Some hints

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We stayed in a shabby but friendly accommodation close the station, imaginatively called the Hotel de la Gare. Quirky and friendly. A couple of housekeeping points before we get into serious touring: putting your bike on the train (according to SCNF website) is bookable in Brittany on the TER regional lines - in practice, it isn’t. It is still first come first served so get to the station early to get your bikes on board. Changing trains - at Rennes we had eight minutes to change to the Nantes train, we couldn’t find the walkway to get the bikes from platform to platform so had to use the escalator, much to the amusement of the locals. Pickpockets, we had a strategy meeting outside Nantes station and witnessed a pickpocket in action; his modus operandi was to pretend to have mental health problems, waving his arms around etc and come and sit next to his target, who studiously ignored him! He would then bump into them with his shoulder while the other hand would remove their billfold.

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