In brief, there is always somewhere to go.
Erce en Lamee is situated about 10 mins drive from Chateaubriant. Here you will find the local bar tabac, bakers shop, post office, local church and a small supermarket. You can bike along the old railway line from Erce to Chateaubriant! JA few minutes drive away and you will find Teillay. Be sure when visiting this village to look at the various shop signs hanging at first floor level! They all depict what the trade is all about. Yopu will find a bar restaurant, bar tabac, the Mairie (visit for information on the area), garage for any (hopefully not) repairs, etc. There iare also many monuments to the Resistance members from the second world war, and a monument to a local girl. Lakes to walk around or again to fish (obtain your licence from the bar tabac). Another small town a short drive from La Pillerie is Bain de Bretagne. You will find many restaurants to suit every taste, shops, boating lake, in fact you could spend many an hour just browsing all that is on offer. They hold a street market on Monday mornings. Take a visit to Guerche de Bretagne and see their market on Tuesday mornings. Golf, 9 holes, can be found at Treffieux (RN 171), while swing golf, 18 holes, can be found in Rouge. Also at Treffieux is the train touristique et velo-rails, which runs from 1430 to 1800 on Sundays and bank holidays.
At Chateaubriant you will find some lovely gift and clothes shops. On Wednesday they hold a market until 1pm. Most of the smaller shops close on Mondays, every shop including supermarkets is closed on Sundays, and most places close from 12 noon to around 2pm. The bigger supermarkets are also located in Chateaubriant; HyperU, E.Lelerc, Intermarche, Lidl. Plus your normal array of bread shops! Chateaubriant also holds the Foire de Bere during the first week of September over 4 days.
Chateaubriant has a ten pin bowling alley, the l'Hippodrome de Chateaubriant was built in 1980 and is famous for its Horse Trotting and participants come from all over France to enter, there is a glass theatre, go karting, crazy golf and the list could go on. You can also find Le Musee de la Resistance, a permanent exhibition which is dedicated to the memory of the Chateaubriant hostages.
Thursday and Pounce has its street market, whilst on Fridays you could drive to Nort sur Erde or Martigne Ferchaud for its street market!
Rennes, Angers, Laval, Nantes and St Nazaire are about 1 hour's drive away, as is the coastal towns of La Baule and St Brevin. You could also visit the Hunaudiere Lake (around 30 mins drive away) where you can picnic on the man-made beach, swim under the watchful eye of a lifeguard (during peak season only) hire a pedaloe or go for a walk through the forest. A few minutes walk from the lake you will find a creperie if you want a taste of the traditional french snack (be warned - they can be extremely filling!)
There are many local producers who will be happy to sell their products to you direct, for example, fromage de chevre, foie gras, miel, lapins, pates etc. An information book is provided in each gite for you to choose where to visit.
Or why not take one of the bikes, and explore the local roads and see where they take you, some of the scenery is fabulous!
