Off the Breton path

ANDREW PENMAN PEDALS INLAND TO DISCOVER ANOTHER SIDE TO BRITTANY

BRITTANY is rightly famed for its fabulous coastline and I've spent many happy family holidays on its beaches and in its rocky coves.

But there was a cost - it meant overlooking the inland gems that this region has to offer.

This summer I had the chance to explore towns and villages I'd only glimpsed through the windscreen as I drove to the sea, because now my family has grown up and I'm free from children demanding sandcastles and swimming.

My destination was a stretch of the canal that runs from Brest in the west to Nantes in the east through the Coeur de Bretagne. It provides a haven where you can pootle in a small boat or, as I did, enjoy the path by bike.

After sailing on Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to St Malo, I drove an hour south to my first destination, Josselin, a small town with an enormous chateau.