We left Douarnenez, appreciating the joys of just relaxing at a campsite for a few days and soaking up the local area, conscious that we were now on the last few days of the trip where we would be trying to balance seeing more, with not being too far from our destination of Dieppe when we woke up on the last morning of the trip – eek!
Having not done a day trip out to see the mediaeval village of Locronan, we decided we had enough time to drop in and have a meander, as it was literally on the route home. We had read that parking was difficult, and that the paying Aire (a Pass Étapes one) on the outskirts was a bit rough and ready, or worse, so we were very pleased to discover a dedicated motorhome parking area opposite, that was €4 for a the day.
Some parking for campervans in busy places often suffer from car drivers taking up spaces with marked up/designated bays, but these drivers took the biscuit in a campingcar only area, especially given the sign…
Out of interest, and after lunch in Evie in the car park…
...we wandered over to see just how bad the Pass Étapes Aire was, having read all sorts of horror stories about health hazards and non-existent maintenance in reviews on Park4Night. It was a bit sad looking with the mowing of grass well below the normal French standards, but apart from that, everything else seemed in good order – a clear example of the importance of taking a look yourself, and using reviews as no more than a guide!
The village of Locronan is a short walk from the Aire and parking areas…
and we were soon surrounded by some very picturesque buildings, including the 15thC church of St Ronan in the style of cathedral…
...as well as lots of interesting buildings that included the homes and former shops of sailcloth merchants, weavers, a trading post of the French East India company, and of course lots of craft shops! What was very easy to understand, was why (with the addition of lots of mud to cover the streets) the filming of some of Polanski’s Tess was shot here…
There is a very helpful tourist information office too, where we learned about Locronan’s religious importance, with the famous Breton ‘Pardon” of the 12km Grand Troménie due to take place on the 13-15thJuly, once we got home – and it only takes place every 6 years; so near, and yet so far! Like other Pardons, the Tromènie is based on Christian adaptations of early Breton/pagan rituals, apparently.
We also walked part of the ‘scenic’ route that is recommended to gain a good view back over the village, but we decided that this must have been a while ago, as the village was largely obscured by the tree line!
Heading off further east on the N164 (largely a fast dual carriageway), Mrs B delivered again, when she found a free canal-side camp-up for the night on P4N on the Nantes-Brest canal at Gouarec. It’s a small and very pretty and free municipal Aire with10 places…
...opposite a lovely municipal site (which we would happily have gone to had there been no room at the inn, with great prices at only €7.50pp)…
...with lovely walks along the canal to the nearby town…
...and where, on the spur of the moment, and after discovering this amazing restaurant that offers a small menu, cooked over wood (Le Kost Ar C’hoat)…
...we ordered steak grillé (Mr B) and saucisse (Mrs B) au feu de bois, and Mr B learned the importance of understanding both the vocabulary and etiquette of ordering grilled meat in France. It will come as no surprise to more experienced Francophiles that he was only offered the first three of the options, opting for saignant, much to his subsequent delight!
As much for his own use in the future, Mr B has decided to share his recently acquired culinary knowledge...
Bleu is the equivalent of blue or very rare, while saignant is rare. À point translates to medium-rare and bien cuit signifies well done. Finally, très bien cuit is very well done, or for the French overcooked!
We loved that the chef/patron worked out front in the dining area, cooking on a barbeque set up in a huge fireplace, clad only in a pair of shorts, an apron and a pair of Birkenstocks! And that the limited/short menu clearly played to his strengths. And with delicious wine on tap at €2 a glass – a Merlot from Bordeaux – we had a fabulous time before we wandered back along the canal to Evie.
Waking the next morning to another glorious day…
...we had time to check out the rest of the town square, where we spotted a minimarket, bar/cafe, two boulangeries and another restaurant, offering pizza, au feu de bois. We think we might be back!
With a fresh baguette stashed away for lunch, we headed off towards Rennes on the N164, joining the free A84 as we headed north towards Normandy. As the sun was still shining, we thought it would be great to see if we could get onto a beachside campsite to enjoy a clichéd sunset and dinner! Which is how Mr B spotted the Municipal Campsite ‘Les Dunes’, at Coudeville-sur-Mer, north of Granville, as a possible option.
Walking into reception and joining a big queue, it was immediately clear to Mr B that we were well and truly into les grande vacances period in this part of France. And when he was greeted with a sharp intake of breath as he got to the end of his well rehearsed question asking for a pitch, his anxiety was swiftly allayed when he clarified that it was only for one night! Buoyed by his successful French, Mr B then pushed his luck and asked if we could have a pitch with a sea view, which, given how busy the site was, we were surprisingly offered one, yay!
Whilst only just counting as a sea view…
… we were glad that we would be able to enjoy a lovely evening as the sun went down after a brief walk along the interesting beach and promenade…
...with that all too familiar seaweed to be found on a west facing beach…
...where we also discovered our first automatic baguette machine…
… before returning for our sunset cliché!
