Pointe du Rosalier

Tuesday 30/06/20

Bokkie is perched up on a clifftop with a stunning view out over the bay.  We really feel like we've hit the jackpot today:  stunning view, our own bench outside the door and also the best level parking of the whole area.  It pays to arrive early!

We watched this yacht sail into the bay and motor over to have lunch in the sheltered waters.

We went for our customary walk around the point and took in the lovely views of the bay and nearby villages.  It is quite busy, being close to a few larger towns but promises to be a nice spot to spend the night.

The nearby memorial to those lost at sea.

We love the poppies growing all along the fringes of the crop fields

This is the view out of Bokkie's back door.

Martin beach, getting to it involved a hair-raising cycle track down a very steep hill.
Getting back to Bokkie involved a hard slog up the tar road.

We went for a cycle in the afternoon and one disadvantage of such a high parking spot is that whichever direction we went in, we had an uphill on the way back.  This coast is really stunning - and our fitness is improving.

Port Beni

Monday 29/06/20

Bokkie has moved up the coast a bit after stopping for provisions along the way.  The wind is howling today so, after having gone for a long walk along the coastal paths we will probably be relaxing indoors for the rest of the day.

Not every day in a motorhome is exciting - one becomes very aware of the weather when travelling. 

This is the start of the driveway to the house in the distance, I presume they use a 4x4.

Bokkie nestled in the small aire (only 4 spaces)

Scrub the previous plan, we got cabin fever so went out for another long walk...

Wild cabbage growing all along the high water mark.

It is incredibly peaceful here

Now that's what I call a front entrance!

I found a few photos on the camera that I had missed over the past few days so included them here.

The Terenez bridge

Bonus video, it's so windy today even the nettles seem to be afraid they may blow away!

Pont Coulard

Sunday 28/06/20

Bokkie is parked near a rather bizarre structure giving her some competition for the whitest forehead.

The gigantic Parc du Radôme

We're in a recreation area with a Gaul village, planetarium and the huge dome housing Brittany's equivalent of the Science Museum all on our doorstep.  It's a nice spot as it is a bit sheltered from the wind and is a lovely base to cycle from.

The Menhir de Saint-Uzec is about 5,000 years old
with the Christian carvings added in the 15th century

A nearby house has a green wall and green roof, fully planted

The local Astronomy club have the best clubhouse ever!

The added advantage is that you almost can't get lost as you can see the massive dome from miles around.  Sunday's are very relaxed in France with families meeting up and the smell of braaivleis in the air.  We got the bikes out, and did a mix of roads, trails and cycle paths, so certainly got our exercise in as the area is quite hilly!

Tomorrow begins our last full week in Brittany, before we speed up to get to our planned ferry crossing to the UK on the 7th.  

No matter where we went we could always see the dome to get our bearings.

High tide at Beg an Diben

Saturday 27/06/20

The tidal range in the area is quite extreme, apparently something to do with waters in the Atlantic surging up into the English Channel and the shape of the bay meaning some of the biggest changes between tides in the whole of Europe.  It also changes quite rapidly, today seemed to be a high tide for most of the day and then it suddenly drained out to nothing.

These photos show the comparison between today's high and yesterday's low tides.

It's a blustery, wet day today so apart from a windswept walk across to the harbour earlier we have spent the day inside Bokkie.  Tomorrow we move on.

Beg an Diben

Friday 26/06/20

Bokkie had a bit of a nightmare today, navigation-wise, as everything seemed to conspire to keep us from our plan.  Routes were blocked, towns were busy and everything seemed to go wrong; at one stage our only option was to take Bokkie the wrong way down a one-way street to find a road she could fit down - very French.

The impressive Viaduc de Morlaix built in 1861-63 

We also wanted to visit Saint-Thégonnec on our way, but road works meant we couldn't reach it from our route.  We stopped in at the very pretty town of Morlaix which has a massive railway viaduct passing over the town.  We were going to stay the night, but after a walk around town we decided we would prefer to be somewhere a bit less populous.

We'd photographed some stunning street art in the town and were thrilled to see the artists at work.

