As far as I'm concerned our long weekend away starts the moment we drive onto the overnight ferry headed for SaintMalo, a historic French port on Brittany's north coast. Although we'd be asleep for most of the crossing, we'd wake up in France just in time for a continental breakfast.
My husband once visited Saint-Malo as a young boy. His family didn't have money to burn, but Paul's dad promised him a lovely, flaky sausage roll on the last day of their trip. He couldn't wait!
Unfortunately, the enticing pastry in the window display turned out to be a pain au chocolat. Delicious, of course, but less so if you're anticipating a savoury supper…
Saint-Malo undoubtedly offers a convenient entry point to France, and a handy overnight stop near the ferry terminal on the way home. But it has so much more to offer.
We'd visited the city briefly during our honeymoon some six years before, and promised ourselves we'd return someday to explore, including the Saint-Servan neighbourhood where we'd be pitching up. Additionally, we'd allowed ourselves a day to visit friends who'd recently bought a house in Guingamp, around 80 miles west of Saint-Malo.
This fortified city was built on a rocky peninsula, and the tall granite ramparts encircling Saint-Malo rise up from sandy beaches punctuated
