If any trip, at least at the beginning, consists in placing yourself in front of what you have never seen, in immersing yourself in an unknown topography and atmosphere, the landscapes of the Brière lend themselves perfectly to it. They make it possible to observe life following a slow and convincing dynamic, in a world that goes at a different pace. The fact that this is a virtually unknown region [10 000 visiteurs par an en moyenne d’après le site web de Saint-Nazaire]including by many French people, contributes to the aura of secrecy that surrounds it.
La Brière is a natural park located an hour by car from the city of Nantes, and even closer to Saint-Nazaire. Declared a national park in 1970, the Grande Brière is the second largest marshland in France after the Camargue. Behind its dykes formed by the alluvial deposits of the Loire, an immense peat bog (decomposed plants of a dark color, rich in carbon) lets emerge seven islands which host a fauna and a flora of a great diversity, ideal refuge for more than 150 species of ‘birds. A small aquatic corner in constant evolution, the Brière has been preserved thanks to the perseverance of several generations of Briérons, who have made it their means of survival. Today, from a biological point of view, this wetland is one of the richest in Europe.
A universe to recharge your batteries
When you observe this corner of nature from the top of the belvedere of the port of Rozé, it takes on the appearance of a museum. We have a panoramic view of the natural park and we can locate the typical villages, such as Saint-Joachim or Saint-Malo-de-Guersac (with houses recognizable by their traditional aesthetics), and we understand why the animals come here spend some time as one goes to a tourist resort with discreet luxury to recharge your batteries.
To discover the canals of the island of Fedrun, nothing beats a route barge. You have to remember this name, these are traditional boats, the only ones tolerated; each house, at the end of its yard or garden, must have at least one, so that people can move around. My guide is Michel Moyon, a local man, an enthusiastic defender of this ancestral way of life, and who also informs the visitor about the reality of the Brière. While rowing, he points out where to look, evokes the use of phragmites reeds, which will be used in winter to cover the