Family car tour of Brittany

On board for a family tour to France

A family of five adults in one car on a tour to Brittany? Carson Black checks out how tight a squeeze it is.

It seems the forgotten part of northern France. Whilst Normandy is well trekked because of its proximity to the UK, the D-day landings and Second World War battle sites, and Alsace in north eastern France boasts glorious restaurants and local wines to die for, Brittany, especially southern Brittany, is less well known on UK shores.

Brittany is mostly used as a transit point for UK travellers. Its ports of St Malo and Brest, are seen by many Brits as simply an access point to driving to the south of the country.

But the area has a lot to offer. Better known to radio 4 listeners of the weather forecast as Finistere this part of north west France has glorious unpopulated sandy beaches which stretch along the coastline from Saint-Nazaire to la Pointe du Raz, France's very own Lands End.

Our family - five of us, all adults - rented a four-bed cottage perched on the coastal hillside in the village of Plouhinec. We found the house through the Holiday Lettings website, based in Oxford, who put us in direct contact with Jean-Jacques, the owner. He sent us detailed instructions how to get there and he met us on arrival, giving us a tour of the house and familiarising us with al the mod cons supplied, including the new digital TV system.

We chose the house for its location, the views over the Atlantic and the large dining conservatory, bordered on either side by terracing which captured the sun, from rise to set, permitting perfect private sun bathing.

This is the heart of Breton culture, steeped in the sea with an overtone of Frenchness. We wanted a break away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the UK, a relaxing time where none of us felt obliged to explore or be active. As it turned out we explored the area each day for a week, making half day trips, taking in the area, its food and culture and history, without feeling exhausted by the experience.

If you have an active family member who loves to do things, then the area offers every sort of water-based sport. You can water ski, paraglide, kayak and, of course, surf, taking advantage of the huge Atlantic waves.

Plouhinec is a working fishing village and you can see the fish catch being unloaded from the fleet in the afternoon in the harbour and discover how the fishing industry has moulded the lives of the local people. Retired fishermen are only to willing to tell of their experiences over the years at sea.

Plouhinec also made its name more recently when archaeologists found caves that proved humans lived here 500,000 years BC. At the Menez Dregan cave in the village - which you can visit in July and August - archaeologists found evidence of the intentional use of fire by man – one of the earliest such discoveries in the world.

Across the small bay from Plouhinec is Audierne. This is a small, pretty village with a plentiful number of restaurants and creperies and shops surrounding its harbour. A marina, packed with leisure craft, testifies to its sailing tradition.

You can sample the freshly caught fish and shellfish in the restaurants, so fresh, in fact, that in one restaurant we tried the waiter, realising they had run short of langoustine, hopped on his moped, sped off and retuned ten minutes later with a bucketful straight from the harbour fish market.

From Audierne you can book sea activities, from surfing to kayaking to trips to view shipwrecks and lighthouses. Also, catch the ferry and spend a day on the pretty Isle de la Seine, the most westerly inhabited spot in France.

Further afield along the coast you can sand surf and paraglide, or just rollout the beach towel and bathe in the warm summer sun on the soft sand.
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Audierne's Aquashow, is a visitor attraction not to be missed. There are 50 aquaria filled with 160 species of sealife from around the Breton coast, from starfish to sea horses to crabs to lobster to sharks. An extra attraction is the thrice-daily bird show, where everything from egrets to hawks to a bald eagle are displayed, flying no more than a metre above your head and held within touching distance of you by the skilled handlers. You can also watch cormorants’ hunting underwater in a specially constructed pool. The whole narrated show, packed with information about the wildlife you see, lasts between 90mins and 21/2 hours.

Just five minutes from Audierne is Esquibien where you can find Aquacap, a water. It has a 25 metre pool, with water at 29 degrees centigrade, a fun pool with geysers, massage stations, a 50 metres long slide and a paddling pool for tots, make it a fun place for all the family. Adults can pamper themselves in the spa, with a sauna and outdoor solarium. Aqua fitness classes are provided too.

A few hours well spent is to visit la Pointe du Raz, France's Land's End, the most westerly point in the country attached to the mainland. It’s now a military base and coastguard station, but you can clamber over the rocks and peer down to the sea, 85-metres below, and watch the Atlantic waves crash onto the ragged beach. Scary sight. For wildlife lovers there are walks of varying lengths around the area where you can see myriad seabirds go about their daily life.

Thirty minutes drive east of Plouhinec is the beautiful medieval city of Quimper, this area’s capital. Quimper is prosperous, with a population of 30,000 and is regarded as the cultural heart of Brittany. The town is known for its cathedral, atmospheric old quarter and museums but most of all for its annual festival celebrating Breton culture each July. The River Odet runs east to west, through the city, parallel to the old walled town.

Quimper’s most impressive building is its 12th century cathedral, which is said to be the best example of Gothic religious architecture in this part of the world. Building started in the 12th century but continued until the 19th century, when the two impressive spires were constructed and new stained glass windows were installed. The cathedral is named after St Corentin, Quimper’s first bishop.

West of the cathedral is the atmospheric old town, where you’ll find many half-timbered houses dating from the 14th century. The streets are named after old job titles and Place au Beurre, where butter was sold, is one of Quimper’s prettiest locations and a good place to stop for a crêpe.

Crepes are this region’s dish of choice. And there are creperies everywhere. We counted six in one small medieval square in Quimper, all doing a roaring trade at lunchtime. It’s Brittany’s fast food, cheap, delicious, savoury or sweet, and with a myriad of toppings and fillings to please any palate. Try the buckwheat crepe with scallops and mushrooms in a cream sauce, and just €5.50 - to die for.

GETTING THERE

Arrive 45 minutes before departure and be greeted by smiling staff who process your ticket and passport quickly without fuss. Continue on without delay. Be shown to your parking spot, then guided to your cabin by helpful stewards. Leave exactly on time. Then sit back and relax and enjoy the facilities on board ship.

Yes this does happen. Did happen to us. Here, in Britain in 2013. We traveled to France by car and ferry via Portsmouth to Caen in Normandy. No long delays, no surly unhelpful staff, a smooth event-less crossing, lunch and dinner on board, with time to fit in a recently released movie in one of the two cinemas. The crossing sailed by, literally.

Brittany Ferries can boast they gave us the most stress free crossing abroad for many a year. Forget the crowded inefficient airports with their long queues, delays, cancelled flights and airline staff who treat you like cattle. Who wants to stand on a crowded train? Or crawl along on a log-jammed motorway?

Five adults in a large Ford S-Max cost £614 return, Portsmouth-Caen-St Malo-Portsmouth. That competes with flights, even low cost flights when you add the luggage charge and taxes, and the Eurotunnel. It's worth it for the lack of stress usually associated with land and air journeys.

Today's ferries are comfortable with good facilities. We had a four bunk cabin with a TV and bathroom on what they used to call a roll on-roll off ferry. It did exactly what it said on the tin - we rolled on and we rolled off without delay or hassle. And it takes more than a few inches of snow to have a ferry cancelled too. They can sail in gale force winds.

Just a word about the car we travelled in. This was a family holiday, an adult family: son (25yrs and 6ft) daughter (23 and 5ft 8ins), daughter's friend (24 and 5ft 8ins) and us two. We needed space, space to be comfortable. Trains and planes wouldn't cut the mustard. The ferry was just right - space to be on our own if we wanted to. The car we needed had to be big enough to accommodate five fully grown adults with five bags. And sufficiently economic enough to make the trip affordable without restricting the mileage we would do, not just there and back, but excursions whilst there. The Ford S Max, 1.6 Ecoboost SCTi was easy to drive with all the bells and whistles (and more) that you would need, including a rearward pointing camera aid to help you reverse into spaces. It was a smooth ride, even with five big ones on board and their luggage. I did 1,200 miles on two full tanks (about £160) which I thought was very reasonable, especially as the price of fuel in France is astronomical.

The three younger ones had ample space in the back without crowding each other. And it has two other seats in the rear if needed, though there would be no room for luggage if they were raised.

The S-Max has won several motoring awards and it is clear why testers feel so satisfied with it: easy to drive, economical, spacious, smooth and it looks good too. It drives like a mid range family saloon but is so much better in every other way. It could well be the perfect family car.

MORE INFO:

BRITTANY FERRIES:
http://www.brittanyferries.com or call 0871 244 1400

HOLIDAY LETTINGS:
www.holidaylettings.co.uk
Details of the Brittany house we stayed at:
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/plouhinec/228327

FORD: www.ford.co.uk

BRITTANY TOURISM information: www.brittanytourism.com
Finistere tourism: www.finisterebrittany.com
Quimper tourism: www.quimper-tourisme.com/en.html