The aire filled
up by the evening so most of the 75 marked bays were in use. The
following day we decided to head inland diverting to Argol to look at
the parish close and a quirky artist's workshop and garden full of
strange sculptures before driving on back roads through la Forêt du
Cranou to Brasparts and across moorlands to the Montagne St Michel
(380m) where a side road climbed up to a chapel. It was an eerie place
which we felt we had visited before and to add to the atmosphere
there was mystical chanting coming from the chapel. We didn't dare open
the door to investigate - but there was a hippy van parked in the car
park! Once back on the road we drove across charred moorland recovering
from a large fire, to Roc Trévezel, the second highest place in
Brttany, and reached St Thégonnec to look at the old parish close with
an impressive calvary of statues and carvings. There was also a town
fête with craft stalls and performers including
some Breton singing and dancing - not to our taste so we didn't linger.
The next town of Guimiliau has the largest close and calvary and
ornately decorated church interior.
Boat graveyard at Camaret-sur-Mer
The final parish close we visited was at nearby Lampaul-Guimiliau
where we stopped overnight on the pleasant free aire in the park where
we met another British motorhomer.
Guimiliau altar
The
next day Sunday we headed north to the coast driving through busy
St Pol-de-Léon and on to the colourful Jardin Exotique on the
cliffs above Roscoff. pleasant to walk around but spoilt by the
constant noise of a dredger working in the ferry port where they are
extending the harbour. We found a suitable parking place for lunch
at the aire by the bay at Laber to the west of the town. We had
intended to visit Roscoff town centre but gave up after walking through
housing estates for half an hour so returned to the van and drove to St
Pol following the signposted camping-car route to the aire at
Pempoul overlooking the sea by the Rocher Ste Anne where we enjoyed a
walk along the causeway to the rock in the sunshine. The good
weather continued as we headed east meandering along the coast
after negotiating very busy
Morlaix looking for a supermarket to get LPG due to a satnav operator
error on the bypass. After passing through the small resort of Primel
Tragastel we arrived at the small town of Plougasnou and drove up
to a layby on the headland overlooking the Plage de St Jean du
Doigt, returning to Plougasnou to find the service borne and then
parked by the sea wall for the night.
Jardin Exotique at Roscoff
We
quickly drove through busy Locquirec and passed the large bay
of St Michel-en-Grève where mechanical diggers were removing vast
amounts of green seaweed. After stopping at Lannion for shopping and
cash from an in-store ATM which automatically converted the amount to
GB pounds at an awful exchange rate (not to be repeated), we reached
the
Côte de Granit Rose and found a parking place without a height
barrier by the aquarium in Trégastel Plage from where there is a
pleasant walk around the Île Renote nature reserve. A couple of aires
we drove past looked crowded so we returned along the coast to
the Île Grande where there was a small private aire de parking by
the municipal campsite. The next morning we drove to Ploumanach where
we walked along the Sentier des Douaniers passing the massive pink
boulders many of which I'm sure used to have names of animals
carved
on them. We returned via the sculpture park which has been extended
with some strange pieces since we visited it years ago.
We then drove inland to Tréguier but arrived as the market
was packing
up so there was litter everywhere and we didn't like the aire in the
town - too shady and closed in with signs about thieves. However we
continued up to the coast and found a delightful official overnight
parking place for four camping-cars (but no services) at the tiny Port-Béni
near Pleubian, overlooking the sea, where we were joined by about six
others and a
German car and caravan - aren't rules there to be broken?
Sailing boat at Trégastel Plage
Vauban Fort at Camaret-sur-Mer
Stone alignments at Camaret-sur-Mer
Thégonnec calvary
Thégonnec calvary base
Guimiliau parish close
Guimiliau calvary
near Trégastel Plage on the Rose Granite coast
Boulders on the Sentier des Douaniers at Ploumanach