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Brittany Brittany, June 2018
- Thread starter Pauline
- Start date
Pauline
Forums Admin
Saturday continued
After lunch we drove up the west side of the Bay of Morlaix to Carantec. We followed a hike from an English language guide for Brittany hikes. Carantec is on a peninsula across from where we hiked yesterday. We could see the Tumulus we visited yesterday.
The hike went on the coast around the peninsula cutting across on roads at the bottom. It started out on the coast path, but this part was on the beach, walking on sand, which I don’t like. At one point we had to turn back because part of the path could not be accessed at high tide. The book didn’t mention that, but a guy in a wet suit explained it to Steve. We followed the road, saw some random trail markers, and were on the trail again.
The next long section was on road. Not busy but boring. Finally after an hour of walking we got to the good part of the trail, starting with an oyster farm on the coast south of Carantec. From this point on, for another two hours, the hike was wonderful, walking through the oyster farm, then through woods, and finally on a good trail above the beach.
People were on the beaches and swimming. We started the hike just before 4pm and finished at 7pm. It was warm and sunny with a nice cool breeze from the water.
Another lovely day! We walked over 45 miles this week!
After lunch we drove up the west side of the Bay of Morlaix to Carantec. We followed a hike from an English language guide for Brittany hikes. Carantec is on a peninsula across from where we hiked yesterday. We could see the Tumulus we visited yesterday.
The hike went on the coast around the peninsula cutting across on roads at the bottom. It started out on the coast path, but this part was on the beach, walking on sand, which I don’t like. At one point we had to turn back because part of the path could not be accessed at high tide. The book didn’t mention that, but a guy in a wet suit explained it to Steve. We followed the road, saw some random trail markers, and were on the trail again.
The next long section was on road. Not busy but boring. Finally after an hour of walking we got to the good part of the trail, starting with an oyster farm on the coast south of Carantec. From this point on, for another two hours, the hike was wonderful, walking through the oyster farm, then through woods, and finally on a good trail above the beach.
People were on the beaches and swimming. We started the hike just before 4pm and finished at 7pm. It was warm and sunny with a nice cool breeze from the water.
Another lovely day! We walked over 45 miles this week!
Pauline
Forums Admin
Sunday June 24 2018
Sunny and getting hot. 70F
I woke up with a sore back. I have long term back issues and they flare up from time to time. I don’t know what brought this on but I suspect it was carrying our heavy bags back from the market yesterday. So we opted for an easy walk to get my back feeling better. A long footpath goes by the place we are staying, following an old railway line. Easy walking. Others were out walking, running and biking. It is a good, wide trail and goes for miles, heading north, away from the coast. We walked out for an hour then turned around and walked back. It is mostly in shade, which was good.
Lunch at home sitting outside in the garden. In the afternoon we drove east along the coast to Locquirec, a pretty seaside town. It was busy, restaurants and cafes were full, lots of people swimming and walking. We walked around the point on the coast path and enjoyed the sun and water and breezes. We didn’t walk far - only three miles out and back.
Home for dinner and a bit more time sitting outside.
We are going home on Wednesday as planned for stupid reasons. I have someone watering my new hedge plus the neighbor is watching it but it is hot and dry at home, as it is here, and I need to take over the watering. Plus we have dentist appointments. I found out that I can easily change our return ferry so that was an option. I found a nice AirBnB on the far west coast and would have loved another week here. Instead we will come back next summer.
It has worked well bringing our car (although it made a very loud noise when I shifted to reverse today) and I like the driving. The roads are better than in the UK, less crowded, better maintained, and driving on the right while sitting on the right is absolutely no problem. We are thinking of driving to Switzerland in late August instead of flying (we considered this last year but didn’t do it).
Two full days left! I really, really like it here!
Sunny and getting hot. 70F
I woke up with a sore back. I have long term back issues and they flare up from time to time. I don’t know what brought this on but I suspect it was carrying our heavy bags back from the market yesterday. So we opted for an easy walk to get my back feeling better. A long footpath goes by the place we are staying, following an old railway line. Easy walking. Others were out walking, running and biking. It is a good, wide trail and goes for miles, heading north, away from the coast. We walked out for an hour then turned around and walked back. It is mostly in shade, which was good.
