A week-long, 80-mile walking tour of picturesque Brittany is a step back in time

Centuries ago in Brittany, locals had plenty of motivation for canal building. With several wars negatively impacting the coastal waterways, they needed to link Nantes in the east and Brest in the west, both with military arsenals, and, in doing so, to improve the economic development of the rural communities in the interior.

This Napoleonic initiative took decades of work, with the construction of more than 200 well-engineered locks before the full canal opened in 1842. But eventually, as rail travel improved, transporting products via the canal fell from favor. Although the canal is no longer a preferred route for commerce, it’s a perfect venue for walking.

Each June brings a religious feast, Pardon, to Saint-Méen-le-Grand, as well as the onset of the nearby four-month-long Festival La Gacilly Photo. Thousands come to the town from all over for France’s largest outdoor photography festival, held there every year.

Set at regular distances along the towpath, the locks and accompanying lock-keeper’s houses have distinct personalities, with brightly hued shuttered windows and landscaping resembling miniature botanical gardens. Many beckon as postcard-perfect picnic spots or just places to rest and sunbathe.

A trek through bucolic landscapes in Europe is often chock full of dazzling surprises, but a riverfront may remind of a scene right out of “Downton Abbey.”

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