Mur de Bretagne & Saint-Quay-Portrieux

From Concarneau our next big destination would be Plancoët, near Dinan, where we would be watching Stage 7 of Le Tour de France, we had a couple of days to play with in between.

Plancoët had been put in the diary a couple of months ago in the hope that prior to Le Tour route being officially published, it would go through this little pretty town in Brittany.

Thankfully it all worked to plan, however the route planning around where we would go before and after the event was dictated more closely by the local weather..

A warm & sunny France lent itself to staying north and exploring much of the area we missed on our last trip and it coincided with Le Tour... all was good!

So where do we go from Concarneau with the 2 days to play with, we chanced upon passing the Mur de Bretagne en route to Plancoët, which would be the finish line for Stage 7 of Le Tour, this hilltop town already had many many campervans bagging their spot on the site of the road in anticipation.

The local camp site about a mile down the hill happened to be municipal site, their online booking via a clunky website was hopeless when we looked before, as we were passing we opted to just turn up and check availability, which became the oddest of booking experiences to date.

The process was the first time passports were checked, full home details and payment required at the end of the stay, including any "laverie' tokens for the washing machines and the daily baguette from the onsite boulangerie.

We initially booked 2 nights, and once we arrived on site, it became more obvious why the site had space, the sanitary facilities were not the best and it was hosting numerous kid camps in bell tents... at least 3 big groups taking over the site, we then decided we would just stay for the night and take the opportunity to do some laundry.

The site was perched above Lac de Guerlédan, a huge lake full of water sports for the kids camps (reminding me of my summer spent as a Swim Instructor at Camp Echo Lake in upstate New York), our pitch was close to a great spot giving great views across the lake.

Later once settled we took a leisurely trip down the many steps to the lake for a closer look, finding it being used as a cooling down spot for humans and their doggos from the heat of the day. I managed to take a couple of photos of the pontoon .. trying to recreate a classic poster of the 90's from Lake Tekapo in NZ.

The following morning after a good nights sleep up the hill we opted to move on, the first job was to pay, and despite booking initially for 2 nights we were just charged for just the night so all was good, plus laundry, and a baguette.... we were on our way.

Jo being the Planner-in-Chief of sites, chose an independent site on the northern coast near Saint-Brieuc.

Belle Vue camp site, at Saint -Quay-Portrieux was a manicured, clean and terraced site directly on the coastal path, sitting above a high rocky outcrop directly south of the Channel Isle of Jersey.

Arrival was from 12 noon, so we arrived shortly after, and was offered a choice of pitches, taking a sunny pitch close to the water point and facilities.

We also happened to note the french people adjacent in a caravan not only brought their fridge freezer (sitting in the awning) but also their cat, who roamed freely and seemed a friendly little ginger guy.

Time to explore the coastal route, as early as 1841, families would come to Saint-Quay-Portrieux to take "therapeutic" sea baths, and become more popular with the advent of the railways. Alfred Delpierre the mayor from 1919-1941, turned the town into a real seaside resort, adding the seawater swimming pool, a casino and signature white railings. The outdoor pool and diving board and white railings all remain iconic features today.

We took a 3km walk along the coast from the campsite to the semaphore tower, previously a 17th century look out post. Nowadays it is used part of missions of continuous coastal surveillance for the coordination of sea rescues.

The walk was undulating and enjoyable - lots of coves and small beaches along the way.

Back at the site it was Thai night according to the "gourmet guide" of the site citing the various vans that pitch up offering their cuisine, or an option of frites et poulet from the campsite rotisserie... we opted to have a BBQ!

Tomorrow we move on to Plancoët.Read more