Lunch at home sitting outside in the garden. In the afternoon we drove east along the coast to Locquirec, a pretty seaside town. It was busy, restaurants and cafes were full, lots of people swimming and walking. We walked around the point on the coast path and enjoyed the sun and water and breezes. We didn’t walk far - only three miles out and back.
Home for dinner and a bit more time sitting outside.
We are going home on Wednesday as planned for stupid reasons. I have someone watering my new hedge plus the neighbor is watching it but it is hot and dry at home, as it is here, and I need to take over the watering. Plus we have dentist appointments. I found out that I can easily change our return ferry so that was an option. I found a nice AirBnB on the far west coast and would have loved another week here. Instead we will come back next summer.
It has worked well bringing our car (although it made a very loud noise when I shifted to reverse today) and I like the driving. The roads are better than in the UK, less crowded, better maintained, and driving on the right while sitting on the right is absolutely no problem. We are thinking of driving to Switzerland in late August instead of flying (we considered this last year but didn’t do it).
Two full days left! I really, really like it here!
Roz
500+ Posts
Sorry about your back, Pauline, but glad you were still able to get in quite a bit of walking. Did your back feel okay after all that exercise?
Love all your photos. You were lucky to have such great weather, although I guess the part of Brittany where you were has better weather than many other regions. That book I keep talking about said the Morbihan area in the south of Brittany has sunny weather to rival the Mediterranean.
Love all your photos. You were lucky to have such great weather, although I guess the part of Brittany where you were has better weather than many other regions. That book I keep talking about said the Morbihan area in the south of Brittany has sunny weather to rival the Mediterranean.
Pauline
Forums Admin
I’ve been dealing with back problems since I was 25. Since we’ve moved to England, and I have stopped spending so much time at the computer (working), I’ve had very few problems. It felt much better after a walk on a flat path yesterday. The good news is that my foot is feeling better!
We had a lot of fog in the Morbihan. I wonder if they get a lot of sea fog or was it just then. There had been big storms in France. There was flooding in Morlaix only a few weeks ago. And flooding in other areas.
Now we are getting hot weather, here and at home in Dorset. Sunny and 75F for the next week.
We had a lot of fog in the Morbihan. I wonder if they get a lot of sea fog or was it just then. There had been big storms in France. There was flooding in Morlaix only a few weeks ago. And flooding in other areas.
Now we are getting hot weather, here and at home in Dorset. Sunny and 75F for the next week.
Pauline
Forums Admin
Monday June 25 2018
Sunny and hot, 77F.
We walked into town for morning coffee and croissant. We have not done that much on this trip. There is a good cafe on the main square, before the viaduct, that we’ve been to a few times. This morning they were out of croissants so we got some from the bakery and brought them into the cafe. This always feels strange to do, but the waiter suggested it and pointed to the bakery.
We did a good walk around town, first climbing up to a viewpoint high above the town, then found our way to the pedestrian level of the viaduct for great views of the town. After that we climbed up and down the eastern side of towns, using the narrow alleys and stairs. This is a beautiful town.
Around noon we headed out for the west coast, first driving to Lannilis on the Cote des Abers. Abers are long inlets. They are not steep fiords, but more like rivers coming out to the sea. We poked our way along the coast until we got to Portsall where there is an old dolmen, Dolmen of Guilligui. There were no signs for it but we found a street of the same name and could see it from there. There is no road to it but we figured out how to get to it. It is located between Portsall and Kersait, on the coast path. It is a good size, on a hill on the edge of the sea.
We missed the church in Kersait (supposed to be good) and next stopped near Porspoder where our book has a 3 hour hike. It was getting late and we had 4 menhirs to find, so we did a short 30 minute walk on a nice part of the coast path. There was a dolmen there but it was very small.
This area has many prehistoric sites, mostly menhirs and dolmens. The area was more populated than I thought it would be. Inland is all crop fields. By the sea are towns and houses. Not busy or too crowded but a lot of towns. I saw many new builds, possibly second homes. I had seen one to rent here on AirBnB and we drove by it. I liked the area but Steve thought it too remote and windy. I am not sure how good the coast path would be here since in many places the road goes along the sea, so you woul be walking close to it.
