carving statues to be done to "feed" the valley. Sponsorship (each statue-menhir is funded by a company) must allow sculptors, each year make their works in granite. From May to September, each month, 8 artists will carve a Catholic patron saint with its attributes (about forty a year). If you want to compete, go on ! The sculpture competition will go on for a while !

The association hopes to attract thousands of visitors and be a cultural crossroads site (Welsh, Irish, Cornish, Breton ...). A center of information and documentation about the Middle Ages (time when the Saints arrived in Britain), the reconstruction of a Celtic monastery and a stage to receive theatrical, musical ... will be created too.

The idea is certainly very good ... and very ambitious, for sure. An arts center to attract hikers from everywhere with a unique site in France, even in the world .... in the Center of Brittany .... (according to the Tourism Committee of Britain, visitors come overwhelmingly in the region to enjoy the coastline, coasts and sea ..). To divert the flow to the inside of Brittany, you need at least a mammoth project ... The musical festival in Carhaix, festival des vieilles charrues, is a good example of success, it is one of the biggest music scene in France...

I went to see ... this winter, these carved megaliths. It is not easy to find them... There was no sign for the precious valley. I was a bit lost in Carnoët when a nice lady told me where to go. It's in the land, park in front of a beautiful church with a beautiful Calvary and after a few meters, you'll arrive at the place which hosts the statues.



The three-meters high statues watch you from the top of the hill.

But for now, the Saints seem to be standing there ... ! and wait for friends! ... May be this outdoor celtic park in Brittany will be competing with Disneyland Paris!



Read this article in French : la vallée des saints : 1000 statues à Carnoët (Bretagne)

Looking for a place to stay in Rennes... a place to camp : the camping des Gayeulles : a 3-star open all year (Rue Maurice Audin, 35700 Rennes Tel: 00 33 (0)2 99 36 91 22) and located in a really nice park... north-east of Rennes is done for you. You can enjoy the capital of Brittany and tour around... You're not far from the coast...

The camping place is located in Rennes largest park (100 hectares), you may even think you're in the forest but the place is a creation. Back in 1967, the city of Rennes decided to create a park that will open ten years later when the trees have grown a little.
If you're travelling with kids or teenagers, they'll love this place... Leisure facilities for everyone are available...Sometimes you feel like being in the countryside...



... And at times, you enjoy the leisure of the town ...




Soccer fields, tennis courts (02 99 36 59 71) and squash are provided for you... Golfers can try with the kids the mini-golf ... or all lovers of blue water can will have fun in pool area.

Kids will also use swings or slides. You have no excuse to avoid your traditional jogging in nature ...

If you love animals... you can visit the educational farm, located on the park, where children do things "like farmers" ! Rabbits, ponies, goats, chickens and ducks welcome you... Kids participate in daily activities: they feed the animals or press the apple juice to make cider .... You can go for a free visit: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Ferme pédagogique des basses Gayeulles, rue du professeur Maurice Audin, dans le parc des Gayeulles, Tel : 02 99 36 71 73).



Read this article in French : Ferme pédagogique, mini-golf ou balançoires : les loisirs de plein air au parc des Gayeulles à Rennes (Bretagne)

Villecartier Forest, not far from Fougères is quite important over 1000 hectares of oaks... and other trees... A good escape from everyday life...

Major historical episodes took place there... No French Robin Hood did live here but it was a refuge when Normans did invade Brittany... or during the French Revolution when it was not good to believe in God.... and better to hide...
It was also the place where shoemakers used to live and work.. until the early 20th C ...



This forest is now a place of leisure and recreational activities for families ... It is a really nice on sunny Sundays of winter... Few people and lot of things to do: hiking with kids, uncles, aunts and grandparents, biking tours for cyclists, nice way to exercise with your dog... In short, everybody will found its pleasure...

Well-marked trails invite you to explore the landscape, the nature and its heritage. You can also imagine you're an adventurer and you wander in the forest ... and you'll face chaos of rocks, remarkable trees ...
Playgrounds for children will finish the walk before getting back to the carpark.



If you like to exercise... do the CRAPA (sports course ?) in the forest which is more physical... And that's free ...

The crêperie is also open on Sundays in winter ... to warm up after so many activities ...

Summer and weekends (April to September), the forest turns into a recreational park with climbing activities.



In the middle of the forest, the small port on the pond Villecartier (3 hectares), is the departure of cruises : electric models ( 2 to 4 people) will drive you around for about twenty minutes ... During yout trip, you'll admire replicas of wonders of Brittany.



The port is open daily in July and August. Only on weekends and public holidays in April, May, June and September.

The other leisure is connected with trees... in Récré nature, au parc des Grands chênes ...



Tree climbers will be welcomed from 2 years old to …. There are two different possibilities : the park designed for children (OK from 5 years old). The other one is for adults or for kids aged 10 Be careful, the child must be 1.40 meters at least...
The opening of the tree climbing park is daily in summer: in July and August. And on weekends and public holidays in April, May, June and September.
Remember to take the proper clothes and the rest of the equipment is provided. Spend the entire day … and enjoy Mother Nature !

Read this article in French : Parc loisirs en forêt de Villecartier en Bretagne

You may have come to France, or even Brittany to enjoy music festivals? Yes, Small Britain is the best place for live music... the region where there is the more important number of music festivals in France. The biggest, les vieilles charrues, gathers more than 200 000 visitors … and it's money worth... Famous international bands (old and young ones) and French singers will sing for you for a nice price !!!
And maybe, if you went to listen live music in Breton festivals, you've noticed that your glass was refundable! Using and using it again and again !



Festivals lovers know or imagine the quantity of plastic cups used on an outdoor demonstration ... Thousands of plastic glasses are used on those week ends... and sometimes (at best) they end up in a bin ? Or (at worst) on the floor...

And we have a local figure who is fed up of this mess of plastic and is looking for a solution... to fight this over-consumption of oil... Bruno, the boss of a pub (le sablier) in Rennes.

He began to work (voluntarily) with a supplier of glasses in the South ... of France. Who had a product made in Spain with the C E symbol (made in China not to be confused with our symbol European CE! It is almost the same... just the gap between the letters is wider!) ...
But it is a nonsense: to sell a « green » product that is not produced locally, that needs to parcourir miles to be washed and again ...... No, no, really, green washing will not go on with him!
He needs a more logical solution, a local one, a real green cup... produced here with recyclable plastic... And he did it !

The adventure began some months ago with a plastic food industry, Française des Plastiques, (located in Louvigné de Bais a few miles from Rennes), that makes the precious « container » with .... ITS waste, ITS defective products...The raw material is there, the cup Esprit planète is born ... The glass is recyclable and manufactured here. ... It is also washed in Brittany ... and the festivals love it ( Bobital, Reggae Summer Fest...).

And for good reason ... it has lots of advantages:
It can be rented or purchased by the event organizers. It can be used many times up to a 100th. You can customize it.



The principle: a deposit of 1 euro, you get a cup documented and reusable. For hot or cold drinks. Washable again and again.
The only problem : the tab. Because of it the glass is not 100% recyclable but 30 %. The tab does not hold when it is a 100%. But Bruno is looking for a solution... And he will find one !
Cheers



Read it in French : Festival du gobelet réutilisable en Bretagne : esprit planete détrone le verre en plastique à usage unique

Noël en France ! Christmas in France, in Brittany!... Why not ... ? A short weekend break for Xmas ! Cold is not too fierce and tourists are not too many… It’s the best time to enjoy historical places and avoid the scuffle...
If you’re visiting the western part of France, have a look at the Christmas markets.

