5 routes for cycling around Brittany

This is an itinerary made for heritage enthusiasts: 120 miles punctuated by 4 cities of art and history! Start by taking a deep breath of sea air at the top of the ramparts of Saint-Malo, the corsair city, before heading for Dinan, the medieval town with its equally impressive walls: 2.5 kilometres pierced by four monumental gates! A few more pedal strokes along the Ille et Rance canal, and you're in Rennes. Half-timbered houses, classical buildings and Brutalist architecture rub shoulders with contemporary art on the banks of the Vilaine. The origin of its name is lost in the mists of time, but not its course, which leads us gently to Redon. Lined with the mansions of shipowners, its port retains the memory of its golden age, when ships docked laden with salt from the salt marshes of Guérande.

If you're ready to fill your eyes with the most breathtaking views of Brittany's north coast, you're going to have to pedal hard: 267 miles of mainly coastal route on the vélomaritime-Eurovélo 4 between Mont Saint-Michel and Roscoff! You don't have the training of Bernard Hinault, the famous Breton champion? You'll be able to pick up some shorter, but just as intense, routes here and there: rocks sculpted against the turquoise waters of the pink granite coast around Lannion, estuaries and spectacular bays like those of Mont Saint-Michel and Saint-Brieuc, wild cliffs (aïe les calves!) winding between rocky capes and coves between Saint-Quay-Portrieux and Paimpol. On the way, don't worry about cooling off - the beaches are within easy reach!

Count the locks: here's a game that will captivate the little ones as they pedal along the towpath of the Nantes-Brest canal - there are no fewer than 238 of them along this work of art commissioned by Napoleon I and completed under Napoleon III! It's enough to give them heart and soul to cover the 248 miles of this Breton section of the Vélodyssée. It's a leisurely ride through the heart of Brittany's small towns of character: Josselin and its fabulous château with two faces, a medieval fortress on the river side and a flamboyant Gothic palace on the garden side; Pontivy, another stronghold of the Rohan family; Malestroit and its bizarre sculptures adorning the medieval timber-framed houses... On the way, don't look for the 7 missing locks - they're at the bottom of the artificial lake of Guerlédan, the largest in Brittany (400 hectares). How about swapping your bike for a kayak?

Do you prefer the English Channel or the Atlantic? With this 124 miles route from the north to the south of Brittany, between the Bay of Saint-Brieuc and the port of Lorient, you can have it both ways! And as a bonus, you'll get to plunge deep into the Argoat, Brittany's inland region, along quiet little roads where the water is usually the backdrop. The most bucolic stretch? The greenway of the Hilvern ditch, which winds for 18 miles in the shade of beech and chestnut trees. Here you can freewheel to soak up the peaceful atmosphere of the countryside. At Saint-Thélo, the little blue flowers no longer carpet the fields, but the memory of Brittany's textile past is still alive, when linen fabrics were sold at a premium. Further afield, the ponds and peat bogs of the Branguily forest are full of spells. Can you find the legendary treasure? You're more likely to come across roe deer and great crested grebes.

Without waiting for the route to be finalised, you can already ride some sections of the future coastal cycle route from Roscoff to Nantes. Between Lampaul-Plouarzel and Brest, it's best to keep your feet under you before setting off. It's a steep climb in the Iroise Sea, from the Pointe Saint-Mathieu lighthouse with its 163 steps to Tregana beach! For a stopover, you can take your bike and continue your Tour of Brittany on the islands. But to win the yellow jersey, head for the Bigouden region! From Audierne, opposite the Ile de Sein, to Penmarch, there are 45 kilometres of spectacular scenery, from megalithic sites to surf spots. At the pointe de la Torche, freeze on the image and you're at the end of the world, facing the ocean!