Came for three nights, stayed for 11! Adventures around Névez in Cornouaille Days 7-14 Part 1 – Beaches galore!

Luckily, Mr B’s French was just about enough to clarify that yes, there were places available, and no, we didn’t need to reserve ahead of time – woohoo! 

We fancied Camping Raguénez Plage as it met a number of our ‘beach resort’ criteria: close enough to the beach for Mr B to be able to haul the trolley with our gear down to the beach, which should be swimmable; plenty of walking, ideally from the site; opportunities for cycle rides; good enough shopping within cycling distance; plus interesting places to eat out. 

And this site delivered in spades (as you may have gathered from the title!) Just a 15 minute mainly level cycle ride from the small town of Névez, it also delivered on a bonus of being a short drive from the art haven of Pont Aven (more to follow!). Not unlike our times in the past in the southern French town of Sérignan, we swiftly became very enamoured of the beach, which whilst not only beautiful, was usually very quiet, with easy, if bracing to start off with, swimming! It took us a while to acclimatise to the difference between plunging into the Bay of Biscay on a hot day – and the Med!

So before we knew it, we had relaxed into full-on Babley beach mode, whiling away the days reading, swimming and walking along the good old GR34 which ran along the back of the beach. The other end of Raguénez Plage is called Tahiti beach, partly with a nod to the artist Gauguin (again) who, apart from painting locally (as mentioned in the last blog entry) emigrated to Tahiti at the age of 42 where he continued his artistic endeavours, inspired by a series of young muses, until his death there twelve years later in 1903, at the age of 54. 

This first photo shows the gentle walk down to the beach from the site…

...where locals could be found fishing…

...the GR34 and the coastline was just waiting to be explored east and west…

...as well as good old fashioned chilling and reading on the beach…

We were also visited again by the French airforce, obviously putting on shows just for us, this time with camera ready…

With the temperature reaching the mid to high 20s, our stay started to feel like we were on the Med with lovely warm evenings (except of course the actual Med was a much hotter lower 30s!) We have both observed that as we have become older, that craving for the baking heat of the south has diminished (although we do miss the smells of the south and the sound of the cicadas!). 

We had a giggle at our initial uncertainty about how long we might stay before we had seen the beach, as represented by the amount of camping gear that gets put out initially…

...compared with the full on Camp Babley by the time we reached midsummer eve…

We have also come to enjoy this slower-paced trip, giving us an opportunity to get to know an area in more detail and discover things as much by chance, as from travel guides and brochures. And it’s lovely to arrive thinking we might stay just for a few nights, and then get to like somewhere enough to stay on longer...

S&J 25.06.25 

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