The river dries up at low tide so so the large inland marina is protected by a lock

We headed off to the coast and have settled in an aire adjacent to the marina which is now packed with motorhomes, the aire, not the marina!  

We've had a cycle around the area and it is beautiful; the sea is very calm and the tidal range is massive, with the low tide almost emptying the marina.  We've watched one of our neighbours prowling around on the exposed shore with a large pot of salt and a bucket and were intrigued to find he was catching razor clams (pencil bait), slightly different to the way I have caught them in the past.

A photo from Bokkie's spot, we'll see how different it looks when the tide comes in

The view of the marina from the harbour wall, who can spot Bokkie?

The harbour mouth

It feels very laid back here so, being the weekend, we might settle in for a couple of days before continuing our journey.  

Getting ready to leave Kernavéno

Thursday 25/06/20

The hot weather has broken for the moment so Bokkie is all packed up and ready to move on in the morning.  We're heading for the northern coast of Brittany to explore the Côte de Granit Rose and the Côte d'Emeraude.

Here are some pics from our day.

The hydrangeas in the area are fantastic.

Camping life in Kernavéno

Wednesday 24/06/20

We've settled down into camp life,and are spending a lot of our time outdoors which is wonderful.  Bokkie heats up to over 26° C during the day in spite of all our measure so it makes sense to enjoy the fresh air.

Bokkie settling down to camp life at the beach

We've been enjoying the beach, and will definitely go swimming at some point today as it is warmer than yesterday - which only warranted a waist-deep dip.  

This wrought iron gate had washed onto the beach at some stage and made an interesting feature

Brittany has it's own 'Hole-in-the-wall' in the distance 

The promised sunset was too good to miss so we joined loads of people and enjoyed it on the beach.  Lovely!

A perfect end to a lovely day.

Kernavéno

Monday 22/06/20

Bokkie has put her feet up for a few days as we have booked into a campsite.  We had laundry to do and, as it is going to quite hot for the next few days, we wanted to be able to keep Bokkie cool and live outside a bit more.

The huge Goulien beach on our doorstep

We must have looked like typical motor-homers when we arrived:  pull in, fill up with water, do a load of laundry, vacuum Bokkie from top to toe, shake everything off, hang up all the laundry... and sit down to a cup of coffee.  Most people arrive and start relaxing immediately!  Having said that, the camp is full of surfer so most of them arrive and immediately head out again to catch some waves.

We took the bicycles to explore the area and cycled to Crozon which is the closest large town.  When we got back we decided to head to the showers while it was quiet - just as well, as we both showered in the ladies ablution.  We didn't see the sign on the way in and just assumed it was unisex, as many campsites are.  I was mortified...😳

Crozon is almost pretty

Interesting artwork outside a clothing store

The campsite is quite busy; we're not used to having so many kids around us but most people head to the beach during the day so it's very peaceful.  Having said that, when it heats up we'll hopefully be joining them in the water. We are surprised at the number of German campers already here, a sure sign that the  European international land borders are open.

On a positive note, we got to practice our French at the campsite reception and I even managed to embarrass myself in French.  Progress!

Tréfeuntec

Sunday 21/06/20

The storms passed and left a lovely morning for a walk, albeit a bit chilly.

We had a really rough night as the wind kept getting stronger and stronger and then Bokkie was pelted with rain.  It felt a bit like we were in the rinse cycle of the washing machine.

Toni was very keen to complete the walk she was on yesterday and go all the way to Pointe du Raz, 5.5km each way, but I decided it would be too much even for my improved knee.  She set off and I got my bike off Bokkie, to see how the knee would handle cycling.  It was no problem so when Toni let me know she was on her way back I set off and met her at the beach for lunch.  

The point where Brittany disappears into the Atlantic

The arrow points to me, waiting for Toni to join me for lunch.

It is still quite windy and chilly but that is set to change next week so we are working our way towards a campsite on the Crozon peninsula.  This will give us a break from travelling and let us have a bit more outside space to relax (it's tough being on permanent holiday).

Bokkie in her spot for the night - with a view of the sea in the distance