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Discovering the Coast Brittany is blessed with 800 kms of beautiful white sandy beaches. There is a huge choice , all within easy driving distance, where you can enjoy all your favorite watersports, from snorkeling to kite surfing. There are hundreds of hidden bays, with sandy beaches where you may not find another soul. The larger commercial beaches are busier, but not overcrowded even in high season. They all have good facilities and are unspoilt and clean, many have lifeguards in attendance. La Grande Plage
La Grande Plage at Carnac was voted one of the best top 20 beaches in France. Carnac stones
Just north of Carnac beach is the Megalithic Standing Stones, some dating back to 3300BC, although exact date in not known. Worth a visit , combining it with a day at the beach. Vannes - 25 minutes Vannes is a fascinating city. Its quays are lined with seafood restaurants and cafés full of tourists taking life easy for a change! Head for the centre where the the old walled town is. Explore the ramparts and cathedral, where there is a tangle of half timbered medieval houses and crooked streets. Park the car and explore on foot, its much easier. | Trinité-sur-mer - 45 minutes |
This attractive town is nestled in the middle of the Bay of Quiberon. Primarily a port, with a seaside quay. Excellent seafood restaurants. One of our favourite pastimes when we come here, is our lunchtime treat , enjoying a bowl of Moules Mariner and Frites, delicious, and they are excellent here. The town is also well known for its watersport competions and sailing schools www.ot-trinite-sur-mer.fr
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Hennebont - 45 Minutes
An old medieval town built on two banks of the river Blavet. Explore the old ramparts and monuments, take a stroll through the botanical park.
The National Stud farm was established in 1966 and is famous for its quality of riding and teaching. There are 40 horses and various demonstrations take place throughout the year. The Stud is open all year.
On July 28th and 29th there is a medieval Festival, which includes jousting, combat and a medieval market.
www.hennebont.net
Port Crouesty and Port Navalo - 1hr 15 minutes
What little gems these two are, located on the coast of Arzon. Port Crouesty has more of a cosmopolitan feel. It has a lovely marina, which harbours some very nice sailing yachts and a
good selection of shops and restaurants. There is a good sandy beach called Plage de Fogeo. Port Navalo is a traditional port of Arzon at the entrance to the Golfe du Morbihan. it also has a good sandy beach but with a few more rocks. Take a stroll around the headland and take in the views across the bay. From here you can take a boat trip for a tour of the Golfe du Morbihan or visit the beautiful Breton Islands.
The Islands of Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Houat and Hoedic
These islands are so beautiful. You can take your car to Belle Ile, but not to the other islands, they have to be explored on foot or by bicycle. Boats and ferries to these are from Port Navalo Le Trinite sur Mer, Vannes or the Quiberon.
Belle Ile is the largest of the islands 20km by 9km with a coastline of 110km. It owes its name to its beauty and diversity of its landscapes. Its seaward side has a Cote Sauvage (wild coast) all of its own, where the Atlantic winds batter the sparce, heather clad cliffs. The coast facing the mainland is cut into valleys with large sandy beaches and is where the sheltered towns and villages are nestled. The island also has its own airfield.
Houat and Hoedic These little islands lie between Belle - Ile and the mainland. Houat counts barely 400 population in winter and Hoedic is only 130, but the two communities sustain themselves by fishing and in the summer with tourists, Houat has two hotels and Houadic just the one.
Despite the relative shelter of the Golfe du Morbihan, these islands are raked by wind all year round. For those seeking solitude they are ideal, being all but free of motor vehicles.
Above all these islands offer the chance to relax, close your eyes and feel the sun and wind on your face, slowly reaching that lovely state of tranquillity that enables you to distiguish between what is mundane and what is truly important in this life.
Lorient - 1 hour
Because Lorient was bombed flat in the second world war, then rebuilt with haste more than taste, it tends to get overlooked in the tourist guides. Explore the town, you will find a good selection of shops, traditional markets, creperies and fish restaurants. Lorient is also France's second biggest fishing port after Boulogne, boat trips from the quay take you around the harbour.
One of the towns intersting places to visit is the Wartime German submarine pens.
www.lorient.fr
Ile de Groix
To reach the Ile de Groix you have to catch a ferry from Lorient, leaving the car behind. The crossing takes 45 minutes and you arrive at a little island 8km x 4km made up of dramatic cliffs and sheltered sandy beaches.
Like the other islands, Groix is recommended for walkers and cyclists. Scuba divers should head for Grands-Sables beach, a stretch of white sand giving outstandingly clear vision some distance off shore.
Auray - 45 minutes
Between Lorient and Vannes lies the medieval town of Auray. Auray has everthing you would expect of a historic town. It has in summer a tourist train to Pontivy and a tranquil habour, with great seafood restaurants. It is also where, in 1776, Benjamin Franklin landed to seek help from the doomed Louis XVI in the American War of Independence.
www.auray.fr
