Getting Here

Travel to France has never been easier, many new cheap flight routes have recently been added making a trip to Britanny and Loire Atlantique hastle free and quick from where ever in the UK or Ireland you may be coming from. Ryan Air flies from Luton to Brest, Stansted and East Midlands to Dinard and Nantes. Aerarann, flies to the Lorient and Nantes from Ireland and the U.K.   Flybe goes from Southampton to Rennes, and Brest as well as Exeter and Birmingham to Brest.  Not quite in the same economy class as the others but Aerlingus also flies to Rennes from Cork and Dublin. Should you decide to fly, have a look at the very competative prices for car hire offered by www.francethisway.com/carhirefrance.php

Even with the P&O Portsmouth routes gone, there is still a choice if you prefer ferries. Book your holiday with us and receive the code for a 20% discount with Brittany Ferries:

Discounts on ferry travel can be obtained through Tony and Karen Cluskey tel 00 33 2 31 69 98 54 or by email at anothony.cluskey@wanadoo.fr

Condor-Ferries offer a service from Weymouth and Poole to St Malo and I can get you 10% off fares. LD Lines offer great value for money sailing from Portsmouth to Le Havre.  For excellent driving directions, try viamichelin. Our nearest main railway station is Redon for direct trains to Paris and Rennes, and there is a small station at Besle (10 mins away), although not all trains stop there.

Directions to Les Quatre Cles from St Malo

Leaving St Malo, take the Tout Directions route, then the N137 for Rennes. Stay on this road until you have passed the 10 k to Rennes sign and the D29 turn off, you will then need to take the next exit (N136). Approaching Rennes you will then need to take the circular road (Rocade) sign posted to Lorient. Nantes, and Le Mans. Do not follow the 'Centre ville' road. Continue on the circular until junction 6 - direction Nantes. Take this exit (N137 – E3). Stay on the N137, passing Bain-de-Bretagne, Grand Fougeray and then take the exit for Derval/Chateaubriant. On leaving the motorway, there will be a T junction, take the right turn for Guemene Penfao (D46) and continue on this road which will take you to Pierric. Drive straight through Pierric, the church will be on your left and take the D3 which is signposted for Guemene Penfao. Stay on the D3 which will bring you out on the D775 (Chateaubriant – Redon Road) and turn right.

Approaching Guemene Penfao, you will drive down a steep winding hill and after passing a garage on the right and Creperie on the left reach a roundabout.   Take the 3^rd exit, you will drive over a bridge (river Don) and immediately on the other side you will see a sign post on the left  (D125) for Vally du Don, Juzet, Guenouvry and Marsac sur Don,  take that turn.  A little way along there will be a small road on the right with Lottisement de Gascaigne, go past and take the next available right turn (it's just after a bend) this is a very small turning with a sign – l’etang de Gascaigne on the left.  Follow the road and you will pass a nice barn conversion on the left, a farm complex on the right, another dwelling on the left with a large porta bin outside and a drive virtually opposite it on the right, carry on a little bit further round the bend past a fence made of wheels on the right and then it's the Les Quatre Cles drive.   If you arrive at a fork in the road you’ve gone too far and I’m now the 3^rd property on the left going back. 

Directions to Coeur de Chene from St Malo

Leaving St Malo, take the Tout Directions route, then the N137 for Rennes (38 miles). Stay on this road until you have passed the 10 k to Rennes sign and the D29 turn off, you will then need to take the next exit (N136), it’s sign posted to Lorient. Nantes, and Le Mans. Do not follow the 'Centre ville' road. Continue on the circular (Rocard)  until junction 5 direction Angers. Take this exit (D163), and heading away from Rennes, continue on the D163, it will be signposted  for Janze, Chateaubriant and Angers.   After about 6.5 miles there will be a large yellow signpost on the right hand side of the road saying that you are entering Ille-et-Villaine and ahead you will see a large white rectangular building with T.I.M. in large letters on the side facing you.   The turnoff there is the D163.  Confusingly, the road you are on becomes a turn off and the main road continues as the D41.  You need to take this turnoff and stay on the D163 which is signposted for Corps Nuds, Thourie and Chateaubriant.    At Corps Nuds you will see their eastern influenced church complete with minaret, pass the church on your right and take the 2nd left (still D163) which is signposted for Thourie and Chateaubriant.

When you reach Thourie, go slowly - after passing a modern civic building on the right, on the left you will see a big advertising board for Leclerc and a signpost for Martigne Ferchaud, take the very next left after that (its very close). There is a large house on the corner of that turning with white door and shutters and red brick outlining them. This is a small country lane and will take you directly to the beginning of Soulvache and Coeur de Chene. You pass over 2 small bridges, the 2nd has a farm building on the right with a dog chained to it's kennel, immediately after on the left there is a small chapel dedicated to St Fiacre (patron saint of gardeners) then a sign saying Soulvache and our cottage is the first house you come to on the left after that.

If you miss the turn (as I have done on occasion) you continue on the road and it will take you round Soulvache. The turning is sign posted D57 to Soulvache and takes you through the village. You will see the cafe/bar on the right and the church on the opposite side to it. Turn left at this crossroads and go straight down the hill (signposted Chapelle de St Fiacre) the cottage is at the bottom of the hill on the right; you can see the new drive and shouldn't be able to miss it.

Distances

For routes recommended by ViaMichelin

© 2004-7 Teresa Sorokin