Day 11 Pontivy - Malestroit 75km

Today was mostly descent, beside many locks (écluses) and mostly through steady rain, which was manageable until the afternoon, when the head wind returned and we had a couple of hours of driving rain, arriving at Malestroit soaked. Luckily we found a B&B outpost of a hotel, which is a little 1-bed flat at the top of a late 19C maison du maitre with a huge garden and two adjacent cottages that they have not yet converted. Decent meal tonight and considering whether to have a day off tomorrow.

The countryside has changed as we descended via Rohan into Morbihan, Tolkien's use of Breton being quite apparent. Much less granite about, although slaty/schist-like stone is prevalent, which presumably only became available here with the canal and the railway. Some red sandstone soils on the way and the form of the houses has changed somewhat. Rooms in roofs are still the norm but with some brick appearing and much half-timbering in the medieval town centres of Pontivy and Malestroit. There was a fantastic castle at Josselin and it is all-too-clear that these were medieval dukedoms or baronies in a remote land that was fiercely independent. Many weird churches with pointy spires, sometimes in timber. Whoever said these are radio transmitters for talking to God may have a point. Spellcheck corrected my lower case g, so what the hell?

We are enjoying the changing landscape and not working to anything other than a general plan. Finding somewhere to stay and to eat each evening is a small challenge but Trip Advisor is pretty helpful and it is better than being run ragged by an over-ambitious schedule that straps you to the wheel of relentless progression. People have been very pleasant and friendly, and it helps that we are early season visitors.