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Visiting Brittany


stevec176

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Hi, I'm going over to Brittany next Wednesday for 10 days for the first time and would welcome any suggestions on places to visit / stay. We are sailing to / from St Malo and the only place we actually need to go to is Huelgoat. Have looked at numerous web sites and articles but would welcome first hand recommendations. We are both 65 plus so not looking for anything too hectic and we dont have bikes so it's either public transport or shankses pony to get around.

 

Thanks

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'Have been to Brittany many times since reading articles by Helen Werin, who is travel editor at MMMM. She's got a website with articles on, plus if you google it mate you'll find that this girls wrote a lot about Britany and northern France in general We go to Pink Granite Coast and stay at Camping Tourony in Tregastel and youll never find a lovelier spot. Where ever you go in Britany you'l luv it.
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www.oxfordmail.co.uk/author/profile/37485.Helen_Werin

www.helenwerin.co.uk/Caravan-Brittany-June2015.pdf

helenwerin.co.uk/Voyage-Spring%202017-Pretty%20in%20Pink.pdf

 

and this one mate - but youll need to scroll down a bit.

Didn't take long to find all this for you; hope it helps!

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Hello Steve, Peter seems to have posted a lot of links to articles of mine about Brittany. I would highly recommend the Crozon peninsula/Armorique. http://www.helenwerin.co.uk/MMM_Armorique_Feb2013_150dpi.pdf

 

I agree with Peter in that the Pink Granite Coast is gorgeous. The GR34 path around Brittany is lovely wherever you pick it up. Why do you not drive to places in your motorhome?; it's usually easy in Brittany to park (unless it is market day) unlike some other parts of France. Bus services are poor, I have to say.

 

Helen Werin, MMM's travel editor

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The only thing I would add is to maybe do a bit of research and not try to do too much. Ten days isnt very long and it would take you months to it all justice. Some nice places inland as well such as Dinan and Port Dinan. There are more Aires in Brittany than any other region as well so no need to use Campsites unless you prefer them but get there early as its also the most popular region for motorhomes as well.

 

It gets wilder and more like Cornwall or the west coast of Scotland the further west you go.

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Thank you all for your recommendations, especially Peter, will give us plenty to discuss and plan a route with. Helen, thank you for suggestion to use the van, not sure what the roads are like for a 24ft long Motor home but always willing to give things a try, I'm even quite good at reversing it. I'll have to give moving the boulder at Huelgoat a push to see if I can move it too.

 

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Steve

 

You’ve said that you must visit Huelgoat that is deeply embedded in the Finistère department of Brittany and roughly 100 miles west of St. Malo. Your trip to France will only be 10 days long so, to some extent, when you visit Huelgoat within that period is likely to influence the remainder of your trip.

 

The most reliable weather in Brittany in June will probably be in the Golfe du Morbihan/Quiberon area, but that’s a longish drive from Huelgoat and it might be preferable to restrict yourself to Finistère and cut down on the motoring.

 

The Crozon peninsula has been mentioned, and you might consider the campsite “La Cale” at Lanvéoc that now has a bar/restaurant adjacent

 

http://www.clcl.fr/le-camping-est-ouvert-accueil/

 

http://www.restaurant-la-cale.fr/

 

Brittany has no toll-roads, but does have a good network of “N”-marked 110kmh-limit dual-carriageways that connect larger cities. Traffic densities are much lower than in the UK and you should have no more difficulty driving a Rapido 665F in Brittany than in Norfolk as far as the roads are concerned.

 

 

 

 

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Thanks Dave, as you say time is the limitation and with so many places to visit in such a short time. Having looked through so many web sites and booklets and everywhere looks so good we are hoping to reduce our choices by asking others for their experiences. There are always those places you hear about after you get back that you really should have visited.

You obviously know Norfolk roads too.

Thanks.

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Oh dear I'm about to upset the apple cart here.

 

Just go back, last Thursday, from 3 weeks in Brittany having driven 1800 miles, and though the scenery is OK, much like Cornwall, we were quite disappointed. Drove to a different three or four star campsite nearly every day, €10-17 a night with Acsi card) so 12 or so in the time we were there and whilst they were good, clean and tidy, it was all a bit flat. All the campsites said to just pick our own pitch, but it was all so quiet. Went to one v nice site near Sarzeau and there were only three pitches occupied. Many/most restaurants not open and in many resorts inc the more popular like Benodet and Concarneau, there were very very few people about. Roads were deserted, and I mean deserted. Long stretches of motorway (not peage) were empty as far as you can see. Sounds good but there's little atmosphere in going into a restaurant or town and being the only diners. Nicest place we found was Roscoff - I'd go back there but that's about the best.

 

To be fair we found the French delightful. Everybody was happy to speak English and couldn't be more helpful. Thought prices were expensive with food coming out at least 50% more than UK. eating out was prohibitive for us, a normal main course and bottle of wine, c€65+

 

We found the tourist information offices first class. They were happy to find things for us and hand out brochures and maps and for example we needed a vet for the dogs return to UK tablets and not only did they find one, they phoned and booked us an appointment and negotiated a discount for doing two dogs t once.

 

Overall it was an OK holiday but we'd not go back to Brittany - Vendee again next time for us

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ColinM50 - 2018-06-11 10:49 AM

 

...Thought prices were expensive with food coming out at least 50% more than UK. eating out was prohibitive for us, a normal main course and bottle of wine, c€65+ ...

 

 

Presumably the around €65 was for two people dining, which - if so - I would have thought would be par for the course for an evening 2-person meal with a bottle of wine at a reasonable restaurant in the UK.

 

As I’ve said here in the past, in France we lunch middle-day rather than dine in the evening and it’s rare for the overall bill to be above €30. There will always be an element of pot-luck as to what a “menu du jour” or “menu ouvrier” will turn out to be like and it’s definitely the case that, if a restaurant offering an inexpensive midday menu is empty at 1215, it’s best not to eat there.

 

As for the rest, I’m with Deneb, and if French campsites are still near-empty and French roads still deserted when we visit France in a couple of weeks, I shall be delighted.

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Currently in Spain on our way back to France. Spent 2 weeks in France and found the prices of food and fuel high, and the weather not brilliant. The french are all spending their hols in Spain. The sites are full of French, and Belgians and Dutch. Says something for the costs in France Weather Been great in Spain, and Fuel

only 1 219,e as against having to pay in one garage 1.61e in France w

 

PJay

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