Even if this is not something traditionally Breton, Christmas markets are many across Britain today ...
It used to be a German tradition in the Middle Ages. One of the older one is known since the 14th C, dates in honor of San Nicolas ... the equivalent of Father Christmas.

And it is in the 90s that the idea is spreading and that those markets are becoming more common in Europe. And elsewhere ... Germans who have emigrated to the New World began to disseminate the idea in America.

Originally the market was celebrating the Christ child and began just some days before Christmas. Today it lasts several days to almost the entire month of December, according to the capacity of each municipality. By cons, it stops on Christmas Day and until December of next year.
These markets are on hold on the main square or on a few pedestrian streets and gather animations, stands of handycrafts, merchants, food ... and lots of entertainment and music.

Outdoor booths are everywhere. Have a break from Christmas shopping, enjoy vin chaud (mulled wine with cinnamon) found on all the Christmas markets or eat something very rich that will heat you up in the cold weather ... It is also the opportunity to buy another gift, but a more original, handmade by a local craftsman ... or discover specialties other French regions.

And then enjoy Christmas animations often for children. Or Santa Claus who is lost in the corner ...

In our region, Brittany, there are many Christmas markets: Rennes for example, has two, one on the Parliament Square where you can eat, you warm up with a good wine with cinnamon and Alsace specialties, another one that is not called Christmas market Place Hoche is a gathering of craftmen from here and abroad. We have a third market in Colombier.

Each department and most city hosts a market ... If you want to visit one and know its opening days and animations… try the links… The Regional Tourism Committee of Britain that centralizes the news.

For a more precise information try the website of Côtes d'Armor (North of Brittany).

The departmental committee d 'Ille et Vilaine, Brittany High will help you around Rennes.

The far West of Brittany, le Finistère…

South, the Morbihan, try it too.

Good luck. And Merry Christmas.

Read it in French : Marchés de Noel en Bretagne : Côtes d'Armor, Finistère, Ille et Vilaine, Morbihan et Loire Atlantique

The statue of Vénus de Quinipily is a mystery down here… Is it a Roman statue or a Egyptian goddess or a Gallic idol ???

I’ve been investigated and I’ll tell you its long story…

This 2 meters high granite statue is located in the walls of the now destroyed castle of Quinipily, a few kilometers away from Baud (Morbihan).

To find it, drive to Baud and follow the signs…



Stop in front of the portal and walk in. you’ll have to pay 3 euros to visit the park to see the Venus, the remains of a fountain and a nice heather garden.



A leaflet in English will tell you the story of this statue… but I’ve got some more details to tell you…



Extracts from my old tourist guide from 1883 :
At that time, they were remains of the castle and the statue was standing in the park ((where it still is)… The guide explains that it used to be in another hamlet where it was the object of a pagan worship.
Offerings were given by farmers, it was touched to be healed, young people who wanted to get married used to have wrong behaviours in front of it… Lustful habits … specially because it was naked…
Reading that, it is easier to understand that the clergymen used to considered it dangerous and that they wanted to destroy it. They tried several times with no success. Then they decided to throw it in the Blavet river (1661 and 1690) but again the farmers discovered it and started again to worship it.
The statue moved in Quinipily after a trial in 1701 between two local landlords (Lannion and Rohan) who wanted the Venus.



But we still don’t know if it is Egyptian, Roman or Gallic…

The official website of the breton inheritage gives some more informations :

The statue is not the original one. The “first”one has been destroyed and this one has been done by the landlord of Lannion. The carved date 1696 is probably wrong as the trial took place in 1701 and the statue was moved to Quinipily after it…

If you go up you’ll see the remains of the old chapel of Saint Michel.



And it is not a coincidence that it floors a dragon as the dragon represents the popular beliefs… that have to disappear.



Drive around as the place is really nice and visit also Poul Fétan or Melrand (le village de l'an Mil).

Read it in French : Patrimoine paien breton la Vénus de Quinipily près de Baud (Morbihan, Bretagne)