Locks are the rhythm of river navigation, but when the boater sees on the map a series of practically contiguous basins, it is difficult not to feel a certain apprehension. It is easy to imagine that a ladder of locks is likely to be tedious to go through. However, the one of Hédé in Brittany is a river world in reduction. Here, we take the time to exchange and appreciate the omnipresent Art on the banks. In the end, it is the best memory of the course!
A water staircase
Eleven locks in less than 2 kilometers, it seems like a lot, but they allow to redeem a 27 meters slope and to reach the division of the Canal d'Ille et Rance. On both sides of this one, the waters go down towards Rennes or Dinan. It would be easy to be tempted to quickly cross this chain and it would be wrong. There is a lot to see in this corner of Brittany!
Traditional locks
The locks are manual. It is a lock keeper who accompanies you and maneuvers one by one the wooden doors. These are still made of oak, in the old-fashioned way, in a workshop in Saint-Germain-sur-L'Ille. To learn more about the history of the canal, the best thing to do is to stop at La Magdeleine. In the lock keeper's house, a beautiful exhibition recalls the digging of the canal and the intense life of the boatmen who used to live there.
A living heritage
La Magdeleine is also a place where it is good to linger! Catherine Saint-James welcomes travelers in unusual accommodations built on the water, or in the former stables of the tow horses. The Brittany region was the first to develop its river heritage by making its lock houses available to project leaders. This allows them to be animated by tourist or artistic activities. This canal is one of the most lively in France!
Art is everywhere!
To add to the pleasure of navigating here, the shores are strewn with naive works of art set up each year as part of a project called "Art dérive". Artists offer their creations for all to see. A living project that involves lock keepers and residents. Horses, boatmen, bathers or fantastic animals, the discoveries follow one another and offer a touch of magic at the opening of each door.
A world of water enhanced by human inventivenessâeuros¦ what better definition of Brittany? Even inland, the Celtic soul expresses itself fully to offer a very pleasant staircase to climb!
