"St. Suliac." Saint-Suliac by pfsmalo

Consistently voted in as one of the loveliest villages in France, St. Suliac lives up to its reputation. Sitting on the Rance river about 15 kms from St. Malo, it owes its heritage to the many fishermen who lived here and manned the original trawlers that fished cod around Newfoundland in the late 19th/early 20th century. St. Suliac itself is now cut off from the sea by the Tidal dam built in the '60's.

Founded in the 6th century by a Welsh prince named Suliau or Tysilio, the village changed and settled for its new name Suliac but did not enlarge before the 10th century when Normans (or Vikings) came up the river and settled here. The village church was built in the 13th century and some of the houses on the slopes of the hill just below the church are dated 13th and 14th century. Today the village has a wonderful situation facing west over the river, but still only has 950 habitants. Can be a hectic time trying to park in the summer, but if you're not afraid to walk a bit, there are plenty of spots not far out.

View of the 13th century church.

From the village centre, there are many trails that lead away, notably up to Mont Garrot, one of the highest points in the county and the other way to the "Grainfollet Virgin", an oratory where sailors came to give prayers before leaving for Newfoundland.

From the other side of the Mont Garrot, at low tide, can be seen the grass ramparts of the old Viking village, although without a guide to point things out, one cannot see a lot.