Tapp's Travels

Well, well, as Hans might say!  Almost time for our last destination.  Sarzeau in Brittany.  But before we leave, we really should visit our home town!  We’ve been here a week and not explored St Aignan.  It’s a very pretty, medieval town overshadowed by a huge fortified building – Le Château Renaissance and a massive church/collegiate.  Narrow streets and alleys with sensitively renovated buildings.  But parking must be a nightmare for the residents!  Tourists are well catered for by large parking lots on the edges of town.

Lunch at Le Mange-Grenouille (does that tranlate as the “Mangy Frog”?) (Actually no – far more worryingly – it’s the “Frog Eater”!).  Whatever!  The fish was good and not a grenouille in sight!

While we were there, Glenda started turning over the plates.  Empty ones, of course.  “I wonder where they got these plates.  They’re rather nice!”  The impression on the underside said “Terre-en-Vue”.  Mr Google found that this was a local pottery with a shop in town.  “Oh dear!”  Just up the street on the left!

But it’s not there any more.  It’s closed – fermé – disparu.  What a shame!  But no, the craft shop further up the road knows all about Mme. Grelet.  “She works and sells from home.  But no, sorry, I don’t know exactly where she lives.  However head south out of town.  Past the caravan site.  Through Seigy and Couffy and turn right to Lys.  Ask at the patisserie – the lady there knows everybody in the village!”  Now, as some of you will know, we are always up for any “treasure” hunt!  So – let’s get going.

Lys is only about 15 kms away.  The first bit was easy.  Patisserie swiftly located.  “Ah yes, the poterie.  I don’t know exactly where it is, but if you take the second turning on the left – it’s down there.  Not too far.  Somewhere in the village.  Oh, and it has a sign – actually quite a small sign really”  Well, we took the appropriate turning and followed the road till we left the village.  Clearly, the lady potter doesn’t want to be found easily!  We criss-crossed the village and eventually found someone who knew the pottery.  “Just down there – less than 500m, turn right.”  This put us back on the road we had already taken out into the fields.  Retracing our steps, we found a tiny alley (now on the left).  Hey presto.  The sign.  To say it wasn’t very big would be an under-exageration.  It was about 10 cms across

– but we had found it!  We bashed on the gate.  No response.  Round to the front door, but nobody was answering there either.  Eventually a gentleman unlocked the back gate to tell us that his wife was indeed the potter and no, she wasn’t at home.  We explained our mission in jungle French and he went indoors and returned with a plate.

Exactly what we were looking for!  He had no idea of the price, but talk of “about €50” made us realise we were happy the lady of the house was not in the house.  And they are made to order.  And we leave tomorrow.   Desolé.

Still, the important thing about a treasure hunt is the “hunt” not the “treasure”!

OK.  It’ll be a miracle if that tale gets past the sub-editor without shortening!…  But now we can leave for Brittany!

Another long haul with the AC going full blast.  But no errors of navigation this time, although we did switch routes at least fifty times.  First avoid toll roads, then take them, then back to routes nationales – etc etc.  In the end our trip avoided Tours but not Saumur or Nantes.  We stopped en route for a coffee which transmogrified, after a short wait, into a truckers lunch – again very good nosh!  These truckers certainly know a thing or two about “quality” dining.  This is just the buffet starter…

After Nantes, motorways become compulsorily non-toll roads.  The whole of Brittany’s Road system is toll-free.  There are several theories about why this is the case.  In 1532 (so one of them goes) when Anne de Bretagne married King Charles VIII, she did so on condition that no toll would ever be levied on any road or bridge in Brittany.  Good for her.  Another likely sounding suggestion is that Charles de Gaulle saw Paris as the centre of the universe.  He felt that none of the roads in Brittany went anywhere useful (ie Paris) and therefore required no tolls.  Personally, I suspect that the Bretons, being determined characters, just refuse to pay for their roads!  They just refuse to call them autoroutes!

The one disadvantage of this free dual carriageway situation is that there’s a dearth of rest areas.  We went miles before giving up and deviating into Pontchâteau.  There was a large unoccupied area beside the road.  We were in it before we realised there was no “out” at the far end.  However it was just wide enough for a 27 point turn.  Then it was an excellent parking spot.

Well, fairly good anyway!

Luckily it was Saturday and there were no employees to park and no security bods to enforce!

Arriving in Sarzeau on the Rhuys peninsula, we discovered that a large campervan was parked on the pitch we had booked way back in March.  So we settled on the adjacent plot and determinedly didn’t talk to them.  Our strategy worked.  They moved off early the next morning and we shuffled forwards about 10 m into the corner pitch.

Now you see us, now you don’t!  OK  first things first.  Glenda’s birthday lunch was booked some time ago at The Old Colombier.  Very posh.  Very decorative.  Very tasty!  Not cheap!  But she’s worth every cent!

This “picture on a plate” is actually their take on tomatoes with marscapone!

… and tiramisu!!!

But the main reason we come to this area is for the coastal walking.  In sections, it takes us about two weeks to complete the circum-perambulation of the peninsula.  This time we are revisiting some of our favourite sections.

St Jaques…

… and the Grand Mont at St Guildas – the only really rocky section of the whole coastline.

On the gulf side, the walk passes salt pans with controlled water flow…

… and salt marshes with views to the islands.  And there’s always the chance to wander into St Armel to visit Eric at the Moulin à café and to admire the colour choices some folk make.  There’s definitely a “Pinkophile” living here!

Then there’s the “Corniche” around the headland at Arzon ending in the port area.

All very calm and lovely.  And after a busy walking day, a relaxing beer overlooking the beach…

… while the sun goes down!

The coastal path here is one of the best we have ever found.  Easily accessible and very varied.

For our final trip back to the campsite, I had booked a cavalcade to escorted us home.  I did ask for white cars so we wouldn’t stand out, but the agency didn’t have enough white vehicles of the same type.  So stand out we did!

Our time in France is rapidly coming to an end.  Sadly.  It’s been great to be able to communicate with the locals – even if in broken Franglais.  Our final journey to St-Pol-de-Léon started in heavy traffic.  Remind us NEVER to travel anywhere on the first Saturday of July.  The first weekend of the French holiday season!  The whole of France was on the move.  Most of them, mercifully, going the opposite way.  After Lorient we went cross-country on the road to Morlaix.  Much quieter, but littered with speed cameras.  i counted ten, but may have missed half of them camouflaged as they are as roadside boulders or lamp-posts!  This last drive was interrupted by a stopover at the Montagne Noir for a final French lunch.  Just had to be done!  Highly recommendable!  Unlike the campsite Trologot – or Troglodite as we call it – at St-Pol-de-Léon.  But, let’s not talk about crowded, noisy coastal campsites with small pitches, dreadful access and a rather poor idea of customer relations!

Ferry home on Sunday 2 July to a series of exciting appointments with doctors, phlebotomists, dentists, opticians, workmen etc etc.

That’s the end of this story.  If you have any interesting comments,  please leave them here.  Any complaints, leave elsewhere!

When’s the next ferry back to France BTW????