Fromage, Fishing Huts & Fleur de Sal

Pascal Beillevaire was born and raised on his parents’ dairy farm and began selling cream, butter, and other dairy products in the local markets around Machecoul. Today he has transformed the farm into one of the best ‘fromageries’ in the region, offering around 400 different cheeses from 250 producers.
The fromagerie also makes its own cheese, collecting fresh milk from nearby farms every morning, and transporting it to 6 creameries. And it has 5 maturation cellars where the cheeses are aged as well as 2 workshops for making speciality cheeses such as Truffle Camembert.
If you love cheese, this 1-hour tour is heavenly. You’ll see and learn how the different cheeses, yoghurts and butters are made and, best of all, you’ll get to try some – with juice or wine. There’s also a shop selling a broad selection of what they produce.
Note the tour needs to be booked in advance. Book online. Tickets are available Monday-Fridays.

Park the car behind the beach bar for a pre-lunch stroll. Saint-Nazaire is famous for its long line of traditional fishing huts that decorate the seafront. These huts are simple rooms on stilts with large square fishing nets hanging from them, called ‘carrelets’. To go fishing, just lower the net for a while, then raise it and, if you’re lucky, you’ll have a fresh catch for lunch.
To see these huts (which are very photogenic), walk west along the beachfront promenade until it curves around the bay where you’ll see the huts. It takes around an hour to walk to the end of the bay and back.
Back at the beach bar, stop here for lunch. The bar sells tasty ‘street’ food such as wraps, waffles and skewers served in cardboard containers that you can eat on the lovely terrace or sit on the beach for a picnic.

You’ve seen the ‘red gold’; now it’s time to learn about the ‘white gold’.
The salt marshes of the Guerande Peninsula extend over 2,000 hectares and are the most northern in Europe. Salt has been harvested here since Roman times but the grid layout of the salt works were constructed in the 10th Century by monks from the Landevennec Abbey; a vast open air salt factory was created, bringing great prosperity to the region.
The techniques for harvesting salt haven’t changed much through the centuries and when you tour the salt works, you’ll see how and why much of the labour needs to be done without machinery. On the tour, you’ll see how the water is channelled into the canals, how salt is formed and harvested, and learn about the different types of salt – including ‘fleur de sal’ – very fine salt crystals much loved by chefs. You’ll also meet some of the salt workers and get to taste salt straight from the ‘pans’.
Tours are available May-Sept and must be booked in advance. Book online. The tour starts at 3:15 and takes 1.5 hours.

Gilles Roy is an award-winning master brewer who has been producing craft beers for the Brasserie since 2017. Stop here to sample some of the tasty brews and to pick up a few souvenir bottles from their shop.
Note the Brasserie is open from 3-7 and is closed on Tuesdays.

Housed in the Eco-Hotel Spa Yves Rocher, this high-end restaurant is not only 100% organic but also ensures that all the ingredients are sourced within a 70Km radius from over 45 local suppliers. Both a la carte and tasting menus are available, with optional wine pairing.
Reservations are essential. Book online.
Note the restaurant is closed for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays.