Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
think of Fort la Latte as a symbol of Brittany's determination to remain independent from
France. It's no surprise that Hollywood used this castle in the 1958 film
The Vikings
with
Kirk Douglas. The low-slung
four à boulets
in the western end served as a kiln to heat
cannonballs. The defenders aimed hot shots at ships to set them afire. That's cool. One
hundred cannon balls could be heated at a time.
If you want to stretch your legs, a trail behind the ticket kiosk links to Cap Fréhel.
A 10-minute walk up this path rewards you with killer views back to the fort; it takes 75
minutes to walk all the way to the cape. There's also a short trail down to a rocky beach,
giving you a sea-level perspective of the fortress.
Fort la Latte to St-Malo:
TakeD-16backtoD-786andheadeast.Aworthwhilede-
tour on the way is
Pointe du Chevet.
From D-786, follow D-62 into the sweet little town
of St-Jacut-de-la-Mer, then track signs to
Pointe Chevet
—and don't park until the road
ends. Beautiful views (and far fewer people) surround you. If the tide is out, you can hike
to an island and study the impressive rows of wooden piers sunk into the bay. These are
used to grow mussels, which cling to the wooden poles; farmers eventually harvest them
using a machine that pushes a ring around the poles. From here, return to D-786 heading
toward Ploubalay and find signs to
St-Malo
or
Dinan
.
▲▲▲
Scenic Drive Between St-Malo and Mont St-Michel
If you have less time, consider this lovely ride—worth
▲▲▲
if it's clear (see route on
map on
here
). This quick taste-of-Brittany driving tour samples a bit of the rugged pen-
insula's coast, with lots of views but no dramatic forts. Allow two hours for the drive
between Mont St-Michel and St-Malo, including stops (a more direct route takes 45
minutes). On a weekend or in summer, the drive will take longer—start early. These dir-
ections are from St-Malo to Mont St-Michel, but the drive works just as well in reverse
order.
St-Malo to the Emerald Coast:
From St-Malo, take the scenic road hugging the
coast east on D-201 to Pointe du Grouin, where the appropriately named Emerald Coast
(Côte d'Emeraude) begins. To find the road, leave St-Malo following
Cancale
signs and
passing countless roundabouts, then look for signs to
Rothéneuf,
where you'll access
D-201, which skirts in and out of camera-worthy views. Brown signs lead to short worth-
while detours to the coast; these are my favorites:
