28th July – Monday – St Cast to St Malo

Easy get up today as we are not sailing until 15:00.  I went to the market, while Mick did a few jobs.

We deliberately chose St Cast for its close proximity to St Malo.  The journey was only 10 miles, but the wind had picked up and we had a bracing and lively sail.  The tide was judged for a 17.00 arrival.  There is a large digital display showing the tide height on the right of the marina entrance, so no excuses if you get the depth wrong going over the sill.

St Malo is a very impressive sight from the sea and we were really looking forward to it. 

In the evening we had a walk around the Cite d’Alet which is the area behind the marina on a small peninsula.  We found an attractive seafront, with lots of restaurants.

A coastal path lead us back to the marina.  You can see in the next picture that the marina is located across the bay from the Citadel of St Malo itself, with a ferry terminal separating it.

29th July – Tuesday

There is another marina next to the Citadel, but you have to go through a lock, so access is a little more restricted, we chose the outer marina (40 minutes walk to the Citadel).  The ferry fog horn test was a great wake up call the following morning.  You don’t get one of these at your back door everyday.

Again there is a path from the marina into town, we did a small diversion as yet another market was in full swing.  This blog should be called ‘Sailing to the Markets of France’.

The fish market is in a building called The Theatre, which is very apt for the display on show.

The rest of the market was in the town square outside.

Another walk then to the Citadel of St Malo itself.  It was first formed in the 6th century and has had major revivals in the 12th, 18th and 19th when it was a major Port.  It was totally destroyed during WW2 and has been faithfully rebuilt.  Part of the joy of walking around is spotting some of the old parts and marvelling at the rebuilt areas.

You enter via city gates and there is access to the ramparts from each gate.  So we decided to walk the ramparts first to get our bearings.

Apart from walking the streets themselves, which are fascinating, there was also an ad hoc flea market happening on all the main streets, which made for a great buzz.  We do not know whether this was because it was generally market day in the main town or a specific event.  But all the shop keepers had also brought their wares onto the street too.

We saw an offer for lunch we could not refuse.  Moules and Frites, Crepe and a glass of white wine 9.80 euros each.  Equally importantly, loo stop and a sit down.

Found a Carrefour supermarket, underground, this time.

Then walked the 40 minutes back to base via the other marina and portside.

Info: 31.50 Euros per night.  Shops in town nearby and a supermarket near the town square.

30th July – Wednesday

Blog and relax.  Walked to St Malo town, which has an attractive high street and 2 supermarkets.