Old House in Jerzual St, Dinan
Our final base for the trip was at the medieval town of Dinan. We pitched up at the municipal Chateaubriand campsite which had a small clean shower/toilet block and not much else. Although being close to the road this didn’t present any problems although the high pitched chirruping of the dawn chorus did seem very loud. It was also very cheap, just 4€ per person per night. The central location though meant just a 10 minute walk into the heart of Dinan.
Dinan is a charming walled town, which has a slightly un-real feel to it. With its half timbered buildings overhanging uneven cobbled streets and alleys one could be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled into a set for Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Wandering the maze of streets seemed to bring more delights and reaching the remains of the walled town gave great views over the surrounding areas.
Port De Dinan from the Viaduct (now a road bridge)
We stayed for four nights and didn’t even scratch the surface of the differing restaurants on offer. I can’t remember the names of any of the places we eat but not one disappointed. Most of the best bars were situated in Rue de Cordonniare, a small pedestrian alley just off Place de Merciers. About 8 bars are side by side making an evening’s pub crawl an easy activity! Four evenings was probably more than enough to take in the best of Dinan’s nightlife which had a relaxed chilled feel to it.
There are two lovely old churches in the centre. The Eglise de Dinan has fine stained glass windows, whilst the older Church of St-Sauveur is more austere but probably more atmospheric.
Taking a stroll down Rue De Jerezal is reminiscent of the old Hovis advert and takes you to the Port of Dinan. The Port is a quaint collection of old buildings, now mostly bars and restaurants nestled alongside the River Rance.
We took a boat from here for day trip to St Malo. However, due to the timings of the return bus we only ended up with about 20 minutes to look around St Malo (which looked interesting), so if you intending to have a good look round St Malo take a bus there as well, although the river cruise is much more relaxing and scenic. We also visited Mont St Michel, and Dinan is also a good base for Dinard and the Northern coast of Brittany
