Tuesday 23 September 2008

Beaches in Brittany

All of Brittany's beaches are free and even better, uncrowded. The Brittany Coastline is over 750 miles long and is blessed with a variety of sheltered sandy coves on the north coast to long sunny stretches on the south coast.

The north coast of Brittany has fairytale like beaches which are made more interesing by the eb and flow of the tides replenishing rock pools and keeping the beaches clean and fresh.

If you are following the GR34 (see blog entry) you will be given access to most of these lovely bays.

My favorite beaches in Brittany are:

St. Jacut de la mer - There are several beaches at St. Jacut. There is one for families with easy access, dingy hire and a small beach cafe where there are no dogs allowed and some other beaches on the right hand side of the penisula where it is a bit more dog friendly for those with pets. When the tide goes out you can walk to the l’île des Ébihen along a causeway and although it's quite a hike it's a beutiful place to visit and dogs love the walk. You do have to check the tide times if you are thinking about making this trip. It's best to walk out with an outgoing tide to get enough time on the island. Many people get caught out and the tides are very strong.


Erquy :


Erquy boasts 10 beaches most of which are easily accessable and perfect for families. Erquy is the main fishing port for the most delicious scallops or "Coquilles Saint-Jacques " in the region so there are plenty of lovely bistro's, cafés and restaurants lining the sea front and tempting you with delicious seafood dishes. The scallop fishing is highly regulated in Erquy and they are only harvested between October and April.

If you follow the GR34 that leads you up to the cliffs on the left hand side of the village you will arive at the Cap d'Erquy which is spectacular, especially in September when this protected national park is awash with heather. There at some wonderful little bays to enjoy here but it's not for young children as the walk down to them is quite challenging (and a word of warning for the modest amongst you, one of the bays is a local nudist beach). The cliff path leads you towards the Cap Frehel which you can see in the distance.

Monday 22 September 2008

Brittany's Beaches

This weekend we had real sun for what feels like the first time this summer and we took profit of the lovely weather to enjoy our local beach (La Briantais near Lancieux) with my partner's children.

The coastline here is littered with tiny bays and sandy coves. The best part about the beaches in Brittany is that they have everything, sand, sea, rocks and rockpools, cliffpaths and at our local beach a nature reserve on dunes which has some great little paths and hideaways in it.

Our mission though, was to build two giant sand castles, and we did, here they are. with armies included. We all had great fun and were hungry and exhausted when we got home. After tea we all crashed on the sofa and watched Star Wars. Fab.

Nothing makes you feel better (and nothing is cheaper) than a day at the beach.

Wednesday 3 September 2008

Motorbiking and Motorbike blessing in Brittany

Motorbike clubs and motorbike blessing in Brittany


A couple of friends of mine joined a local Motorcycle Touring Club (Moto Touring Club de Plerin) in Brittany. They wanted to improve their command of the French language as well as expanding their knowledge of this part of France, so they selected this Club which had only French members, they found friendship and a general welcoming attitude. The Club specialises in group ride-outs, generally lasting for a day, discovering rural Brittany with its virtually empty roads (compared with the UK!) and also has many other social events during the year.

For example this year, 14 members of the club visited Belgium at Easter (yes it did snow!!) where they were hosted by the Du Panne Moto Club who showed them their region and lavished hospitality (and Belgian beer) on their group. The favour was returned in May when 8 members of Du Panne came to Brittany, along with 10 riders from N. Ireland and a further 8 riders from Germany to celebrate the MTC 30th anniversary, a weekend of festivities. A great time was had by all and MTC will be visiting both Belgium and N Ireland next year.

An annual international gathering of Bikers takes place at Porcano in Department 56 (Morbihan) on August 15th ( Assomption - public holiday) each year. The event is called ' The Madone des Motards' and MTC attended with 18 riders. This event started in about 1975 when the local vicar, who was a biker, blessed about 5 members of his congegation and their bikes. The event has been repeated annually thereafter and this year over 20,000 riders were present (see photos)- all who wished to have their bikes blessed did so (there is no compunction for this and all are welcome whatever their religion), those who just came 'for the ride' enjoyed an 85km ride out through surrounding villages when the local populace turn out with flags etc to welcome the riders, the procession through each village takes about 2 hours to pass!

Nick has just changed his bike and replaced his ageing BMW 1100cc tourer with a new BMW 1200cc sport tourer - he says that his partner Lin has got much closer to him since the change (she has to hang on to him as the bike is so fast!!!!)

When not roaring around the French countryside on his BMW, Nick runs a Surveying firm who carry out pre-purchase building surveys for 'Brits' who buy houses here in France http://www.french-property-survey.com/ why not contact him if you think he can advise you on your house purchase?