The ferry from Portsmouth takes all night to get to St. Malo. The boat was not very full so I was able to stretch out on the floor next to my seat to catch a few hours of sleep.
After arriving in St. Malo at 8 in the morning, I realized I hadn’t planned out my route, so decided — on a bit of a whim — to head toward Rennes. I somehow missed the commercial center of St. Malo on my way out of town so never really got a sense of the place.
The day was grey and misty, but the cycling was easy and the smaller roads largely clear of traffic. For a period I happened upon the St. Malo-Rennes signed bike route, but then managed to get off it again somehow.
I spent the night in a hotel in Rennes then the next morning sorting out Internet access for my phone. I finally left town too late in the day to make it to Redon as I intended. Riding in the rain all afternoon with no clear prospect of a place to stay left me pretty deflated, but upon asking for a camping spot in St. Just, I was let into the local hostel — as the only guest.
The next morning was beautiful and I took some time to find the nearby megaliths before heading on to Redon. Patrice and Lucie — whom I contacted via warmshowers.org — have gone out of their way to make me feel at home in their flat in the center of town. I’m taking advantage of their hospitality to take a rest day here before heading on towards Nantes.