And although our dinner was interrupted by low flying military helicopters landing at the adjacent airfield, we reflected that we really like this sort of site; quite Spanish in its feel with a mix of touring campers/vans, long term caravanners, and quirky chalets, with a very neighbourly feel and lots of people stopping to chat. There’s a lot to be said for these great value (€16 for the night) Municipal sites and their ethos of making camping affordable, in often great locations, as part of what the state, through its local manifestations, chooses to fund.
As we didn’t need to rush off the next morning, we made time to have a proper explore, discovering a surprising number of pitches that had tractors parked up (to haul boats for the excellent fishing around the nearby island, apparently)…
… and the adjacent Aire (also municipal and open all year).
After a brief detour following a navigation error (we turned in the wrong direction after stopping to shop for provisions and stuff to take home at a nearby supermarché), we set off heading east, looking for an Aire/or maybe free camp within easy striking distance of Dieppe for the day after.
Eventually finding our way back to the free A84 to Caen, we continued on the A13 Autoroute towards Le Havre, where we encountered for the first time, ‘péage en flux libre’,
a new development by the French government to speed up/make safer traffic on the autoroutes, where toll booths are removed and payment is by card on the web instead. The section we did, from Caen to the amazing bridge over the Seine near Le Havre was easy to navigate and good value at €6.20, payable via the SANEF.com website.
We knew we would be paying again to go over the Pont de Normandie…
… and we were charged €6.90 as a Class 2 vehicle, which is only up to 3.5t so, a lucky escape!
Deciding that we would try again for somewhere coastal, Mrs B found (P4N again) one of their Homestays, which we had last used on the Ardnamurchan peninsula in May 2024 on our trip to the Isle of Skye. Located in Octeville-sur-Mer, a couple of hundred metres from the coastal path and an easy walk into town, it was great value at €10! These stop overs are essentially an individual’s garden/yard/ piece of land near their house, and this one was a cracker!
After chatting to some Slovenian campers also stopping over (Mr B couldn’t resist the chance to try some Croatian, which oddly he can still remember and used to chat with Slovenians in Croatia when we were there) we settled in for a peaceful night, with the sunset visible in the distance from our bedroom window…
The next morning, with enough time to either walk down to the sea before leaving, or finding somewhere for lunch, we opted for the latter and after a lovely drive along the coast, pulled up in a massive field above Veules-les-Roses, where, in spite of signs and P4N clearly stating that no overnight camping was permitted, we both agreed that this lot looked like they were here to stay – especially as some of them had arrived in convoy!
Having decided earlier that we would have lunch and then go for a stroll down to the sea, that familiar ‘pull of the port’ got the better of us and we swerved the stroll in favour of arriving at Dieppe with a comfortable margin for error, or the unexpected, just in case!
Which is just as well, as when we arrived at Dieppe the boarding lanes were already being processed! And after the mandatory (for us) stop and search by port security (once proper Douanes and now privatised in a very un-French development) we parked up with a view of our ferry…
...where we got chatting to fellow campers Jan and Steve in their lovely old VWT4 – who turned out to be Brightonians as well! Of a similar age and approach to travelling, we hope to catch up with them once we get back home, having discovered that they live just a few streets away!
Once we had boarded the boat and found our seat for the pre-dinner reading session (we do love a French supper on the boat and a small bottle of wine on this evening ferry!) Mrs B noticed that Mr B was checking his phone more than usual, whilst looking pretty nervous – what was going on?
It turned out that following a heads up from one of his gig buddies, Sue, he was anxiously waiting to try and buy tickets to see Wet Leg at a local venue, and was worried as the clock ticked down to sale time, that he would lose his phone connection as the ferry got further away from the mainland and the tickets would sell out…
Luckily he managed just in time, and his big smile lasted for the whole journey, as he has tried, and failed, to get tickets to see them twice before!
Unlike many other crossings, this one was sunny and calm…
Disembarking was also problem free, and as we neared home, we were treated to a fabulous moon rise to the east…
...sunset to the east…
...and because Mr B loves a cliché, both in one photo…
As has now become customary when we return on the evening ferry which docks at around 2100, we made our final stop at Camp Babley in our driveway, keen to spin the trip out for one more night (as well as making unpacking much more fun in the morning!).
It might be one of the smallest pitches we have ever stayed on…
but we had a sea view (just) from our window when we woke the next morning!
Chatting as we unpacked in the sunshine and at a leisurely pace, we reflected that although we may have set off not knowing where we were heading, the sheer beauty of Breizh had made it a very easy decision to head west and stay north. We may have missed the heat of the southern sun and the sound of the cicadas (and, Mr B says, the sound of the Scops Owl at night, of course) but we have really enjoyed the cooler nights, the amazing seafood, the fabulous scenery, the Celtic culture and shared history with parts of the UK, the wonderfully friendly people, the music, and the largely easy camping and travelling.
Our next trip away is not that far away in late August/early September. We have no plans other than hopefully mediterranean Spain, but you never know, there are still parts of Breizh we have yet to explore...
Thanks for reading – À bientôt!
S&J
31.07.25
