River trips from the Rance valley to the Vilaine valley
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The department of Ille-et-Vilaine gets its name from the River Ille and the River Vilaine, the two rivers that flow across it and unite in Rennes, the capital of Brittany. The waterways that stretch from the English Channel to the Brittany's south coast (Morbihan) are a tantalising way to travel and will entice you into a world of discovery where you will find castles, landmarks and legends as well as the flora and fauna which inhabit their shores.
Sail along the Rance sea river from the English Channel (Dinard and Saint-Malo) to the Châtelier lock near Dinan and then go up the Ille-et-Rance canal until you reach Rennes, where you can join the Vilaine and pursue your journey through Redon and on to the Atlantic Ocean..
The Rance Valley
As its shores and banks pass you by, reach out to the history of the men who dwell in this region, to this unique valley shaped by the spring tides, with its special colours and scents. Your journey will lead you to spectacular viewpoints and reveal the existence of tidal mills, fisheries, stately malouinières (typical St Malo houses) once belonging to corsairs or St Malo's ship owners, and delightful small fishing villages such as Saint-Sulliac, which has been voted one of the "Most Beautiful Villages in France".
The Ille-et-Rance canal
The construction of this canal from 1832 onwards was one of the most ambitious undertakings of the nineteenth century. The waterway stretches along eighty-four kilometres and crosses a region rich in castles and picturesque towns. One rather original feature can be seen at the Magdelaine site in Hédé, where boats have to cross a ladder of eleven locks in the space of just two kilometres! Make the most of your stopover in Hédé to visit the Maison du Canal d'Ille-et-Rance, where you will be able to find out more about the canal's history.
The Vilaine Valley
From Rennes, travel along the River Vilaine to Redon, the crossroads of the waterways. Along your way, you will see a wide variety of scenery and landmarks, such as the Boël lock and mill at Pont-Réan, a popular Sunday afternoon destination for the people of Rennes, the Corbinières site and its wooded banks and the pleasant pleasure port at Guipry-Messac.
