The Cornouaille coastline – Civilisation, Art, some unfinished business, an old friend, and a seafood adventure! Days 4 – 6

We had heard about the campsite we were heading for (optimistically assuming there would be spaces), Camping Les Embruns at Pouldu, and the nearby art trail, from our friends Matthew and Jenny who had toured around Breizh earlier in the year in their motorhome. It looked great on the ACSI app with lots to do nearby (including of course, increasing Mr B’s cultural capital) on a very pretty looking part of the coast that was new to us. We also thought it would make a good base to get into nearby Lorient, where Mr B was keen to visit the WW2 submarine pens (having missed the ones at St Nazaire a few years back).

So imagine our surprise and disappointment when we were informed by reception that we could only stay for three nights, as after that, the site was complet – eek! And to add to our woes, our attempt at stocking up at a supermarché en route there had gone slightly awry, after the first two SuperUs we tried were mysteriously closed. Luckily there was a small shop near the site and we figured we’d make do with what provisions we had, or could get at the local store. Whilst Mr B was busy imagining what fate had befallen one of our favourite chains of supermarkets in this part of the world, the penny dropped; it was a Bank Holiday; Pentecost! We often forget how many additional holidays the Europeans have, compared to the UK. Not the first time we’ve been caught out!

Feeling a little silly that we had (yet again) forgotten to check for bank holidays in France at this end of our trip, we set up on our pitch with enough time for a stroll down to the nearby beach.

Just a few hundred metres from the sea, we were quickly entranced by the beautiful views and the striking resemblance to the south west of England. And, like a long lost friend from our autumn trip, the good old GR34 was here to help us with our walking adventures!

After another of Mrs B’s amazing ‘conjured out of thin air’ dinners that she somehow manages to produce even when the cupboard is almost bare, we settled in to enjoy the very five star nature of the site, with its manicured pitches, pools, deluxe sanitaires, and close proximity to beach and coastal walking – perfect!

Our first whole day was of course spent enjoying kicking back on the beach (complete with a very chilly Atlantic swim), with the next day devoted to an exploration of the art trail (Le Chemin des Peintures), and hopefully, lunch.

The area is famous for hosting Paul Gaugin and chums who set up residence in the village of Pouldu where they established a reputation as ‘syncretists’ or early symbolists, with their minimalist approach to detail and interest in the relationship between nature, people and the spiritual world. The trail was a fascinating mixture of stunning scenery and reminders of the work of the artists and the settings of some of their paintings…

Half way around the trail we were super pleased to see that not only was there somewhere to eat at the port that was actually open, but that there was an interesting looking hand written menu du jour…

And without a clue what a timbale was, or what sort of fish a merluchon was, we sat down in the shade to enjoy a well earned rest! The meal was fabulous, with our timbale turning out to be a seafood gratin served in a crab shell, the fish a small whole hake, and the dessert a delicious home made crème caramel. Complete with a glass of cold rosè, we whiled away a lovely couple of hours eating, drinking and watching the small passenger ferry cross back and forth across the estuary, before embarking on the rest of the trail in glorious sunshine.

We could have had even more art delights in Pouldu had the Gaugin museum been open. Closed for a major revamp (which looked very swish) it was not due to reopen until July!

Inspired by so much amazing art and scenery, and with the full moon upon us, we just had to wander down to the sea at midnight, to have a go at an arty photo...

Our stay at Les Embruns wasn’t entirely dominated by art – Mr B managed to misplace his van keys for long enough to cause some consternation (Mrs B found them hanging up with his shower stuff, which he was on his way to when he couldn’t find them)… and we saw more military aircraft than felt comfortable given that, as far as knew, France wasn’t at war with anyone! With enough AWACs aircraft, large cargo planes, multiple helicopters and fighter jets filling the skies (usually late into the evening and always when we were without a camera/phone!) Mr B decided that he would happily eschew the submarine pens at Lorient for the moment, in favour of creeping further westwards along the beautiful coastline in our search for the home of M. Aubéry! 

We found out subsequently that the aerial activity was down to a large NATO exercise taking place in the Finistère region.

And so, in a complete departure from our normal way of travelling, and (based on arrivals at Les Embruns) anxious that we might be up against one or more European regional half terms, with sites filling up in the popular coastal areas, Mr B brushed down his best schoolboy French and called ahead to a site right on the beach south of Nèvez, to see if they had any vacant emplacements for the next leg of our adventure! This Cornouaille coastline is enchanting!

S&J 20.06.25

No idea where we are heading – yet! (aka all the gear and no idea …) Days 1-3

More so than in previous years, we boarded the ferry with no clear plan on which way we’ll go after we’d overnighted in Auffay, our usual first night stop after leaving on the 1700 ferry. It’s a short hop of about 45 minutes and although it’s a small free Aire (4 designated places) it has loads of potential for overspill into the adjacent station car park if full.

As we pulled into the Aire, we were pleased to see that there was one designated place left, and a few vans already making use of the overspill. Pleased that we had arrived in the dry, as we we settled down for the night we were greeted by the familiar patter of ‘welcome to France’ rain that seems to greet us on most trips these days!

As regular readers may remember, we love the Aires for their availability and (usual) proximity to local shops. They are almost always unsupervised, and usually come with a ‘code of practice’ or local ‘board of rules’, that include, amongst others, not putting tables and awnings out and being considerate to others. Unfortunately, our overspill fellow campers thought otherwise and we were treated to loud conversations into the small hours. Luckily, as it was all French, it blended in with the rain!

The first photo below shows Evie in the designated Aire (next to the slightly larger motorhome) and looking in the other direction, towards the adjoining area. It might have been vexing to have experienced the noise, but equally, it was reassuring to see that it would be ok to park up there if the Aire were to be full on a subsequent trip.

Departing in the rain, we decided to head west rather than immediately south, as we could just keep heading west into Breizh to explore the parts we ran out of time for last autumn, or, drift south along the Atlantic coast, and review from there. As the temperatures in the Med were already soaring, we decided to swerve the risk of another ‘canicule’ that had seen us heading north away from scorching 40c+ temperatures in the past, and hope that heading west might deliver some sunshine at levels we could stay out in!

Arriving at Camping Les Pommiers Pays d’Auge in St. Sylvestre-de-Cormeilles (to the east of Caen) after some wet and windy conditions on the roads, we were pleased to park up in a large pitch on what is a very rural site (think very narrow roads, farm traffic, difficult to turn around…) after having sailed right past it! Glad to have arrived safely, and enjoying some evening sunshine at last, we were just about to get the table and chairs out, when the heavens opened and we beat a hasty retreat indoors!

Vexed at still being confined to quarters, we enjoyed our first of what we hope to be many meals making full use of the fabulous seafood so readily available (not to mention lush wines!). So as the rain battered down on Evie’s roof, we enjoyed a platter of bulots and crevettes that Mrs B had spotted when we shopped earlier, with a very cold Provence rosé. The sea snails were a first for Mr B (he loved them), so we decided to keep an eye open for any more of these delights whilst we were still so close to the coast.

Waking to a dry day with some sun, we headed further west to explore a castle/museum that Mrs B had read about, at Crèvecoeur-en-Auge. We may not know where we’re heading but we will be taking a deliberately slow pace on this trip, taking time to explore places that happen to be close by/serendipitous finds. Having spent the previous day driving through one picture postcard medieval village after another, it was a real treat to find Crèvecoeur-en-Auge, a recreated medieval village and visitor attraction.

Based on the site of a 12thC castle and with some historical buildings moved and/or rebuilt in its grounds in the early 1970s, at the Château de Crèvecoeur we gained an insight into the lives of both rich and ordinary folk at this time. Mrs B particularly enjoyed the archery…

...whilst Mr B loved the Schlumberger museum in one of the ancient buildings; home to some amazing artefacts from mining and oil exploration in the early and mid 20thC, complete with this awesome truck and early ground penetrating magnetometer/radar…

as well as a number of interactive displays…

The museum is an interesting mix of oil/mining industrial history, as well as a bit of greenwashing for the Schlumberger foundation, current owners of the castle and grounds!

It’s certainly a big hit with local kids (and adults!) who turned up in large numbers to have a go at fishing in the moat...

