Ciao Mondo Bello

Basic Facts about Cancale

Oysters! Oysters! And more oysters! It’s all about the almighty king of shellfish in Cancale, considered the “Oyster Capital of France”. Cancale is a charming seaside town of approximately 5500 inhabitatants situated on the Bay of Mont St. Michel in Normandy. Here there is a rich and long history of oyster farming. In fact, the Romans were known to have eaten Cancale’s famous oysters. Also, King Louis XIV is said to have had oysters from Cancale delivered daily to the Palace at Versailles.

According to the Official Tourism Site of Brittany, there are two types of oysters produced in France-the flat oyster and hallow oyster. Most of the oysters nowadays are of the hollow oyster type due to infectious parasites killing out much of the indigenous flat oysters.

Look around and you will quickly realize that Cancale is indeed the oyster capital of France. There are signs everywhere. For example, when entering town we passed a fountain display of two women holding baskets with water flowing through them. I have since learned that this in fact the traditional way in which they would have washed the oysters. We continued through the town, parking alongside the beach.

It was mid-June when we visited and we were able to easily park alongside the beach. When I exited our vehicle I was immediately greeted by a strong smell of sea life. While others in the group complained of the smell, I took a deep breath in, happy to be at the sea. When I shifted my eyes toward the beach I was astonished by the sight in front of me. Oyster beds covered the entire expansive beach. When I looked closer at the water I could see the dark outline of even more oyster beds farther out into the sea. According to the Official Tourism Site of Brittany 15,000 tons of oysters are produced each year in Cancale.

The oysters are grown by individual farmers. Each farmer owns a framed section of the seabed. After breeding the oyster larvae, the young oysters are placed into plastic bags or pockets, which are mounted to an iron table in the oyster bed at 6 months. The water is changed regularly, and eventually after 2 to 3 years they are ready to be consumed.

Eating Oysters Along the Harbor

Alongside the harbor there is a cluster of stands selling fresh oysters. Here a person can buy a dozen oysters for approximately 5 euro ($5.50). It’s a great place to pause for a few moments to enjoy some oysters while watching all of the action at the harbor.

A steady stream of tractors passed us while we stood near the sea. Many of them were driving right into the sea. Within an hour after our arrival there were roughly 10 tractors visible on the beach.  I think it’s interesting to think of how their work schedule is so dependent on the tide, and I imagine some days start earlier than others.

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I wish I could go on to say how I enjoyed fresh oysters by the harbor underneath the sunny sky with a cool breeze blowing, chucking the oyster shells over the side of the seawall to join the thousands of other empty oyster shells below. However, I cannot and it pains me to write that. In retrospect I should have tried an oyster.  After all, if I were to ever have an oyster, certainly this should have been the place. Oh well. C’est la vie! I will follow the advice of my the great travel sage Rick Steves and assume that I will go back.

“He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.”

-Jonathan Swift

Nearby Sights

The day we visited Cancale, we spent the morning driving from our Airbnb in St. Malo. Normally the route would take 45 minutes. However, we decided to take a more curcutious route that took us approximately 2 hours to complete. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it! Read on to discover two additional must stops if you’re in the area.

Ile de Besnard & Dunes de Chevets

In order to get a taste of Brittany’s Côte d’Émeraude (Emerald Coast) we followed the scenic D-201 towards Cancale. We set off shortly before noon, and easily found the first stop, Ile Besnard and Dunes de Chevets, about 15 minutes later.  The stop was located only a short 5 minute detour off of the D-201. It is marked by a brown sign along the side of the road. Apparently the French have been using these brown signs for tourists since the 1970’s to indicate interesting stopping points.

As we pulled into the small sand parking lot, I took note that there was only one other van parked there. Interestingly enough the person was lounging behind the van’s rear open doors, while presumably his underwear were hanging in the front window. Call me crazy, but I was slightly envious of his “van life”.

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The expansive beach itself was very beautiful with a rocky island located just off the shore. We had the beach to ourselves with the exception of a sunbathing couple and another three people involved in a photo shoot of a pregnant woman.  While there we enjoyed climbing on top of the rocks and observed some interesting sea creatures in some of the small pools that were formed in the rock. I was surprised by the beautiful color of the water, and couldn’t contain myself from taking a slew of photos.

La Pointe du Grouin

As we drove along to our next stop, La Pointe du Grouin, we noticed a few other brown signs indicating tourist sites, but decided not to stop due to time constraints and the difficulty involved with trying to get my toddler son to leave the beach. Unlike Ile de Besnard, there was a parking lot packed full of cars and we had to use a parking lot located further down the road. I was surprised to spot not only a bar, but a restaurant, as well as a hotel at this location. People were enjoying lunch as they looked across the vast expanse of the turquoise sea towards the outline of Mont St. Michel in the distance.

In addition to a high viewpoint of the sea and Mont St. Michel in the distance, visitors are rewarded by views of Ile des Landes, which is a long rocky outcrop that is now a bird sanctuary, as well as a lighthouse. In the far distance, the Iles Chausey, a group of small island, can be spotted. Additionally, I learned that hikers can enjoy the Grande Randonnee footpath here, which begins in Cancale, approximately 7 km away.

Practicalities

• WEATHER-We visited in mid-June and the weather was perfect, as in sunny, blue skies with temperatures in the lower 70’s. The ideal time to visit is March-October.
• ACCOMMODATIONS-We based ourselves out of St. Malo and Honfleur, staying in Airbnb’s. Both places made great bases for exploring not only Brittany, but neighboring Normandy.
• TRANSPORTATION-Cancale is located approximately 4 1/2 hours from Paris. We rented a car, which I think would be preferable to see all of the cute, charming towns. The only issue with parking was in the walled city of St. Malo.