HEADLANDS & MIST - the next few days

Weds 11^th

Well, the wi-fi last night seems to have worked and I have managed at last to get our photos uploaded and blog updated.

We got up earlier and met the baker at 8.30am for croissants, still warm and delicious.  We drove about 20 miles to Guillimiau where apparently the best examples of a Parish enclosure is to be found. It was not quite what we expected but very beautiful all the same.  The Calvary outside the church had the most exquisite carvings on and had we been there sometime during July or August we would have seen it all lit up. They also hold what the Bretons call ‘pardons’ which are candlelit processions up to the Calvary and well worth seeing.  We spent a good couple of hours looking around there as well as the village itself. We found a couple of very nice arty crafty places where there were some lovely displays of slate carvings, pictures, jewellery made from plastic and wirework ornaments. From there we headed off to Le Folgoet, stopping for picnic and petrol en route.  We have now run out of LPG for the van and have yet to find a garage selling it. It seems less popular out here in the rural areas. The aire at Le Folgoet was right on the edge of the town next to a sports complex overlooking a green area, so quite nice.  We wandered back in to the town for a look around, only finding a Commonwealth Graves cemetery and a Basilica which looked as if it was about to fall over. We passed a patisserie and these 2 beautiful fruit tarts and éclairs just jumped out of the shop in to our hands for dessert!! We had 8 other motorhomes join us tonight and had driven 46 miles all together.

Thurs 12^th

What a grey and murky morning to wake up to, even if it was not cold. We tidied up and filled up with water and then called in to a LeClerc on the way out of town to get veggies and salad etc. We did a meander around the countryside and what is termed ‘The Abers’, 2 or 3 rivers with quite large estuaries come together.  We went as far as we could go before falling in to the sea at Lillia, so parked up and went for a walk along the bay and round the port so that we could see the lighthouse on the rock just off shore. It was still grey and mizzly so we had lunch in the van and then went on to find an aire at Lampaul-Plouarzel, which sounded very nice in the book, overlooking the sea amongst the dunes and free! It became mistier and mistier as we went along and when we finally found our destination it was so uneven and very sandy and we could not see more than a few yards.  As we both did not feel comfortable staying there we drove another 10 miles or so to Trezien where there was another aire, a bit flatter this time, with little hedges and electricity, even though we still could not see a thing.  It turned out to be a campsite that was now closed for the winter.  Still it was somewhere for the night. We’ll see what it is like tomorrow.

Fri 13^th

It was not quite so misty when we got up, so we went for a walk on the beach and drew pretty pictures in the wet sand. On the way back to the van we came across huge numbers of snails as well as furry caterpillars, so we stopped to say ”Bonjour” and take a picture of them on my phone. I will try to upload them on another occasion.

We left about 11.00am and headed for St. Renan first as there was a Super U selling LPG listed in the book, and indeed it was correct for a change. So now we are full of water, petrol and LPG again for a while. On to Le Faou where there was supposed to be an Abbey with a unique herb garden, only there wasn’t! Even the lady at the Tourist Office didn’t know what we were talking about.  So much for the Internet research beforehand. We left there after lunch and it got steadily wetter and mistier on our way to Camaret-sur-Mer which is right out on a headland.  We thought that not to be a very sensible idea as we really couldn’t see where we were going so diverted to Morgat which turned out to be a pretty little seaside town with a harbour and a huge beach. A very nice flat, tarmac aire holding 40 vans was signposted so we followed the signs.  We had to pay 4.75 euros with our credit card at the barrier to get in, but at least we were settled for the night.  There was another English motorhome alongside us, with a motor-bike trailer on the back so we ended up chatting to them for quite a while. After dinner we went for a stroll along the prom to admire all the yachts, and treated ourselves to a bar of chocolate on the way back.

61 miles today.

Sat 14^th

It rained hard overnight and was mizzling again in the morning, so we did not rush to get ready.  First we walked along to the supermarket for veggies etc., then to a Breton ceramic souvenir shop and bought a clock for our kitchen, which we both saw last night and really liked.  Now we just have to get it home all in one piece!  As we could a least see the road today, we drove to the point we should have got to yesterday. On the way we passed an Atlantic Memorial with gun emplacements etc. so stopped to take a look around. Then on to the Pointe Penhir, very rugged, very wet, very windy and a bit chilly, but also very beautiful.  Back along the coast road a bit we found the aire we had been meaning to go to, and as the sun was now out we stopped there for our lunch and a stroll around the standing stones and ruined manor house that was there.  Then off down a much more rounded gentler countryside to Chateaulin to find a campsite for a couple nights.  Showers and washing are calling once more…and this site has free wi-fi which should enable us to do some catching up on the blog and photos. 

Sun 15th

As today is Sunday we thought we would have rest day, so we got up late, did some washing then went for a stroll along the towpath of the canal in to the town of Chateaulin.  It took us about 20 minutes, then we spent an hour or so having a look at the town and canal with it's lock. Nothing really was open, so we wandered back again. Sat and had lunch, then a doze, then took the washing in when it started to rain and used the tumble dryer instead. We had a roast dinner, coutesy of the Remoska and have enough meat left for a couple more days.  Now it is pouring with rain, so we have hunkered down for the evening to read or play games on the computer. Just like home really except no TV or even Radio 'cos now it is all in French and we can't keep up with it.

We have added some more photos to the web album as well.