We had too many places on the list in Normandy & not enough time, so made the decision to spend our remaining three weeks in Brittany, heading down to the South coast to explore the from Carnac through to our final destination of Roscoff for the ferry home on the 8th of September.
After leaving Lion-sur-Mer our destination was Carnac, however we stopped at the halfway point, Josselin for an overnighter. Josselin is in the Morbihan region of Brittany & is another of our favourite “Petite Cite de Caractere” – we’ve found out that you can’t go wrong if you head to a village with this title or several other tourism titles! You’ll always find a campsite/aire, tourist information office, photogenic views & a bar! Located on the river Oust, with a stunning Gothic castle, compact town centre & church, it made a perfect overnight stop.
Carnac – Another random choice! In Carnac there are over 3,000 megalithic stones which are older than Stonehenge (and can be seen from space) Suggestions that they were used to track time (alignment of the sun/moon) or maybe religious functions. Fortunately some of the stones were within walking distance of the site, so we had a wander out to find them after getting set up. The next day, bikes out & off we went to find the Chappelle St Michel before heading off to St Columban then back to Carnac via the coast road. As expected, it was a beautiful ride with big views. Stopped off in the town for a mooch around & a pitstop at the local bar. Even had enough time to spend a couple of hours by the pool. Satisfaction achieved.
Gavres – Now this was a planned stop, which we were having second thoughts about. We’d decided on a couple of beach days, but the weather wasn’t looking great. Slightly nervous about 2 nights on an exposed peninsula by the beach with stormy weather. But we went for it! First off we found the ferry that went across the inlet to Port Louis, that was our day two plan sorted. Onwards we walked around the coast path that took round the peninsula from one side to the other. As per, massive great views of beaches, the coastline & hidden bays. It reminded us of Cornwall. Out of the blue we found a Chi Chi (same as Churros) kiosk & bought six covered in sugar with a pot of caramel to dip them in! Perfect. As expected the next day was overcast with drizzle, but as planned we headed over to Port Louis. Walked around the citadel/city walls & checked out the beaches. From there we could see the German U-Boat pens from the second world war. We’d already decided to bypass Lorient & nothing we saw made us change our mind. On impulse we went to a local pizzeria for lunch, G chose one with a local sausage! Big mistake & when we talk about it we can still smell it. Google provided us with the contents, which weren’t pleasant. Going forward, no more local sausage!
Le Pouldu – Moving on from the Morbihan department of Brittany, we crossed into Finistere. Le Pouldu is a beach resort close to Clohars Carnoet. The coast path reminded us both of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, we’ve now taken to likening every place we visit to it’s Cornish twin. We randomly found a person stood on the coast path playing a set of bagpipes. Walked along the path to the next beach before heading back. Next to the site is a chapel that “moved location” back in 1956. It was dismantled in it’s original location & rebuilt in the new! The next day we decided to walk the coast path – the GR34 – in the opposite direction towards the estuary. We eventually reached Le Poldu Port, so had a quick drink before turning round. The clouds were gathering. Too breezy to go to the beach, as we had hoped but sat out in the sun & planned some of the next trip.
Concarneau – Looking forward to this stop as we had planned 3 nights here! But first we had to go shopping, not only for food but for a replacement cap for the toilet cassette. M kicked it down the drain when emptying it! No luck at the motorhome dealer but we found a stop gap that will get us through the rest of the trip in a DIY shop. Arrived on site & first impressions were really good. Walking distance of the beach & with a swimming pool/terrace/bar & restaurant (also found out later that our friends had stayed here back in June & the showers were wonderful). Unfortunately the pitch was on a slope, so for the first time this trip we had to haul out the levelling ramps to ensure we weren’t on the wonk. Concarneau was developed from an old fortified town, with the ramparts dating back to the 13th century, then remodelled in the 17th century. Inside the Ville Close are lots of narrow streets with shops, bars & restaurants. M decided to buy a raincoat as the forecast for the next week, wasn’t looking great. We were able to relax a bit & spent a couple of afternoons just by the pool snoozing & reading. Ready for the next round of sightseeing, when back on the road.
