B
ecause we keep our boat in France,
the season seems longer than if she
were moored nearby in Dartmouth.
This advantage feels most noticeable
in late autumn, when a jaunt across
on the ferry for some Brittany
pottering is a great luxury.
So on a crisp but sunny October morning,
we emerged from the Rance river into St Malo’s
fine estuary, where the wooded shores showed
the bright tints of fall. Opening up, we sped out
between Dinard’s ornate seaside villas and the
elegant town ramparts of St Malo itself, warmed
to stunning effect by the low slanting light.
The outer reaches looked spectacular, with all the
reefs, beacons and forts starkly etched, and Grand
Jardin lighthouse appearing to hover over the sea
in the chilly air. The forts were particularly striking
and there are plenty of them, built by the French
engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban
against English and Dutch invaders.
Curving out through the east channel,
we skirted the sturdy battery on Petit Bé, an
island at high water though joined to St Malo
by a low-tide causeway. Holidaymakers can
admire its cannon-shot views and explore
the dank garrison that once housed 180 gunners.
Further out, I edged close to one of Vauban’s
most impressive
creations, Fort de
la Conchée, its
sheer walls like an
impregnable granite
warship. In the late
17th century when
these bastions were
built, St Malo was a
haven for corsairs –semi-legitimised pirates that wreaked havoc on
our Channel shipping. Vauban’s forts were vital
defences for these buccaneers, who accumulated
great wealth and civic status behind the cordon
of powerful artillery.
For nearly 30 years, this offshore citadel has
been slowly and carefully restored by La Compagnie
du Fort de la Conchée. Each time we pass, another
section of battlement looks as good as new.Turning west round the outer Conchée rocks,
we cruised north-about the distinctive island
of Cézembre, a considerable fortress in itself,
and reentered the estuary past Le Grand Jardin
lighthouse. From here, the main approach channel
took us back inshore past St Malo’s most
mysterious fort, Île Harbour, once owned by the
French film actor-turned-businessman Alain Delon.
Still privately owned and cloaked in secrecy, Île
Harbour is always intriguing, especially when seen
from the shallow tidal cut north of Dinard. I have
often coveted this island, and as we headed back
towards the Rance lock, I imagined once again
what a splendid residence it would make. You’d
be as snug as a corsair on this secluded rock. Even
the Inland Revenue couldn’t get at you there!The outer reaches look spectacular
with all the reefs, beacons and forts
starkly etched in the chilly airPETER CUMBERLIDGE: On a still autumn day, St Malo’s grand estuary is fabulous to explore,
steeped in colourful history and scattered with old forts from the derring-do era of Brittany corsairs
CUMBERLIDGE
ON CRUISING
25COLUMNSPassing Le
Grand JardinFort du Petit BŽ