No Particular Place To Go

Back on the road we continue to wander the coastal paths of Brittany that lead us back into Normandy, and it seems like Autumn has arrived, with the long summer days now gone and the arrival of shorter days there are fewer crowds however there are still lots of motorhomes around, mostly German, well that’s until we get to Montruiel then it looks like the English have invaded!

In the mornings we feel a chill in the air as we head out for a walk and we can see the summer flowers are starting to fade, but the pansies are still going strong. And with the wonderful colours of the leaves changing from bright green to orange, yellow and deep red we can see the seasons changing. 

With harvesting in full swing, the farmers are out in full force from early morning to late at night and we hear the tractors ploughing the wheat and maize fields and see the winter veg being picked as we pass rows full of purple cabbages, artichokes, pumpkins and its days like this I miss a good old veg stew. 

With this year’s trip coming to an end it’s difficult to believe that six months have passed by but with our heads full of images and memories to share over and over as we head for the ferry in Calais. 

Since we arrived on French soil back in April we have travelled 4003 miles to three different countries and meet up with old and new friends along the way. 

We have been lucky to watch both the men’s and women’s Tour De France this year, visit many historic towns and villages and walk and cycle miles of unspoilt landscapes, it’s been a fun time. 

However, travelling for this amount of time you realise you become quite feral when water is in short supply, our feet are never clean (we live in flip flops), I’ve worn makeup half a dozen times, my hair straighteners are still tucked in the cupboard somewhere, and my hair gets dried in the wind as we drive down the road, so as much as we will miss the freedom of roaming around, we will also appreciate being able to stand under a shower and not worry about how much water we are using, and I won’t miss my arse knocking the shower button just as I get dried or balancing on one leg, holding clothes in my teeth, to avoid the wet floor!

Sadly, travelling in a van doesn’t stop the daily chores either, like cleaning or doing the laundry, but, on the positive side, our van is much smaller than our house, so cleaning doesn’t take that long but I have spent many an hour this year sitting with the locals watching our smalls spinning away. 

In some respects, though life couldn’t get much simpler but when the English tea has run out along with the visa it’s time to say Au revoir and head back across the water. 

Who knows what next year holds so for now wish me luck as I board the boat with a very sombre-looking John as it looks like we are in for a choppy ride.

Pretty houses amongst the rocks in Guisseny

The Barrachous district in Guissény where the beaches are full of fine white sand and large rock formations. 

Parking for the night at Meneham we have a walk around the Le village de Meneham, an authentic village preserved as it has been since the 19th century, located on a rocky point, at the foot of an enormous granite formation which protects it from the sea ​and westerly winds. 

We are deep in a pagan country, with its grass-covered dunes, and secluded fishing villages full of thatched cottages, all screened behind enormous boulders in strange shapes.

Set off in discovery of the quaint little hamlet of Meneham. As if gripped tightly between two giant stone fists, its 17th-century guardhouse is an extraordinary sight to behold, and its thatched cottages have been lovingly restored.

Saint-Pol-de-Leon is a town in the Finistère department in the Brittany region of northwestern France. It is located in the Armorican Massif, near the coast of the English Channel.

When we arrived in Saint-Pol-de-Leon it was a blustery day as we walked along the seafront and even though the scenery was wonderful, it was a bit cold for a swim, although some hardy souls were putting us to shame.

The steps up to the rock formation are quite precarious so I only go up so far, whilst John continues to the top but I still have a  great view of Roscoff in one direction and across the bay to Carantec in the other. 

We spend the morning draining and refilling the water tank after picking up water that has a horrible taste and smells odd.

We can just about see the Le Manoir de Kerallic through the trees from where we park in Plestin-les-Grèves

The town of Plestin-les-Grèves is crossed by four rivers and we walk through the heavily wooded hilly terrain along the coastline down to the sandy beaches that are spread over two bays.

At the bottom of the cliffs at Plage de Saint-Efflam, we stopped for a coffee and Apple pomme cake.

Fontaine Saint Efflam, the spring has a reputation for making predictions dating from the late 16th century. It is made of granite and has a dome made of shale. Tradition has it that young people intending to marry should throw three stolen pieces of bread into the spring. If the two pieces of bread, representing the couple, join together without being separated by the third piece, it is a sign the marriage would be happy. 

In the sea to the north of Pleumeur-Bodou, the Île-Grande is about one kilometre across and can only be reached by a road bridge so we head over there to spend the night. 

Île-Grande was once a successful granite quarry and with only 800 people living on the island it’s an attractive place with lots of scenic walking routes, rocky coast and small beaches. 

