Main towns and beaches in the area
Dinan- only is only 10km from La Julerie
Dinan is a medieval town built on a hill overlooking the Rance River. There are boat trips on the river.
The town is split between the main shopping area with its large market, boutiques and creperies and pavement bars/cafes at the top of the hill and “the port” with its cafes and restaurants and more creperies along by the river. Rue Jezroual which connects the main town to the port for the pedestrian offers the visitor an array of craft shops often with the craft person working in the shop or visible in the workshop to the rear.
Market day is Thursday; in the summer it is naturally very busy and parking can be a bit of a problem, but well worth the effort.
For a weekend in late July every other year- 2008, 2010 etc Dinan is transformed into a medieval town with straw strewn streets as it hosts its Medieval Fair. Whilst entry to the town is free, visitors pay with one ticket to enter all the different events which take place over the weekend (the jousting event in the market place does require an additional ticket).
An equal distance from La Julerie is the town of Plancöet which offers one of the top hotel restaurants in all of Brittany – the Crouzil. The French president has entertained the British Prime Minister (tony Blair) in the restaurant.
Plancöet has a much smaller weekly market (Saturday) than Dinan, but one we find very welcoming and it offer a good range of fresh vegetables which are sold by the growers and also fish and crabs. It is a delight to visit this town which takes so much care over its appearance, you will find the floral decorations in the streets and on the roundabouts are even updated through the year to reflect the different seasons.
Whilst its annual firework display (normally held on the Saturday after 14 July) will not last as long as some of the larger towns in the area, we invariably find it offers the most artistic display with the fireworks being choreographed to music. In 2006 the floral display in the gardens paid tribute to the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birthday and his music accompanied the firework display!
St Malo (26km from La Julerie) and Dinard (20km) face each other across the estuary of the River Rance, but these two towns are so different.
St Malo is a ferry port catering for Brittany Ferries overnight boat from Portsmouth, and also Condor Ferries fast crafts from Poole or Weymouth and the Channel Islands; it is possible to take day trips to either Jersey or Guernsey.
Besides being a ferry port St Malo also caters for many visiting yachts and is a very busy holiday town; most of its visitors spend their time within its walls where there are numerous shops and cafes and restaurants, it is possible to walk virtually the whole way around this part of the town on top of the Walls. However, besides the town within the walls or Intra Muros as the signs say, St Servan or Paramé are two other areas of the city well worth visiting.
Dinard been popular with British visitors for over 100 years; people go there to enjoy some glorious beaches, smart shops, views, coastal walks and possibly a flutter in its Casino. It still holds a British Film Festival each September. Whilst Dinan has a very busy rural market each week, Dinard holds markets each Tuesday and Saturday where there is a huge array of fresh food clothing and all the normal items you would expect to find in a market but it does excel with a large selection of sea food (we do have some very large saucepans at La Julerie to enable you to cook any crabs or lobsters you may buy!). You will quickly notice how smart and fashionable the majority of people attending the market are. It is Chic and it is a pleasure to sit back in the sunshine having a drink at one of the bars watching all the people go by!
To the west of La Julerie – on the road towards Cap Frehel - is the town of Matignon which has a large market every Wednesday; as the stalls stretch right through the town it is worth avoiding trying to go through Matignon on a Wednesday if you are not going to the market. Many guests go there specifically to browse through its market and find it a real delight.
As La Julerie is only 18km from the coast we naturally attract many families throughout the summer months who want to enjoy the lovely sandy beaches that stretch along this part of northern Brittany, whilst I would consider all of the beaches to be safe, there are lifeguards on duty throughout the summer season on the more popular beaches.