
SELF DRIVE RIVER BOAT RENTALS FROM Saint-Martin/Oust
Saint Martin sur Oust is a small rural village, with little trade. Remember to visit Castellan Castle before going on a cruise. This base is the starting point for one-way river cruises on the Nantes-Brest Canal / Vilaine to Melesse.
The locks are electric and manned by lock keepers. They are always open.
In Britanny, river cruises are mainly done on canals (except between Redon and Rennes). Easy on the whole, little current, few dangers - this region is perfectly suited for a first river cruise experience.
In 2024 and 2025: following long maintenance work, navigation will be interrupted on the Vilaine at the Moulin de Boël, between Messac and Rennes. You will therefore not be able to navigate as far as Rennes for the whole of the 2025 season.
Update of 18/04/25: Due to work to replace the Boël valve, navigation is only possible as far as Pierchatel until further notice. This means that you can only cruise north from Messac for 1.5 hours as far as the Molière lock. If you wish to visit Rennes from Messac, it is advisable to take the train - the station is just opposite the Messac base.
Update 18/04/25: Due to heavy flooding in January, mooring on the pontoons at La Gacilly is not possible until further notice, as the pontoons are not secure. Navigation on the Aff river is possible, but mooring is not.
Whether on the Nantes-Brest Canal or on the Vilaine River, mooring is only permitted in designated places and not along the banks.
- Car: From the north: E50 (A81 + N157 + N136), Rennes take D177 towards Saint Nazaire / Redon then D777 direction Gacilly then D777 to St Martin sur Oust. From the south: From Redon, D764 then D14 then D149 then D777.
- Train: Redon TGV station (20 km)
- Air: Rennes-Saint-Jacques airport (63 km), Nantes-Atlantique airport (110 km)
- in La Gacilly (8 km) every Saturday morning, in Malansac (8 km) every Tuesday morning.
- Carte de pêche obligatoire: on sale at Le Marteens Bar, Rue du Commerce, 56200 Saint-Martin-sur-Oust - Eels, Tench, Bream, Carp, Roach, Bleak, Trout, Perch, Pikeperch, Pike, Black- Bass
- Canal from Nantes to Brest, Pontivy direction: the locks are open every day from 9h to 12h30 and from 13h30 to 18h45 or 19h15, lock keepers are present at most locks; direction Nantes: the locks are open from 9:15 am to 7:00 pm, lock keepers are present except for four locks that are self-service.
- Vilaine, Canal d'Ille-et-Rance: the locks are open every day from 9:30 to 12:30, 13:30 to 18:45 or 19:15. It happens that a lock keeper accompanies the same boat on several locks.All locks are open on May 1 and July 14.
Possible cruises
Travelling with CrisBoat
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