Have very fond memories of one or two holidays taken with extended family when the next generation were children – did that actually happen! – in this part of northern Brittany, when the weather didn’t perform like british Cornwall. I wanted to see whether it was still as beautiful as I remembered.
So Perros-Guirec and Tregastel – you are. I love the rocks and boulder formations, along the coastline and in the villages, the coves, inlets and beaches of the crystal clear sea. Recollect being in the water amongst the rocks when the tide came in very fast, and it’s one of the many places we’ve been fortunate to enjoy with our family which would have been paradise for me as a child. As an empty-nester – what could be better – fantastic for walking, cycling, kayaking, exploring the coastline – assuming sunshine, and not drizzle or sea mist which also happens.
For those who know Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire, UK, then it’s like that up and down the coast of pink granite, and the houses, street pavings, flower planters, etc are built from it. Unfortunately just a one-night stop here this time as part of the 5-day road trip from Benodet back to the ferry port at Le Havre, and the weather did its job – clear skies, low twenties.
I love a good beach and go out of my way to see them, even if I don’t lie on one, or go in the water. Reminds me of the advert for the Bounty chocolate bar from my youth, where “they went in search of paradise”.
My journey to Benodet went via the Bay of La Baule, on the Loire-Atlantique coast past St Nazare, which I’d read on a French website was reputed to be one of the most beautiful in the world. This time I even went in the water at Pornichet, but didn’t linger when I saw a jelly-fish.
This is the coast at Pornic, and then the Bay of La Baule:
Landed at Camping du Trev which is like the wooded garden of a large country house, but just 200m from the main beach at Benodet. And NO HEATWAVE. A respectable temperature of around 25 – 28, whereas Courry in the Gard (southeast France) was 42 degrees yesterday!
This area is really lovely.
Took the little ferry across the river Odet over to Sainte Marine, and cycled along the coast to Ile Tudy, then back across and just around the headland to view the ‘Letty’ beach which had been recommended by a colleague:
As my outline plan had already been to visit southern Brittany, the forecasts of a major heatwave to hit most of France except there, was very convenient. But as France is vast, and given my preference for all the advantages of driving on non-toll motorways, the Loire area offered itself as an attractive stopover and my first visit to the region, so I made my way to the municipal campsite L’Ile d’Or at Amboise.
View across Loire from L’Ile d’Or
Amboise behind chateau
But the heatwave was now here. I had been advised that the best way to survive it was the proverbial white cotton, clean, but essentially cold-water- wet hankie, on one’s head. Knotting was declined in this case. Spending just one afternoon and evening cycling around Amboise, I decided that it was too hot for me, and the rest of the area would be best explored from an air-conditioned cab driving along the river, via the Loire Atlantique coast at Pornic, Camping La Boutiniarde, paying for the location, but more importantly 4-star swimming pool the next day.
The drive along the Loire to Saumur and beyond is really worth doing; the river is indeed majestic, there are many viable dwellings built into some of the gorges, beautiful little towns and the bigger ones like Tours and Saumur; of course warrants a decent re-visit
For this western odyssey, I had roughly planned to see alot of Spain, then Portugal, then back through France before returning to the UK for the high season period – ie to avoid the much more expensive, booking-needing weeks of mid July to late August particularly given that I’m targeting places that are on the holiday map – and then to depart again late August. But without any fixed plans, I was tempted by the option with obviously lots of advantages, of staying in the south of France at my Mum’s house for those weeks, or leaving the campervan in the campsite next door and flying back to the UK, to return similarly late August. What options to have!
But I decided that the other places were still calling me, and the weather forecast was looking very favourable – as the variable southern Brittany would be hot enough, and also avoid the heatwave of temperatures upto 40deg throughout most of France. So interesting, that after 3 months of travel, the original outline plan was still holding.
Therefore had a beautiful recommended drive north of the Cevennes and west from Les Vans through Villefort, then upto Puy en Velay on the D901, then 906, then N102. The ‘Val D’Allier’ looked stunning. There was even a tightroper who I spied high above a gorge, and by the time the van made it to the top on one of those roads I’m not keen on, they had either fallen to their death or made it across.
Driving north to Puy-en-Velay
Overlooking Les Vans – Ardeche region
Continued to Clermont Ferrand, and then headed west into the Auvergne to Chambon-sur-Lac, to Camping Les Bombes – good reviews, which I confirm and so cheap for the place. Quick cycle ride around the area and resolved that I should push myself to use the van like a car – ie to drive to two locations around the area on route to my next planned stop to meet up with my Mum and partner at his daughter and son-in-law’s house they’re doing up in the middle of nowhere, just east of Limoges.
THE AUVERGENE IS GORGEOUS – mountains – ie extinct volcanoes above 1400, with ski resorts, so like the Pyrenees, Picos etc, loads of hiking/cycling trails, beautiful villages. I drove first to the ‘Vallee de Chaudefour’ and walked up the valley, through the alpine-like meadows to the ‘Cirque’ of mountains/volcanoes.
Beautiful meadow – wildflowers, stream, serious rock climbing going onUp to head of valley
In the afternoon, drove via Puy de Dome, took the train upto the summit at 1450m to look down on Clermond Ferrand, and the volcanoes in this chain, before driving on another 70 miles or so on great ‘D’ roads to get to the hamlet of Mont Pigeaud near the town of Gueret . Unfortunately my photos don’t do it justice, but plenty on the internet.
SpenLooking down on Clermont Ferrand
Puy Pariou & others
Summit of Puy de Dome at approx 1450m
Spent 2 nights parked outside the house of Nicola and Darren, just east of Limoges near the town of Gueret. Nicola is the daughter of my Mum’s partner, and so met up with them also as they were travelling down to Courry. Nicola and Darren have taken on a project with this house, not as far as re-building a ruin, but in terms of damp on a main wall, and lots of other basic maintenance, which they do in their holidays, driving down with car fully-laden, and the odd hire-van trip from Homfirth in Yorkshire. Very interesting, the challenges people take on.
The photo belies the amount of work to be, and already done by Nicola and Darren, and it is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, albeit about 20 mins drive on the usual good minor roads from Gueret.
What did we do there – well , there’s the Ceze river at St Denis, our closest favourite place
there’s the Chassezac river and Mazet Plage
Looking downstream
…upstream
Just round corner from downstream
Dive-bombing kayakers
there’s the Cascades de Sautadet at the Roque-sur-Ceze
Cascades are 400m up the river to the left
Roque sur Ceze
and not forgetting the kayaking on the Ardeche river
concrete shutes for kayaks
Worth a mention, so bunged it in here – a Tropezienne; not my favourite Mille Feuilles, but a close second, and this example was delicious, if somewhat too much; still ate it in one sitting!
Time gallops on as I realise it’s almost a week now since I drove to Courry, a small village on the edge of the Cevennes and Ardeche areas, to spend time at my Mum’s house with 2 of my offspring, their other halves, and a couple of friends. I spent about 45 mins driving round the uni area of Montpellier en route, looking to find a parking spot, from which to do a brief cycle tour of the city centre. I was almost deciding that Montpellier would have to be left for another time, when I found one at last, and enjoyed a bit of exploration, resulting in the conclusion that this city did warrant another more relaxed visit.
The drive from Montpellier up to a ‘town called Ales’ immediately brought home to me as ever, how fortunate we are to be able to stay in such a beautiful region. Mum’s house is not the luxury south of France villa that I always expect people to be thinking; it’s very quirky, hence my comparison with the house on the TV series the Durrells, (highly recommended for the script, which for me got better series by series, the acting, the scenery); its charm has grown on me over the years, particularly when only needing to clear all the dead insects :), dust and debris from the ‘the outside-in’ rooms, and not being responsible for its general upkeep:
On main street thru’ village
Downstairs living room
Downstairs dining room
Downstairs kitchen – note all original tiled floors
Various bedrooms ….
upstairs rooms interconnecting
Only ‘outside space’ – 1st floor terrace overlooking street
Practising being a french property owner! tempting
Outside-In 1st floor living room – Ruin 1
From Ruin 2 looking into Ruin 1
Must be Ruin 3
Not quite sure of it’s age, but it has served many different functions in addition to housing a village family – including a boulangerie and silk farm. In the heat of Summer, it’s really cool on the ground floor.
Here’s the matching car; get good exercise – not as far as legs running along through the floor, but for the arms, manually winding down the windows, and sauna effects in the non-air-conditioned atmosphere; informed a couple of weeks later that two wasp nests had taken residence inside the door; a true Herbie and never needs filling up
These are views from a chapel 3km away at 445m altitude from which on a clear day can be seen Mont Ventoux, the mountains of the Ardeche, and the Cevennes above 1500m:
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