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Wales select Brittany as Euro 2016 base

Wales manager Chris Coleman watches his players during the Euro 2016 qualifying football match against Andorra at Cardiff City stadium on October 13, 2015

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale and his Wales teammates will prepare for Euro 2016 in Brittany, Wales chiefs revealed on Monday. Welsh manager Chris Coleman and his assistants have decided to stay in the coastal resort of Dinard at the Novotel Thalassa Dinard, a spa resort that previously hosted French clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux, and will also be used by the France national team later this year. The French resort boasts an on-site fitness centre that includes three indoor swimming pools, steam room, gym and recuperation facilities and Wales will train at nearby Dinard FC. Coleman visited several training complexes in France over the last few months but plumped for Brittany despite its relatively remote location. The nearest Euro 2016 venues are almost 250 miles (400km) away in Paris, meaning Wales will travel further than any other team in the group stages with games against Slovakia in Bordeaux on June 11, against England in Lens on June 16 and Russia in Toulouse on June 20. However, Wales' base is only a 15-minute drive from Dinard Pleurtuit Saint-Malo Airport while Rennes airport is just over 40 miles away. "It has world class spa and recuperation facilities and an exclusive self-contained wing that will house Chris Coleman's squad and will create the best possible environment prior to and during UEFA Euro 2016," a Football Association of Wales statement said.