It’s Sunday morning and time to move on again and as we haven’t seen much of the sea this trip we decide to head towards the Atlantic coast and follow the jagged coastline and waves into Brittany.
We thought with it being the end of August that the traffic would have calmed down so we are surprised to see the roads so busy and that most of the Aires we go to are still full of activity, well apart from the ones you wouldn’t want to stay at, the vans are either to close together, there are no services or they are just rundown, so we drive straight back out.
It’s also the first time that we have seen lots of UK number plates around, seemingly making the most of the last few weeks of summer sun, however at night the temperature has dropped the further north we have come but at least during the day, the weather gets brighter.
I suppose the last week has been an archetypal French beach holiday for us, some days there’s been pretty villages, sun, sea and sand, then, dramatic, blustery coastline and clattering pebble beaches, with a few secluded little coves thrown in for good measure on others day.
We find an Aire in Les Sables d’Olonne but it’s quite a distance from the beach so we have a walk around the village which is more like a ghost town there’s no one around so it’s a quiet afternoon for us, however our neighbours have an interesting looking home.
Noirmoutier-en-île is an interesting place renowned for harvesting the famous Noirmoutier salt and the acclaimed “Pommes de Terre de Noirmoutier” (delicious new potatoes) we buy both at the market to see if they live up to their name.
Noirmoutier is an interesting port with its disconcerting mixture of a rundown fishing village and a chic tourist destination, it’s heaving on market day.
Just a few vans here tonight in Noirmoutier
The Port du Bec is above all an oyster farming site, but also a unique ancient fishing port, nicknamed the “small Chinese port” since the pontoons are made from wood and intertwined poles, which are similar to the bamboo structures found in China’s sea ports.
Sunset in Port due Bec
The Bay of Bourgneuf was once known as the Bay of Brittany we walk along the sea defence wall where the fishermen are setting up for the evening.
Port du Bec if the shop isn’t open then the vending machine can provide you with seafood or soup for dinner
Once a military surveillance building the old semaphore in Prefailles as great views out to sea.
On August 7, 1860, a decision was taken by the Navy to build a semaphore at Pointe Saint-Gildas, it is now an automated lighthouse and museum.
Semaphore is a word of Greek origin: sêma = “sign” and phoros = “which bears”. It was a building intended for military surveillance which, by a mast system at the top of the building, made it possible to communicate from one semaphore to another all along the coast, but this system has its limits.
Cooking his own tea tonight
Our neighbours aren’t security conscious they wander off leaving the back lockers wide open
We walk the tall cliffs in Pénestin where the shade of the cliffs ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. The cliff was exploited as a gold mine in the 19th century, hence its name: the Gold Mine!
Another day, another place, and another ambience.
Off the coast of Penestin, the rocky islands are home to many species of sea birds and today the island is full.
Port-Louis is a small village with a main cobbled street and walled ramparts to walk along with great views out to the Bay of Biscay and the marina as we head to the market.
Old riveted buoy highlights the technical evolution in the construction of buoys. This model was sheet riveted and welded, today new buoys are ‘modular’ and are made of floating composite material and much lighter.
View from the ramparts in Port-Louis it’s a hive of activity with cruise ships leaving and fishing boats returning.
We had the village of Locronan marked out as somewhere to visit and stay, but when we arrived at the Aire it was €12 and there were no services, so we decided to have a walk and then move on because if we stayed we would be paying just to stay behind an automated barrier.
The village of Locronan, which means the place of Ronan, is named after the Irish saint, pilgrim and hermit Ronan.
Once the centre of the sailcloth industry for over 300 years the pretty village of Locronan has been pedestrianised and preserved since the 19th century, there are lots of little artisan shops to visit.
Place de l’Eglise, the main cobblestone square of Locronan is the perfect place to observe life.
We don’t mind paying to stay in places if it’s worth it so we drive the short distance to Plonévez-Porzay but when we arrive it’s free so the money we would have used to park we spend in the village.
In Plonévez-Porzay we feel like we are being watched there are scarecrows everywhere
After a few days of rain and grey skies, we were lucky that the sun made an appearance just as we arrived in Plougonvelin were we park up with views out to sea.
Waking the coastline we sea the Naval ships heading for the Port of Brest but there’s no submarines today
Plougonvelin’s Cabane à dons where you can donate your no longer needed goods or take anything for free that you can make use of, what a great way of recycling it is full of everything and anything.
We spend the afternoon down at the beach where the sun tries to shine through the clouds and it is rather nippy when I take a dip in the sea.
The lighthouse at Saint Laurent
Behind the high walls of the monk’s garden servants and labourers cultivated medicinal plants, vegetables, and fruit trees to feed the monks, their guests, the sick at the nearby Saint Laurent hospital and the poor.Part of this space also served as a threshing floor for grain brought by peasants.
At Plougonvelin we find the National memorial to sailors who gave their lives for France
Many feet have passed this way before to visit the headland of Finis Terrae near Plougonvelin to be refreshed in mind and body by the experience of looking out over the immense and sometimes formidable expanse of the Sea.
The Benedictine Abbey, whose imposing ruins still stand today dispute a turbulent history.
Le Conquet is another place we wanted to visit however when we found the Aire we realised they have parking regulations and we would have to move within 4hrs, apparently we could get a ticket to prove our length of stay from the tourist information but it’s closed so this is another flying visit
The lookout point in Le Conquet, where there is a plaque with the words – Ships always leave, yet sometimes they never come back. This is the spot from which the women of Le Conquet watched for the return of their men. In the Middle Ages, they would sometimes discover an enemy fleet sweeping down on the town and immediately, the bells would call everyone to shelter.
Wanting somewhere with shade we go to the aire in the village Ploumoguer which is just a few miles from the coast and park under a tree. Walking around the village we find just a Tabac and a small epecerie that sells everything.
Coordinates for Aires used in France
Les Sables-d’Olonne
N 46° 32′ 17
W 1° 46′ 30
Noirmoutier-en-l’Île
N 47° 0′ 2
W 2° 15′ 6
Le Port du Bec
N 46° 56′ 21
W 2° 4′ 25
La Plaine-sur-Mer
N 47° 8′ 20
W 2° 13′ 19
Pénestin
N 47° 27′ 13
W 2° 29′ 31
Port-Louis
N 47° 42′ 18
W 3° 21′ 21
Locronan
N 48° 5′ 51
W 4° 12′ 45
Plonévez-Porzay
N 48° 7′ 30
W 4° 13′ 27
Plougonvelin
N 48° 20′ 16
W 4° 42′ 27
Le Conquet
N 48° 21′ 38
W 4° 46′ 12
Ploumoguer
N 48° 24′ 16
W 4° 43′ 25
Lampaul-Plouarzel
N 48° 26′ 51
W 4° 46′ 36