The Erdre joins the Loire in Nantes, and its lower reach was covered over in the 1930s — the water still runs beneath the Cours des 50-Otages, which is why that boulevard is so oddly wide.
Upstream it opens out into a broad green river lined with châteaux and boathouses. Walking or cycling the towpath out of the city is the standard Nantais Sunday.
Boat trips run up the river from the centre in season.
Walk north along the bank for twenty minutes and the city stops abruptly. Very few visitors do this and it is the best cheap hour in Nantes.
The Erdre in pictures