By now we had decided that wherever we might end up, we would start by returning to explore the parts of Breizh we ran out of time for. Partly because of a sense of unfinished business from the autumn, but also as a result of our very recent discovery of the novels of Daphne du Maurier! We had both loved reading Frenchman’s Creek and decided that we should have a go at putting a van trip together in the future, based on locations Daphne had written about (as we had with M. Perdu from the Little Paris Bookshop novel on our return from Sardinia and Corsica some years ago!). So although the Cornwall locations will be for another trip, we both fancied the idea of exploring the area around Pointe du Raz in the ‘Cornouaille’ part of Briezh.

And so, as we left our historical sojourn at Crèvecoeur-en-Auge in Normandy, we set off with the intention of crossing over into Breizh and heading west towards the home of the pirate Jean-Benoit Aubéry!

Making full use of the free autoroutes in Breizh and heading towards Rennes, Mrs B spotted what looked like a good Aire off the A84 at a place called Maen Roch which we could arrive at in time to have a wander around before dinner. It all looked pretty straightforward as we followed the directions on Park4Night, but, even though we knew we were on the right road (D102) the complete absence of roadside signs for our destination was a little alarming to say the least. Watching us live on P4N Mrs B was just saying that we ought to be there when Mr B spotted a bunch of camping cars and then a sign for an Aire!

And sure enough, here was the Aire as described, pretty busy with only three out of 18 places empty! Parking up in what could only be described as one of the most generously spaced and sized Aires we have used so far, we were further amazed as we had a wander about to find fully functioning and very clean toilets, a modern waste disposal point, and to top it all, free WiFi! Payment was only needed for electric hook up and fresh water – neither of which we needed.

The Aire was situated alongside the local cemetery, so the neighbours were nice and quiet and there would have been water there too, had we needed it.

A brief walk around the village the next day revealed why we had been confused about the destination – Maen Roch was a new commune created in 2017 out of two nearby hamlets – and the road signs had not been updated! 

After fulfilling our usual plan to buy at least bread and croissants as a gesture of thanks (as well as making breakfast extra enjoyable!) and with the sun shining on our first day in Breizh, we set our sites for the southern coast of Cornouaille, with a rough plan of drifting our way along the coast to the home of M. Aubéry!

S&J

15.06.25

Dinard, Auffay and home via Dieppe – Days 21 – 23

Mrs B had clocked that Dinard would be worth a look, at the very point we were heading to nearby and similarly named Dinan at the start of the trip. With its Belle Èpoque villas built largely by wealthy Brits, international (British) film festival and its reputation as one of the most desirable holiday resorts in France, it promised to be a destination quite unlike any other on this trip. Plus, it also happened to have an ACSI site right on the beach, Camping du Port Blanc, from where we would be able to explore east into the town, or west further along the GR34.

 

Arriving at the campsite just before it was due to close, we were impressed by the arrangements that could be made if you were to arrive after hours: a wall of key safes that would have your barrier activation card inside – assuming you had paid in advance over the phone/interweb of course! The site has different price zones, so you can imagine our delight when we were allocated a pitch just a couple of rows back from the premium beachside ones. However, what the site map didn’t show, was that although we would be able to hear the sea, we wouldn’t actually be able to see it, as the ground sloped up towards the beach! Still, it was a very pleasant pitch and with the sun shining, we were able to get an aperitif and snack sorted outside – such a treat to be eating out of doors this time of year!

 

 

With the weather set to become unsettled the next day, we decided to make the most of the evening sun and set off to explore our probable route into Dinard the next day – east along the GR34 – what else! It was very easy to access the GR34 as it ran along the back of the beach that the site let onto…

 

 

 

and the walk itself was truly stunning, as the sun started its descent into the sea just along the coast…

 

 

Over dinner that night we did some research into Dinard and decided that we should walk the whole way there along the GR34, which whilst a fair bit longer, would allow us some close up views of a range of the huge villas that are dotted the coast. This would, of course, include the fun of exploring the shoreline with our good friend, the 1,100 mile long distance GR34 path, which, just opposite in St. Malo, has its official starting point. We both agreed that had we had more than the one day to explore, it would also be worthwhile to get the boat across the bay to have an adventure in the old privateer stronghold!

