{"id":4303,"date":"2023-07-02T21:27:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T21:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=4303"},"modified":"2025-12-24T22:28:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T22:28:02","slug":"12-brittany-en-fin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=4303","title":{"rendered":"12. BRITTANY – EN FIN!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, well, as Hans might say!\u00a0 Almost time for our last destination.\u00a0 Sarzeau in Brittany.\u00a0 But before we leave, we really should visit our home town!\u00a0 We’ve been here a week and not explored St Aignan.\u00a0 It’s a very pretty, medieval town overshadowed by a huge fortified building – Le Ch\u00e2teau Renaissance and a massive church\/collegiate.\u00a0 Narrow streets and alleys with sensitively renovated buildings.\u00a0 But parking must be a nightmare for the residents!\u00a0 Tourists are well catered for by large parking lots on the edges of town.<\/p>\n

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Lunch at Le Mange-Grenouille (does that tranlate as the “Mangy Frog”?) (Actually no – far more worryingly – it’s the “Frog Eater”!).\u00a0 Whatever!\u00a0 The fish was good and not a grenouille in sight!<\/p>\n

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While we were there, Glenda started turning over the plates.\u00a0 Empty ones, of course.\u00a0 “I wonder where they got these plates.\u00a0 They’re rather nice!”\u00a0 The impression on the underside said “Terre-en-Vue”.\u00a0 Mr Google found that this was a local pottery with a shop in town.\u00a0 “Oh dear!”\u00a0 Just up the street on the left!<\/p>\n

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But it’s not there any more.\u00a0 It’s closed – ferm\u00e9 – disparu.\u00a0 What a shame!\u00a0 But no, the craft shop further up the road knows all about Mme. Grelet.\u00a0 “She works and sells from home.\u00a0 But no, sorry, I don’t know exactly where she lives.\u00a0 However head south out of town.\u00a0 Past the caravan site.\u00a0 Through Seigy and Couffy and turn right to Lys.\u00a0 Ask at the patisserie – the lady there knows everybody in the village!”\u00a0 Now, as some of you will know, we are always up for any “treasure” hunt!\u00a0 So – let’s get going.<\/p>\n

Lys is only about 15 kms away.\u00a0 The first bit was easy.\u00a0 Patisserie swiftly located.\u00a0 “Ah yes, the poterie.\u00a0 I don’t know exactly where it is, but if you take the second turning on the left – it’s down there.\u00a0 Not too far.\u00a0 Somewhere in the village.\u00a0 Oh, and it has a sign – actually quite a small sign really”\u00a0 Well, we took the appropriate turning and followed the road till we left the village.\u00a0 Clearly, the lady potter doesn’t want to be found easily!\u00a0 We criss-crossed the village and eventually found someone who knew the pottery.\u00a0 “Just down there – less than 500m, turn right.”\u00a0 This put us back on the road we had already taken out into the fields.\u00a0 Retracing our steps, we found a tiny alley (now on the left).\u00a0 Hey presto.\u00a0 The sign.\u00a0 To say it wasn’t very big would be an under-exageration.\u00a0 It was about 10 cms across<\/p>\n

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– but we had found it!\u00a0 We bashed on the gate.\u00a0 No response.\u00a0 Round to the front door, but nobody was answering there either.\u00a0 Eventually a gentleman unlocked the back gate to tell us that his wife was indeed the potter and no, she wasn’t at home.\u00a0 We explained our mission in jungle French and he went indoors and returned with a plate.<\/p>\n

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Exactly what we were looking for!\u00a0 He had no idea of the price, but talk of “about \u20ac50” made us realise we were happy the lady of the house was not in the house.\u00a0 And they are made to order.\u00a0 And we leave tomorrow.\u00a0 \u00a0Desol\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Still, the important thing about a treasure hunt is the “hunt” not the “treasure”!<\/p>\n

OK.\u00a0 It’ll be a miracle if that tale gets past the sub-editor without shortening!…\u00a0 But now we can leave for Brittany!<\/p>\n

Another long haul with the AC going full blast.\u00a0 But no errors of navigation this time, although we did switch routes at least fifty times.\u00a0 First avoid toll roads, then take them, then back to routes nationales – etc etc.\u00a0 In the end our trip avoided Tours but not Saumur or Nantes.\u00a0 We stopped en route for a coffee which transmogrified, after a short wait, into a truckers lunch – again very good nosh!\u00a0 These truckers certainly know a thing or two about “quality” dining.\u00a0 This is just the buffet starter…<\/p>\n

