The top five of so many reasons I love it here.
1.
Les Cancalais
There’s just something about the people here. Oh sure, it may take a while to get to know them (People from Cancale have a local reputation of being cold and unfriendly.), but once you do, they’re warm, funny, kind, clever, generous, a little bit wacky—and always ready greet you with a “Hep!” then talk a while about the ever-changing weather.
2.
La Mer (The Sea)
In Cancale, that means the wide, sweeping Mont-Saint-Michel Bay with its 40-foot tides and miles of oyster beds and mussel farms. It means the Emerald Coast that stretches to Saint-Malo with its high cliffs and long, sandy beaches. It means mud flats for clamming, rocks for foraging seaweed, icy water for (um…invigorating) swimming, magnificent sunrises, gentle breezes, and wild, roaring gales.
3.
Les Marchés (The Markets)
Brittany is known as “the market basket of France” because of all the produce grown here. On any given day of the week, there’s a market nearby that I can hit up for the most perfect fruits and vegetables, but also for the freshest fish, the creamiest dairy products (cheese!), the finest meat and charcuterie and the most delicious assortment of breads.
4.
La Houle
La Houle is my ‘hood –the port of Cancale and its warren of narrow streets and stone houses that back up to the cliffs is my home. La Houle is its own little village within Cancale. There are only 100 of us who live here year round, though our numbers swell (and it starts to get hard to park) in the summertime.
5.
Le GR 34
The hiking trail that starts at the Mont-Saint-Michel and goes all the way around the Brittany peninsula (1,100 miles!) was originally a path used by customs officer to patrol the coast. It runs through Cancale, and is my gateway to all kinds of walking and foraging adventures.