 

The next day the weather was, as predicted, changeable, with rain due as a follow on treat from the dull cloud cover. Undeterred, we set off on the GR34, intending to allow enough time for lunch. We are big fans of the French approach to coastal walking, as in, where there is no obvious access across the cliffs, a concrete path is built to allow hikers to walk underneath the otherwise privately owned cliffs with their amazing villas! Mind you, at times (high tide in particular) the path became more of a physical and mental challenge when the waves would crash over the path – you really did have to choose your moment!

 

 

Whilst it would have been more fun in blue skies and sunshine, we did enjoy our adventure along the coastline, allowing us to see a number of the cliff top villas and their quirky landscaping…

 

 

The town itself was great fun to wander around, with a very helpful and upmarket Office de Tourisme with maps for exploring some of the villas by foot. With the views limited by the low cloud and rain imminent, we focussed on finding somewhere interesting for lunch. And we lucked out with the Oyster Club near the central market; a small bistro that specialised in Breton seafood… and, as we frequently do when we eat somewhere new, we looked around the other tables to see what the locals were eating, and we went with the flow: oysters to start (with cider to drink) and a Breton take on ‘Fish ‘n chips’ which was delicious.

 

We walked off lunch as we took a circular walk around the southern end of the town, returning to the market area for a café allonongé before yomping at pace back along the GR34 before darkness fell. (As experienced travellers we always carry torches if we think we might return in the dark – but today we’d just forgotten – doh! And perhaps our cider goggles had lulled us into a false sense of security over he return time!). Lucky we spotted the alternative route on the GR34 at high tide though, because, as darkness fell, the sea was lapping over the narrow pathway – eek! And as we arrived back at Evie in the dark, we realised it was time to review our torch policy!

 

Having already decided to do the last leg to the port at Dieppe in one go, (to maximise our time in Breizh), we set off on a parallel route to the one we took when we arrived, but this time swerving the multiple giratoires that really slowed us down, as we cruised instead along the autoroutes. Free until we crossed into Normandie and the A84, we decided as we arrived into Auffay later that evening, that the €25 cost was well worth it as the 220+ miles were easily covered at our gentle 50 is thrifty cruising speed!

 

As regular readers may remember, our current go-to Aire for Dieppe on the return leg is at Auffay. There may only be four designated places for camping cars, but there are loads of overspill options in the adjacent station car park – and, to date, we have always managed to get one! Not that lining up to park, in the dark, is any easier in spite of our multiple visits, and we always end up with one of us getting out with a torch to check just where those pesky markers are!

 

Waking up the next day after a very peaceful night (the nearby trains stop between 2200 and 0800) we were pleased to see that we had parked appropriately…

 

 

…and, that it wasn’t raining so we could, at last, do what we always like to do if we stay in an Aire – take a wander and have a coffee/croissant as a small way of thanking the municipality for the use of the Aire (free). A quick stop at the Office de Tourisme gave us plenty of food for thought for a circular walk; confirmation that the café next door would of course be fine with us taking our pastries that we could buy in the boulangerie opposite in to eat; and, for Mr B, yet another chance to practise his French. This, as usual, takes up so much concentration that the arrival and departure of a group of children dressed up for Hallowe’en completely passed him by!

 

The café (and freshly purchased croissants) did not disappoint, with its authentic rural French 60s styling and the all male clientele giving us the once over as we sat at what was obviously a regular’s special table! Settling up as we left, Mr B’s frequent confusion of 80 and 20 in fast spoken French almost led to us walking out without paying enough (he thought he’d left a small tip) but luckily he had an epiphany just in time! Interestingly, we doubted the barkeep would have said anything…

 

Armed with our info for a circular walk, we enjoyed the local church and its (in) famous jaquemarts that strike the bell on the church tower…

 

 

 

(The legend has it that two Huguenots who offended local Catholics during a procession, were made to pay for the building of the church tower, condemned to strike the bell on every hour until their death, at which point they were replaced by wooden figures) These original wooden figures are in the town hall…

 

 

which, unfortunately for us, was just locking up for lunch as we approached. The circular route then took us back to the Aire via a small park (complete with info about a local French astronaut, Thomas Pesquet) in time for us to pack up and drive to Dieppe for lunch and the ferry later that evening.

 

And our good luck in not having rain in Auffay was enhanced further, as the sun broke through the clouds and we were treated to a very unusual opportunity to have a stroll around Dieppe in the sun, and see our ferry arrive!