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After Nantes, motorways become compulsorily non-toll roads.\u00a0 The whole of Brittany’s Road system is toll-free.\u00a0 There are several theories about why this is the case.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Good for her.\u00a0 Another likely sounding suggestion is that Charles de Gaulle saw Paris as the centre of the universe.\u00a0 He felt that none of the roads in Brittany went anywhere useful (ie Paris) and therefore required no tolls.\u00a0 Personally, I suspect that the Bretons, being determined characters, just refuse to pay for their roads!\u00a0 They just refuse to call them autoroutes!<\/p>\n

The one disadvantage of this free dual carriageway situation is that there’s a dearth of rest areas.\u00a0 We went miles before giving up and deviating into Pontch\u00e2teau.\u00a0 There was a large unoccupied area beside the road.\u00a0 We were in it before we realised there was no “out” at the far end.\u00a0 However it was just wide enough for a 27 point turn.\u00a0 Then it was an excellent parking spot.<\/p>\n

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Well, fairly good anyway!<\/p>\n

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Luckily it was Saturday and there were no employees to park and no security bods to enforce!<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 So we settled on the adjacent plot and determinedly didn’t talk to them.\u00a0 Our strategy worked.\u00a0 They moved off early the next morning and we shuffled forwards about 10 m into the corner pitch.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Now you see us, now you don’t!\u00a0 OK\u00a0 first things first.\u00a0 Glenda’s birthday lunch was booked some time ago at The Old Colombier.\u00a0 Very posh.\u00a0 Very decorative.\u00a0 Very tasty!\u00a0 Not cheap!\u00a0 But she’s worth every cent!<\/p>\n

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This “picture on a plate” is actually their take on tomatoes with marscapone!<\/p>\n

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… and tiramisu!!!<\/p>\n

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But the main reason we come to this area is for the coastal walking.\u00a0 In sections, it takes us about two weeks to complete the circum-perambulation of the peninsula.\u00a0 This time we are revisiting some of our favourite sections.<\/p>\n

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St Jaques…<\/p>\n

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… and the Grand Mont at St Guildas – the only really rocky section of the whole coastline.<\/p>\n

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On the gulf side, the walk passes salt pans with controlled water flow…<\/p>\n

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… and salt marshes with views to the islands.\u00a0 And there’s always the chance to wander into St Armel to visit Eric at the Moulin \u00e0 caf\u00e9 and to admire the colour choices some folk make.\u00a0 There’s definitely a “Pinkophile” living here!<\/p>\n

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Then there’s the “Corniche” around the headland at Arzon ending in the port area.<\/p>\n

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All very calm and lovely.\u00a0 And after a busy walking day, a relaxing beer overlooking the beach…<\/p>\n

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… while the sun goes down!<\/p>\n

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The coastal path here is one of the best we have ever found.\u00a0 Easily accessible and very varied.<\/p>\n

For our final trip back to the campsite, I had booked a cavalcade to escorted us home.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 So stand out we did!<\/p>\n

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Our time in France is rapidly coming to an end.\u00a0 Sadly.\u00a0 It’s been great to be able to communicate with the locals – even if in broken Franglais.\u00a0 Our final journey to St-Pol-de-L\u00e9on started in heavy traffic.\u00a0 Remind us NEVER to travel anywhere on the first Saturday of July.\u00a0 The first weekend of the French holiday season!\u00a0 The whole of France was on the move.\u00a0 Most of them, mercifully, going the opposite way.\u00a0 After Lorient we went cross-country on the road to Morlaix.\u00a0 Much quieter, but littered with speed cameras.\u00a0 i counted ten, but may have missed half of them camouflaged as they are as roadside boulders or lamp-posts!\u00a0 This last drive was interrupted by a stopover at the Montagne Noir for a final French lunch.\u00a0 Just had to be done!\u00a0 Highly recommendable!\u00a0 Unlike the campsite Trologot – or Troglodite as we call it – at St-Pol-de-L\u00e9on.\u00a0 But, let’s not talk about crowded, noisy coastal campsites with small pitches, dreadful access and a rather poor idea of customer relations!<\/p>\n

Ferry home on Sunday 2 July to a series of exciting appointments with doctors, phlebotomists, dentists, opticians, workmen etc etc.<\/p>\n

That’s the end of this story.\u00a0 If you have any interesting comments,\u00a0 please leave them here.\u00a0 Any complaints, leave elsewhere!<\/p>\n

When’s the next ferry back to France BTW????<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, well, as Hans might say!\u00a0 Almost time for our last destination.\u00a0 Sarzeau in Brittany.\u00a0 But before we leave, we really should visit our home town!\u00a0 We’ve been here a week and not explored St Aignan.\u00a0 It’s a very pretty,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spain-and-france"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4303"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4343,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4303\/revisions\/4343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}