After our short walk it was Menhir time. I found information about four good ones in this area. The first three are near Porspoder. We found Menhir Kerhouzel easily. It is 7m high and in a corn field. You can’t get close to it. The next one, Menhir Kerdelvas, we could not find. The third one, Menhir Kergadiou, was well signed, plus was in Waze (the GPS app we are using), so we found it. There are two menhirs. One is 8.8m. The other is huge, 11m, but has fallen. We had to climb a steep bank, then step over one wire fence and under another to get to them. They are fabulous! We could even walk on the fallen one!
One last one, Menhir Kerloas, said to be the largest in France at 9.5m. It was in Waze and was well signed. We had to walk in a bit and when we got there it was a bit creepy. Someone was camped in the woods beside the Menhir. We could see him/her sleeping in a hammock. They had a big dog beside them. Then this other guy was sitting on a rock staring at the Menhir. Plus the farmer must have been mucking, something we are well used to now with all our rural travel, so the place smelled like sh*t. A couple of other people came while we were there and the Menhir was huge and beautiful. It was taller originally but lightening took off some of the top.
After this we drove home, about an hour, stopped at a huge supermarket and made dinner at home. It was hot today and after dinner I sat outside to cool off, but mosquitoes!! Up until that, Brittany has been perfect.
Sunny and hot, 77F.
We walked into town for morning coffee and croissant. We have not done that much on this trip. There is a good cafe on the main square, before the viaduct, that we’ve been to a few times. This morning they were out of croissants so we got some from the bakery and brought them into the cafe. This always feels strange to do, but the waiter suggested it and pointed to the bakery.
We did a good walk around town, first climbing up to a viewpoint high above the town, then found our way to the pedestrian level of the viaduct for great views of the town. After that we climbed up and down the eastern side of towns, using the narrow alleys and stairs. This is a beautiful town.
Around noon we headed out for the west coast, first driving to Lannilis on the Cote des Abers. Abers are long inlets. They are not steep fiords, but more like rivers coming out to the sea. We poked our way along the coast until we got to Portsall where there is an old dolmen, Dolmen of Guilligui. There were no signs for it but we found a street of the same name and could see it from there. There is no road to it but we figured out how to get to it. It is located between Portsall and Kersait, on the coast path. It is a good size, on a hill on the edge of the sea.
We missed the church in Kersait (supposed to be good) and next stopped near Porspoder where our book has a 3 hour hike. It was getting late and we had 4 menhirs to find, so we did a short 30 minute walk on a nice part of the coast path. There was a dolmen there but it was very small.
This area has many prehistoric sites, mostly menhirs and dolmens. The area was more populated than I thought it would be. Inland is all crop fields. By the sea are towns and houses. Not busy or too crowded but a lot of towns. I saw many new builds, possibly second homes. I had seen one to rent here on AirBnB and we drove by it. I liked the area but Steve thought it too remote and windy. I am not sure how good the coast path would be here since in many places the road goes along the sea, so you woul be walking close to it.
After our short walk it was Menhir time. I found information about four good ones in this area. The first three are near Porspoder. We found Menhir Kerhouzel easily. It is 7m high and in a corn field. You can’t get close to it. The next one, Menhir Kerdelvas, we could not find. The third one, Menhir Kergadiou, was well signed, plus was in Waze (the GPS app we are using), so we found it. There are two menhirs. One is 8.8m. The other is huge, 11m, but has fallen. We had to climb a steep bank, then step over one wire fence and under another to get to them. They are fabulous! We could even walk on the fallen one!
One last one, Menhir Kerloas, said to be the largest in France at 9.5m. It was in Waze and was well signed. We had to walk in a bit and when we got there it was a bit creepy. Someone was camped in the woods beside the Menhir. We could see him/her sleeping in a hammock. They had a big dog beside them. Then this other guy was sitting on a rock staring at the Menhir. Plus the farmer must have been mucking, something we are well used to now with all our rural travel, so the place smelled like sh*t. A couple of other people came while we were there and the Menhir was huge and beautiful. It was taller originally but lightening took off some of the top.
