The Rance River Estuary

The Rance River widens into an estuary at Dinan and empties into the English Channel about 20 miles to the north. The route along the western shore ends at Dinard; the one on the eastern shore leads to Saint-Malo. Such an excursion is possible, but there is much to see along the way. I decided to spend an afternoon seeing part of this area. It was Thursday, market day on the square, and I was looking forward to going through it. I bought some sausage, goat cheese, Italian muscat grapes, and white nectarines.

My plan was to drive along the Rance on the western shore going north towards Saint-Malo. I knew I would not get that far, but I had been there on another trip, so I was not disappointed. It was time for lunch so I drove to the port and parked the car, sat down to eat what I had bought, and watched the riverboat sail away. Once I left the port, the road passed mostly through country fields with scattered houses and farms.

I had read about a museum devoted to the cultivation of apples. I drove along the eastern shore to Pleudihen-sur-Rance. I reasoned that there could not be much to see in such a museum, and I anticipated a short visit. I was wrong; the visit was fascinating and I remained for more than an hour.

An orchard full of apple trees obscured the view of the farm at first. It was September 23rd and the leaves were mostly green, with hints of color; most remained on the trees; some had fallen. There were trees all around and every possible color of apple was represented. The branches were bent with the weight of all of the apples; however, there were enough of them on the ground to stock a supermarket. Clearly, they were destined for the working farm I glimpsed down a path. I later learned that the apples are ripe and ready for the press; if picked off the trees by machines, they might not all be ripe and could be damaged.

Entering the courtyard, the most prominent structure, other than the buildings, was a large 17th-18th c. apple mill. It was a large, round, stone form, low to the ground, much like a pool with a wheel set in a groove on the rim. The wheel was once turned by horses,. It is granite, weighs about 2000 lbs, and is about 15 ft in diameter. Mills of this type were used into the 20th c. but not now.

Inside the farmhouse/museum I was surprised to see many objects and machines that were evidently used in making cider and juice from apples. It was amazing to learn just how complicated – and ingenious - it was to make juice from apples. The apple mill was simple by comparison; some of the methods used were not at all obvious. One device looked like a square pile of boards about 3 feet high. This was actually a lattice of oak boards: each board was first overlaid with a linen cloth and hay, then crushed apples were piled on it; the hay separates the layers of apples and give some rigidity to the press, allowing the juice to flow.

Altogether there were 6-7 layers; pressure was applied to force the juice from the apples onto the basin at the bottom of the assembly. The juice is put into barrels to ferment in order to make cider. The barrels are made by hand as are the rings that hold the barrel staves together. The bands of bark forming the rings and the ties that hold them

The visit illustrated different species of apples, their harvest, and how cider is made. Machinery used in the production of juices, ciders, and other apple products is on display. All the pieces in contact with the apples would have been in wood; metal would have affected the taste. The orchard is planted with many different apple species. Apples from different species provide characteristics that are needed to make good cider. A balance of tannins, freshness, and sugar must be achieved; the type of cider depending on the varieties used to make it.

A poster explained the origin of the names of apples: for their “inventors,” presumably the growers who cultivated them; for the villages where they grow; for some characteristic of the fruit such as its form or color; for the color and the name of its locality; for the location it grows on the tree. One is named “grelot” (meaning “hail”) because its seeds sound like hailstones when they fall.

My visit ended with a cider tasting. I was give three cups, one for each type of cider bottled there. They were each distinctive and I quickly learned which one I preferred. I bought two bottles as gifts for my friend and his parents whom I would

This farm also bottles milk – in a separate farm house – so I was not surprised to see cows near the orchard. But I was surprised when they walked toward me.


I left the farm and continued along the east bank of the estuary to Saint-Suliac whose description in the Michelin Guide interested me. In fact, it was lovely. The houses, mostly dating from the 17th c., were built of granite stones. Many of them had fishing nets draped over the façade. The streets were very narrow, almost like alleys and no doubt little changed over the centuries. Most of the inhabitants of the town were sailors or “paludiers,” men who worked in the salt-gathering marshes of the Rance estuary; a few were weavers who made fishing nets and sailcloth. The town never became a tourist village; its residents live there all year, though sailing, fishing by hand, ornithological excursions, and tourism sustain the town now.

I left Saint-Suliac reluctantly, but it was late. There was only one bridge across the Rance between Saint-Suliac and Lanvallay just outside Dinan, the Pont Saint-Hubert. I drove south, crossed over twice, and returned via the eastern shore, but on a different road than that I took going north. I passed through one tiny village and saw a few houses and farms before arriving back in Dinan at dusk.