Halfway between Nantes and the seaside resorts of the Côte de Jade, Le Pellerin welcomes you by the Loire River to enjoy the hinterland in the heart of a historical city. As soon as the 11th century, it was a stopping-off place for pilgrims going to Saint James of Compostela to cross the river with the small boat of the landlord, and later on with the famous “abeille”. Even today, a ferryboat service ensures the connection with the north (Couëron).
Lining the Loire River on more than 18 kilometres, Le Pellerin offers an exceptional living environment and is proud to be one of the two greenest towns of the urban area of Nantes. Le Pellerin has known how to keep its meadows alongside the Loire River, and it provides a habitat for a rich fauna and flora that can be discovered through four hiking trails.
Built on a hill, the town of Le Pellerin forms a kind of amphitheatre and overlooks the left bank of the Loire. Along the embankments, one can notice beautiful middle-class residences built by former rich tradesmen and ship-owners – they give to the local architecture a characteristic and picturesque charm.
Nearby, the canal de la Martinière dates back to the end of the 19th century. Stretching over 15 km, it was dug to compensate the shallowness of the Loire, between Le Pellerin and Nantes, whose sandbanks hindered the passage of boats. Today, it is used for hydraulic regulation equipment and as a tourist link where hikers, fishermen, water-based recreation lovers, wildlife-watchers in the bird sanctuary of the île du Massereau, meet.