D
uring November, we were in Brittany
for some belated winterising. The
Rance valley was amazingly mild,
with plenty of sunshine to cheer
the scene. So on a beautiful glassy
morning, with most jobs done and
dusted, we couldn’t resist a final foray on the river- the last before Christmas blotted out normal life.
Slipping out from Plouër’s marina, I curved
upstream through the secret upper reaches
of the Rance. It was a couple of hours before
HW, ideal for meandering
up to Châtelier lock and
its timeless canal basin.
There was hardly a soul
about. Even Mordreuc
village seemed deserted
and a sleepy west bank
hamlet had only a
wandering dog on the quay.
The buoyed channel hugs
the east shore for a while
before jinking to starboard past an old tide mill.
Beyond an elegant railway viaduct, the last jungly
stretch before Châtelier is narrow and sinuous,
marked by spar beacons rather than buoys.
The lock was open and the crackling exhausts
of our Ford Mermaids echoed around the chamber.
The keeper waved from his tower and we emerged
into the peaceful pool at Le Lyvet. Spotting an
empty finger on the nearest line of berths, I headed
for the gap, but then throttled back in complete
astonishment. Coming round the pontoon, very low
in the water, was a bright
red motor car, doing
about 3 knots and
making a slight wash.
The driver raised
his hat, turned to port
and glided back up the
canal towards a slipway
on the far side. Then this
eccentric but extremely
stylish vehicle drove upthe slip and followed the lane back down to the lock,
crossing the swing bridge to park neatly outside
Le Lyvet Gourmand, the restaurant where we were
bound for lunch.
It turned out that the shiny red voiture amphibie
was owned by Monsieur Jean-Pierre Beluite,
husband of the lady who runs this genial bistro
with such panache. Yarning with him over aperitifs,
I discovered that his splendid machine had been
built in Germany. He was particularly proud of
the specialist gearbox that shifts power between
propellers and wheels. Impeccably engineered,
he said: simple, sturdy and almost maintenance
free. The engine itself was British – a converted
1200cc Triumph Herald as smooth as a sewing
machine. The whitewall tyres and tail fins add
a certain American flair.
On summer Sundays, Jean-Pierre offers short
amphicar cruises, a restful diversion after a leisurely
lunch. He promised us a trip next time we met,
though a proper boat with respectable freeboard
looks a much safer way of floating about!The driver raised his hat, turned to port and
glided back up the canal towards the slipway
before driving off down the lanePETER CUMBERLIDGE: Exploring the jungle-like upper reaches of the River Rance, I am greeted by the
strange sight of a red amphibious car coming the other way, driven by the owner of a nearby restaurant
CUMBERLIDGE
ON CRUISING
33COLUMNSThe verdant haven
of Port de Lyvet
on the RanceMonsieur Beluite
in his eye-catching
voiture amphibie