 

 

We have only stayed in the seafront Aire a couple of times as it is very noisy when the ferry arrives in the wee small hours. Plus, since it has been toshed up, it is incredibly busy…

 

 

as well as leaving a lot to be desired for access to hook up – which  is included in the fixed rate (€xx) but not per pitch – which leads to situations like this…

 

 

We found it hard to believe that the three weeks had come to a close so quickly – but were of one voice in agreeing that we had lucked out in finding a bit of France that we had driven past on so many occasions, which delivered so much in such a short space of time. There is just so much more to see and do in Breizh – and if, like us, you enjoy exploring regional cuisine (especially butter of course!) as well as stunning locations, amazing walks and a sense of ‘otherness’ that comes with a distinct history and language, it is definitely a camper-van friendly place to visit. We would love to come again in warmer weather (whist avoiding the super busy summer) and explore further…

 

Watch this space!

 

S&J

(covering 28^th – 30^th November)

The Valley of the Saints Day 20

After the by now obligatory stop at a Super U on our way south, and with a fresh stash of Beurre Bretonne crisps in the cab, we enjoyed a pleasant drive heading south, stopping at a lovely lakeside Aire at Plouighnou to stretch our legs…

 

 

and then, without a single yellow ‘route barée’ sign in sight, we made good progress on the fairly brief onward drive to Carnoët, the largest town near the Valley of the Saints sculpture park Mrs B had spotted earlier in the trip as we compiled our collection of places we’d like to visit in Breizh.

 

Situated on land that comprises an historical monument, a listed chapel, a feudal motte – and the sculpture park itself, our visit promised to be action packed! Since 2009 sculptors from across the world have spent time here slowly crafting (we are talking taking a chainsaw to granite here…) images that represent (in a wide variety of ways!) the early Breton saints that came to France largely from Wales and Ireland in the middle ages. Averaging 4m in height, the intention is to create, over time, up to 1000 sculptures on this theme. There were about a couple of hundred there when we visited and we could have spent much longer than we did exploring them. The site is fabulously atmospheric.

 

This is the construction area...

 

The saints in situ...

 

The motte...

 

 

Two saints for the price of one...

 

Mrs B's famous headache cure...

 

 

No saint - either of them...

 

 

The ancient church...

 

 

Time to go...

 

 

 

As darkness was not far over the horizon, we headed back to Evie and plotted our route to an Aire that Mrs B had spotted on P4N not far away in the countryside. It is possible to stay overnight in the car park for the sculpture park as it’s included in the fee and in true French style, there were segregated bays for camping cars, but, as they were almost all sloping and the spaces were pretty close to one another, it took very little effort for us to head off to what looked like a much more relaxed option!

 

Indeed, as we arrived into the small hamlet of Plourac’h, and we pulled into a large open square opposite the busy Marie, there were no other vans in sight and we had the place to ourselves!

 

 

Until that is, a lovely old French camping car pulled up almost adjacent to us! It’s a funny thing, parking ‘etiquette’ on Aires. We like to give other campers plenty of space where possible, but others, like our new neighbours, like to get cosy; perhaps it’s a safety in numbers thing? In the colder weather however, when everyone has their windows closed or pulled to and no one is outside, there is usually very little sound, as proved to be the case with our new neighbours. Who, without realising it at the time, we had bumped into as we wandered around the hamlet looking for the bar/tabac and bakery we thought we’d read about! Asking a couple walking a dog whether they knew of the said locations, they explained they were visiting but had been told that the ‘depot de pain’ was closed the next day, and had no idea about the bar. It was only as Mr B was laboriously explaining that we too were visiting, in a camping car, that we learned they were our neighbours and on the same mission!

 

We spent a very quiet and very dark night there, only to be woken by the local municipal workers arriving the next day in their trucks and vans, but, at a very civilised 0800 hours which suited us, as we needed to plan our route to head back north to Dinard on the coast somewhere we were tempted to visit on our way into Breizh, but had decided to press on further west. With its reputation as a magnet for the wealthy in the 1800s and beyond, and complete with spectacular villas, it promised a very different type of destination to everything we had experienced so far!

 

S&J

(covering 27^th October)