The famous GR34 walk, also known as the “Customs Officers Path”, stretches 1,240 miles from Mont-Saint-Michel to the Saint-Nazaire Bridge and is Brittany’s longest waterfront pedestrian path, we walk the path in several different all along the coast, however, in parts it isn’t for the faint-hearted as it’s rocky and steep under foot.

Nestled in the bay of Saint Brieuc is the town of Plerin which gives the feel of being slightly rough and ready in parts but it’s free so we spend the night here. 

Pléneuf-Val-André is divided into three areas with distinct histories and atmospheres – Pléneuf is the original village, up on its hill overlooking the sea; The Val André is the resort, where the beaches are and Dahouët is the marina, it a pretty village, we walk the coastline and wander down to the port where there’s a Brocante taking place. 

Loved this amazing ring sculpture

We stop at Cap-Fréhel and continue to walk this part of the GR34 and the viewpoint is amazing. 

We park up for the night with about 20 other motorhomes in Plevenon. In the centre of the village, there are several rows of old stone houses, a church, a car park and of course the most important thing a baker’s. 

Trying to navigate our way through the diversions set up around the small cobbled streets of Dinan we finally arrive at the aire and park up next to another couple who have just had the same experience but thankfully we can laugh about it, and in need of a drink, we head up to the town and have a coffee with Stuart and Clare, however, we do so much chatting ( well Clare and I do ) that we don’t see much of the town. 

Moving into Normandy with quaint half-timber buildings, fields full of horses and Norman cows, and signs for cider we stop at the pretty village of Sourdeval. 

The beautiful region of Normandy in northwest France is famous for its impressive white cliffs, historic castles and abbeys, connection to the D-Day landings, and delicious local produce like Camembert cheese, Calvados, and cider.

At Dives-sur-Mer we spend the night and walk along the seafront to Cabourg where most of the properties are Belle Epoque architecture 

We couldn’t leave France without having one last Muelli fuelli 

Busy today at the Honfleur aire

Getting our steps up wandering  around Honfleur 

We have driven straight past Veulettes-sur-Mer before so we are pleased we stopped it’s a quiet seaside town with just a handful of shops and bars, but a nice walkway along the coast. 

Saint-Valery-Sur-Somme is one of our favourite stops on the way back home so we sit with an ice cream and watch the Somme railway cross the river Seine

In Le Touquet-Paris-Plage we find the aire we stayed at 17 years ago when we had our first ever motorhome, a Moncayo and my gosh were we naive, we parked at the back of garages, empty car parks and between parked lorries, you name it we parked in it, thank goodness for park4night and passion sites. 

Back at Montreuil, it feels like we have come full circle as this was our first stop back in April and tonight it looks like the English have invaded the aire there’s only one French van amongst us 

We spend our last night in Wissant and the weather has changed overnight its extremely windy but it’s a clear day so we can still see the White Cliffs of Dover

Lunchtime was interesting today when I was given a pair of nutcrackers to eat the lobster claw, we had visions of the lobster or nutcracker whacking the man in the head next to us, it was a slippery little sucker!

Bracing ourselves for the M20

Coordinates used for Aires in France

Meneham

N 48° 40′ 3

W 4° 21′ 55

Saint-Pol-de-Léon

N 48° 40′ 58

W 3° 58′ 15

Plestin-les-Grèves

N 48° 40′ 22

W 3° 37′ 1

Pleumeur-Bodou

N 48° 47′ 56

W 3° 34′ 59

Treguier

N 48° 47′ 26

W 3° 13′ 50

Plerin

N 48° 32′ 20

W 2° 43′ 36

Pléneuf-Val-André

N48° 34′ 60

W 2° 33′ 23

Miniac-Morvan

N 48° 29′ 57

W 1° 54′ 19

Saint-Brice-en-Coglès (Maen Roch)

N 48° 24′ 40

W 1° 21′ 45

Sourdeval

N 48° 43′ 33

W 0° 55′ 24

Saint-Rémy-sur-Orne

N 48° 56′ 33

W 0° 30′ 9

Dives-sur-Mer

N 49° 17′ 25

W 0° 6′ 12

Honfleur

N 49° 25′ 10

E 0° 14′ 31

Veulettes-sur-Mer

N 49° 51′ 15

E 0° 36′ 21

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

N 50° 10′ 56

E 1° 37′ 44

 Le Touquet-Paris-Plage

N 50° 31′ 36

E 1° 35′ 56

Montreuil

N 50° 27′ 34

E 1° 45′ 34

Wissant

N 50° 53′ 14

E 1° 40′ 16