Saint Nazaire to Concarneau
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RouteXpert Nick Carthew - (MRA Master)
Last edit: 24-11-2022
Route Summary
A pleasant costal route from the WW2 German U boat base, through the salt production 'fields' of Guerande and onto Concarneau. Excellent attractions, good roads in a very nice landscape earn this route 4**** stars.
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Verdict
Duration
8h 26m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
217.74 km
Countries
U Boat pens at St Nazaire
RouteXpert Review
This route starts from a budget Campanile Hotel and goes to the WW2 U-Boat pens, just 10 minutes away, more about the pens later. The route crosses the huge salt production 'fields' of Guerande and uses no fewer than 15 bridges and 1 tunnel as it follows the coast to Concarneau. The 'Ville Close' (as it is called) is the old stone fortified town that has just a few narrow streets filled with shops and restaurants. The ramparts offer spectacular views over the area. We had a taxi from our hotel to visit in the evening. Our hotel was an Ibis budget, a link for this can be seen below.This route, like many of my routes, is relaxing and scenic as it avoids most of the major roads. The roads are not busy (we went in July) and the ever changing scenery is a joy to travel through. Grab a coffee and a filled baguette just after leaving the submarine base, I highly recommend this as they were really good. The route travels through the strange salt production 'fields' of Guerande where the method for producing salt hasn't changed since the 9th century.
The U-Boat pens at Saint Nazaire:
The strategic location of Saint-Nazaire led the Germans to build a huge submarine base there during World War 2. The construction of this base began at the beginning of 1941.
It contained 14 cells: 8 for repairs and 6 larger cells in which the U-Boats could remain afloat. It housed two U-Boat fleets. It spread over a total surface area of 4 hectares and its concrete ceiling was up to 9 metres thick.
In 1942 a British commando raid attempted to destroy the base. The civilian population suffered greatly from this Allied policy and 80% of the town was destroyed. More can be read about 'The Greatest Raid Of All' in the link below.
Buying freshly made salt.
Port of Saint-Goustan lunch stop
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Disclaimer
Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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