Page 206 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

204  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION

Exploring the Loire-Atlantique

Named after the river that traverses it from east to west,
flowing into the Atlantic Ocean at St-Nazaire, the Loire-Atlantique
is Brittany’s most southerly region. The northwest of this
département, consisting of the Presqu’île de Guérande and
the great nature reserve of La Grande Brière, is dominated by
heathland with outcrops of granite, by marshland and by a rocky
coastline. Slate-roofed or thatched houses are ubiquitous here.
The area around Châteaubriant, in the north, contains a central Vitré
expanse of woodland with outcrops of blue-grey schist. This
is good walking country. South of the Loire, vineyards where Traditional salt pans near Guérande Laval
Muscadet and Gros Plant are grown stretch as far as the eye can Rennes CHÂTEAUBRIANT
see. In the Pays de Retz, which borders the Atlantic in the west,
wide sandy beaches alternate with marshes where salt has been Derval St-Julien-
gathered since ancient times. Moisdon- de-Vouvantes
Guéméné- la-Rivière
Penfao
Treffieux
Don
Nozay La Meilleraye-
de-Bretagne
Plessé FORÊT St-Mars-
Vannes
DU GÂVRE la-Jaille Angers
Saffiré
St-Gildas- Riaillé
Sights at a Glance des-Bois Blain Erdre Joué-s-Erdre
1 Guérande Herbignac Pontchâteau Château Canal de Nantes Nort-sur- Angers
2 Le Croisic de la Groulais Erdre Mésanger
3 La Baule PARC NATUREL Bouvron Héric Ligné
4 Pornichet Piriac- REGIONAL DE LA LOIRE- A TLANTIQUE P AY S D ’ A N C E N I S
5 St-Nazaire sur-Mer Kerbourg GRANDE BRIÈRE Prinquiau Varades
7 Nantes pp210–15 La Turballe Savenay Treillières Oudon Ancenis
8 Pornic GUÉRANDE Montoir-de- Loire
9 Pays de Retz Trignac Bretagne Saint-Étienne- Carquefou
0 Clisson LE CROISIC Paimbœuf de-Montluc
q Pays d’Ancenis Batz-sur-Mer LA BAULE ST-NAZAIRE Orvault
w Châteaubriant PORNICHET Loire Le Loroux-
e Forêt du Gâvre Bottereau
St-Brévin-les-Pins St-Père- NANTES
Tour en-Retz Le Pellerin Château de Goulaine
6 Parc Naturel Régional St-Michel-Chef-Chef Rezé Vertou Vallet
de la Grande Brière
Pointe du PORNIC Bouaye
St-Gildas Cholet
Lac de
Grande- Passay Aigrefeuille- CLISSON
sur-Maine
Les Moutiers- P AY S D E R E T Z Lieu
en-Retz Gétigné
Bourgneuf-en-Retz
St-Philbert-
de-Grand-Lieu
Machecoul
Île de
Noirmoutier Niort
Key
Motorway Challans Touvois Legé
Major road
La Roche-
Secondary road sur-Yon
Minor road
Main railway
Minor railway
The harbour at Le Croisic Regional border
For hotels and restaurants see p229 and p243

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