After this we drove home, about an hour, stopped at a huge supermarket and made dinner at home. It was hot today and after dinner I sat outside to cool off, but mosquitoes!! Up until that, Brittany has been perfect.
Pauline
Forums Admin
Tuesday June 26 2018
Sunny and hot, 77F.
It was going to be a hot day. We started with a two hour easy, flat walk on the railway path because it is all shade. It was delightful. I wish we had a long, easy walk like this at home. All our walks start with a climb. This is a perfect walking trail. Not much to look at except trees, so it could get boring.
After lunch we drove north to the coast east of Bay of Morlaix, where you are looking out the the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. We had thought we would go swimming but the house book in our rental goes into a major song and dance about not bringing sand into the house, so we thought it was not worth it. Walking around the point up there was refreshing enough. Hot and sunny but a cool wind off the water.
It was exceptionally beautiful. We could see very large ships on the horizon. There were many small rocky islands off the coast. There was a small Menhir. We spent an hour walking around the point, then drove to Morlaix to pick up a few gifts (Brittany cookies) and wander a few streets we had missed earlier.
Dinner at home and now I am packing. We check out at 11am tomorrow and we have to be in line for the ferry in Roscoff at 2pm. Roscoff is only a 30 minute drive. We’ll have a couple of hours to do something. The ferry ride is six hours. We have a cabin. We don’t get in until 8:10pm UK time which is an hour later in France.
I planned this trip to travel today, shortening our 7 day stay to 6 days, so we would arrive early enough to drive home (2 hours). The ships have different schedules each day and Thursday’s arrived an hour later. But we have to overnight in Plymouth anyway because the highway to our town is closed at night this week for road improvements. There is no easy way to get home except on that highway. So a night in Plymouth and then on Thursday we drive home with a stop in Totnes to meet an Italian SlowTrav person who ended up in Devon (Massimo).
The trip is over!
Sunny and hot, 77F.
It was going to be a hot day. We started with a two hour easy, flat walk on the railway path because it is all shade. It was delightful. I wish we had a long, easy walk like this at home. All our walks start with a climb. This is a perfect walking trail. Not much to look at except trees, so it could get boring.
After lunch we drove north to the coast east of Bay of Morlaix, where you are looking out the the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. We had thought we would go swimming but the house book in our rental goes into a major song and dance about not bringing sand into the house, so we thought it was not worth it. Walking around the point up there was refreshing enough. Hot and sunny but a cool wind off the water.
It was exceptionally beautiful. We could see very large ships on the horizon. There were many small rocky islands off the coast. There was a small Menhir. We spent an hour walking around the point, then drove to Morlaix to pick up a few gifts (Brittany cookies) and wander a few streets we had missed earlier.
Dinner at home and now I am packing. We check out at 11am tomorrow and we have to be in line for the ferry in Roscoff at 2pm. Roscoff is only a 30 minute drive. We’ll have a couple of hours to do something. The ferry ride is six hours. We have a cabin. We don’t get in until 8:10pm UK time which is an hour later in France.
I planned this trip to travel today, shortening our 7 day stay to 6 days, so we would arrive early enough to drive home (2 hours). The ships have different schedules each day and Thursday’s arrived an hour later. But we have to overnight in Plymouth anyway because the highway to our town is closed at night this week for road improvements. There is no easy way to get home except on that highway. So a night in Plymouth and then on Thursday we drive home with a stop in Totnes to meet an Italian SlowTrav person who ended up in Devon (Massimo).
The trip is over!
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I have been enjoying your report. We have been to Brittany but were up near Dinan. I am filing this away for a future trip, perhaps 2020. It looks lovely and the menhirs are quite amazing. We have not had any time in coastal France despite all our trips. We have to have this year's trip before we start planning the next!
DestinationAddict
New Member
Great photos, loved looking though all these as we loved Carnac and the surrounding area. Visited for the first time recently and we will definitely be heading back there to explore more!