2025 Brittany Canals Cruise

Published 11:02 on 14 Jan 2025
As we put the Christmas decorations back in the loft, out comes the chart book for the Brittany canals, as we start to plan for one of this years new events, the 2025 Brittany Canals Cruise in Company. We know that despite the good turnout at the presentation that we put together last year on our previous canal adventure, a few people missed it and have expressed an interest in joining us for the next one. So if that includes you, and you are even half-thinking of joining us this April/May, please come along for an informal chat and briefing get-together on Wednesday 29th January at 18:00 in the Chart Room upstairs in the main clubhouse. There will be an optional supper afterwards in the dining room.
To help you with your planning, here is a rough idea of what we have planned for this years canal cruise.
April 18th - 21st: The Rance Rally is due to take place over the Easter weekend, taking in St Servan and Plouër, and ending up in Dinan;
April 22nd 28th: After eating out and provisioning in Dinan, we head up-river to Evran and St Domineuc for our first stop. Then moving into the canal proper, we will visit Tinténiac, before hitting the Hédé staircase up to the top reach of the canal past the feeder lakes. We then head down into the river Ille, stopping at Montreuil-sur-Ille and St.Germain-sur-Ille to Betton, where will enjoy the best market in the region, right next to the quay and a day of rest/shopping/eating; The last stretch takes us into Rennes for a planned stop at a brand new leisure boat facility in the city centre;
April 29th May 3rd: Explore Rennes and the wetlands of the upper River Vilaine, full of wildlife and a very different vista than the canal. We have to turn around just before Pont-Réan, due to a planned closure, but there is still plenty to see in this area.
May 4th 10th: Return trip back down to Dinan, visiting towns we missed on the way up. We may take a little longer on the return leg, depending on what people want to see.
May 11th 18th: Optional time exploring the Rance estuary before a return to Jersey depending on the weather.
There is considerable flexibility in this trip, especially after the scheduled stop in Betton market, so skippers will be able to opt-out at any point to make a shorter return home, but we would welcome peoples views at the briefing.
Please click here to register your interest on being part of the cruise, and if you can attend the briefing get-together and optional supper afterwards. We look forward to seeing you.