Places of interest 

Further Afield...

The beautiful towns of Quintin, Josselin and Pontivy are not far from our bed and breakfast in Saint-Gelven. Both Quintin and Josselin are quintessential historic Breton towns. Pontivy, as with Josselin, has a fine Châteaux (open to visitors), ancient architecture, restaurants, café's and shopping.
 
Josselin, which is not far from Pontivy, is a beautiful medieval town set on the river Oust, with a delightful château and excellent town square, that offers many restaurants and cafes overlooking the Basilica de Notre Dame du Roncier. You should allow yourself a day to visit the sites and take in the atmosphere in one of the cafes in the town square. The Nantes/Brest canal runs through the town and is ideal for cycling along the tow-path. The Lac du Duc near Ploermel offers swimming with a man made beach and water sports.
 
Lorient, further afield, has much to see and enjoy, and has the added advantage of the Lamor Plage, with its fine restaurants overlooking the sea. Lorient is on the south coast of Brittany, just off the main N165-E60. A modern town boasting charm and splendid attractions, including a World War 2 submarine base, which you can arrange to visit through the local tourist office. The fishing port is amongst the largest in France, and the early worm will get to watch the auctioning off, of the previous night's catch.

During the first two weeks of August Lorient is host to the Inter-celtique music festival, which draws around 5000 artists from the British Isles, Spain and Brittany.  The first weekend has an excellent parade with dancing in traditional costumes.

Golf
Brittany has quite a number of challenging golf courses, they range from 9 to 18 hole,with bars and restaurants. Most are to be found in Morbihan and Finistere, so from our bed and breakfast in Saint-Gelven, most courses are no more than a pleasant hours drive away. Prices are usually per person for the day, so you are able to play as many holes as you want. Golf clubs and balls are available for hire, you might have to book them in advance of your arrival.
Three courses that have been particularly recommended by guests to our bed and breakfast are; Golf de l'Odet, Golf de Cornouaille (www.formule-golf.com), and Golf de Saint-Cast Pen Guen (www.golf-st-cast.com). For a brochure listing all of the courses in Brittany, see (www.liguebretagnegolf.com)

Fishing
Like so many parts of the world, fishing in Brittany, is both a leisure and economic activity. Brittany has in excess of 37 different species of fish in it's rivers and canals. Brittany is where many visitors from other parts of France choose to fish, and for very good reasons too. The rivers very close to us are L'Oust, Le Blavet, as well as the Nantes-Brest canal. Sea fishing is also very popular especially for turbot, sea bream, bass, and sole.
 
The Lac de Guerledan is only minutes away from our bed and breakfast and is a popular spot with locals, you can also find other smaller lakes locally that support fishing. Permits are required for fishing (except sea fishing), and you will require separate permits for Cotes d' Armor, Morbihan and Finistere. These can be bought for a day, two weeks, or annual periods.
 
Cycling
Cycling is France's number one sport, with the Tour de France being its flagship event. The consequence of which, is that car drivers are usually very considerate to cyclists, this means you are able to cycle the country lanes, through idyllic villages in relative safety. Many disused railway lines have now been given over to cycling and horse riding. Our bed and breakfast is only minutes away from the Nantes-Brest canal and is ideal for cycling along.