A Brief Traverse of Brittany; On the Way to Mont. St. Michel (12 - 21 April 2016)

Work, and aching thighs!  After a 9-month break from the bikes, we would find out that pulling our trailers isn't as easy as we remembered it, especially crossing the never-flat Brittany.  Our route, after some discussion, was to be Auray-St. Brieuc-St. Malo-Mont St. Michel for starters... later we would figure out how to descend back towards the Loire.  As it turns out, 2016 is to be a cold springtime - unfortunately for us - with numerous nights dipping down to -1, -2, 0, 1, 2 and 3.  We manage, though, and accumulate some excellent experiences in this segment...

Oh, the dream (Bo riding himself along) is being realized, along the Canal de Blavet...

... unfortunately it only lasts 600meters, at which point Bo is distracted by sticks.

Near a gorgeous weeping willow and an uninhabited canal home we make our first camp of  2016...

Chapel in the rocks along the Blavet.

Fantastic old mill seen along the Blavet.

At Pontivy the Canal de Blavet joins the much more famous Canal de Nantes a Brest, which we will follow east for a spell...

We witnessed some classic scenes along the canal...

Jeff and Bo stop for a breather.

Our only weapon against the bitter cold nights.

Another canalside campspot.  We are using a new tent on this ride: A Marmot Tungsten 3, which unfortunately is a cold tent and does little to protect us on 0 degree nights!

After a few days of preferring the Chariot, Bo is back to his fondness for the bike seat, and as long as there isn't too much rain or wind - or if he isn't sleepy - generally prefers it to the Chariot.

Some vintage memories of when this canal was a lifeline for many Bretons.

Picnic under partial shelter from the rain in Mur-de-Bretagne.  We have left the canal system and are now following small country roads towards the north coast of Brittany.

Bo hits the track after a cold night camping in deep woods.

At home in the Chariot (affectionately known as the Bo-Cart).

Grueling climbing rewards us with a fast beautiful descent near Uzel.

Keeping warm in the fresh air of Brittany.

Medieval vestiges in the town of Lamballe as we draw nearer the coast.

Camping in lovely -if not cold - woods.

Breakfast time in the frozen forest!

Our approximate location in the universe at this point in time.

Breton, EU, France and local flags all spotted together near Erquy.

At Erquy we hopped onto the newly-created EuroVelo 4, which is known as the Central Europe long-distance bike route.  

Bo was in the zone for this delightful stretch on old train ways.

Scenery on the north coast.

Fun times!

Astonishing coastal beauty near Plurien...

A distant view towards the lighthouse at Cap Frehel,

Katy winds up a climb backed by fabulous coastline.

Bo exploring the lighthouse area of Cap Frehel.

Descending from Cap Frehel back to the EuroVelo4 we were forced to camp in a back garden along the way!

Seaside pedalling...

... followed by a traffic build-up along the route.

Cookie break for Bodhi!

Jeff, Bodhi and brilliant rape.

Temperatures reached below zero at our lakeside camp here.

Grebe in clear morning weather.

This voie verte (Cycling Greenway) goes from Dinant to Dinard and features fast smooth riding.

A classic view of St Malo from Dinard.

To cross from Dinard to St. Malo we boarded a delightful ferry...

... across the mouth of the Rance River...

The Cathedral of St. Malo...

... where legend has it that Jacques Cartier received the bishop's blessing before sailing off to "discover" Canada.

Chocolate-covered galettes on the streets of St. Malo.  Trying to get our fix before we leave Brittany!

Bo breaks out the harp in our woods camp.

Mythical in the mist: our first good look at Mont St. Michel still 35km off.

Classic.  No-traffic bike paths are our favorite riding option, and give Bodhi more options of course.  Riding along the Bay of Mont. St. Michel.

An afternoon rest as we move along the Bay of Mont St. Michel.

Mussel harvest - and transport across the mudflats of the bay - is helped along by tractors...

... or by boats that come equipped with their own wheels.

Birdlife on the bay...

A low-tide look at the flats of the bay of Mont St. Michel.

This is what map-reading by a 2 y.o. looks like.

Farmlands near the bay as we draw nearer.

Our bush camp just 12km from Mont St. Michel.

This would have been a frequent sight in Normandy of old.

Pulling us like a magnet now, this mystical island mass...