Following the ramparts, you reach a point where two bastions face each other and frame the Môles beach: the Bastion Saint-Philippe to the south and the Bastion de la Hollande to the north. These two structures are a testament to the defensive ingenuity that made Saint-Malo one of the best-fortified cities on the Breton coast.

• The Bastion de la Hollande was built in the 17th century, when the corsair city was enjoying its golden age. It owes its name to the maritime tensions with the United Provinces (present-day Netherlands): cannon batteries were positioned there, pointing out to sea to counter any attack from the northwest. Its elevated position also offered an excellent view of the harbor entrance and the Rance River.

• The Bastion Saint-Philippe, built a little later in the same spirit, completed the defensive system on the southwest side. It protected the anchorage area and allowed its fire to cross with that of the Hollande bastion, thus trapping any enemy vessel in a deadly trap.

Between the two bastions, the Môles beach once provided a natural slipway where boats were pulled ashore, protected by cannons. Today, peaceful and lined with walkers, it nevertheless serves as a reminder that it was once the heart of a formidable military presence, a symbol of Saint-Malo's maritime power.