The Cancalaise in Brittany
“The story of The Cancalaise owes a lot to the boomer generation. As children, at the port of La Houle, everyone played in bisquine wrecks and everyone had listened to their parents and grandparents praise the qualities of this fishing boat typical of the region. But no one had ever seen one sailing. One thing led to another, and with the help of a few aperitifs, they said to themselves that they were going to do something crazy: try to build one,” explains David Reboutier, president of the Bisquine Cancalaise association. The project started in 1985. He requested a budget of 3 million francs (around 450,000 euros) and the investment of numerous volunteers who saw, little by little, their dream take shape, under the wise advice of the “cap committee” made up of former bisquine sailors. In April 1987, The Cancalaise was launched in the same port of La Houle.
Today, the three-masted ship reserves 40 of its annual outings for tourists to allow them to learn about sailing, most often heading towards the Chausey Islands in the company of a guide. Day sailors are always invited to hoist the sails and steer when the weather conditions are suitable. The lucky ones will also be able to observe dolphins, the bisquine having the particularity of arousing the curiosity of cetaceans. Lacancalaise.org
Vendée railway
At a time when the train is becoming fashionable again for environmental reasons, the Chemin de fer de la Vendée has always worked to ensure that the railway retains its letters of nobility. In 1985, the Mortagne-sur-Sèvre/Les Herbiers tourist line was launched by the association which today brings together around forty volunteers: painters, mechanics, carpenters, welders… We owe them, among other things, the restoration of two cars -restaurants – an Italian one from 1926 and a Belgian one from 1940 – which crossed the continent at the time of the great European expresses, symbols of the exuberance of the Roaring Twenties. Although you will obviously reach neither Saint Petersburg nor Vienna after boarding at Mortagne-sur-Sèvre, you will easily let yourself be seduced by the old-fashioned charm of this journey at 25 kilometers per hour. While enjoying one of the menus proposed by the chef while the Vendée bocage parades through the large windows of the blue car decorated with the legendary coat of arms of the International Company of Sleeping Wagons. Vendeetrain.fr
The donkeys of La Brasque
Another way to go back in time is to take the mule paths of the Mercantour National Park in the company of a donkey. He will be responsible for carrying your package (consisting of a tent for the more adventurous) and calling you to order if you are in a hurry. Like Laure Calamy in Antoinette in the Cévennes, you will quickly understand that the donkey is as endearing as it is stubborn. Its handling is akin to an art to which Sabrina Delporte will introduce you before inviting you to discover the surrounding nature with one of her equines as a companion. And what nature! Over 1,000 meters of altitude difference, the route, very mineral, offers beautiful surprises: waterfalls, rivers, beds of multicolored flowers, chamois, ibexes, marmots. Along the way, you will reach the Nice refuge where you can sleep and eat, unless you opt for a more authentic option, bivouac. The donkey will take up residence nearby, in a park previously set up by its owner, before taking you back to your starting point, most often with a smile. Lesanesdelabrasque.com/balades