uesday, 29 May 2012
Brittany Cycle Tour May 2012
Monday 30th April We started off from the ferry at Roscoff into wind and heavy rain like the last time we came on a tour. It had been a windy crossing overnight on the ship too, at times the waves made the ship come to a full stop, slamming into the bow with a smack. We arrived on time amazingly.
We stopped for a coffee in a lovely small bar in the square near the cathedral in St Pol de Leon, we managed dry off a bit, and the rain eased off too. We went by the coastal road to Morlaix, which is great for cycling, flatish and hardly any cars. Morlaix is another good coffee stop, this time with croissants ( Bar Europa).
From Morlaix it is mainly uphill to where we intended to stay at Huelgoat. The road heads up through woods, the occasional shower and gusty wind made it difficult, We stopped after a while thinking we still had eight kilometres to go, we were freezing as the higher we cycled the colder the wind became. Then a nearby sign said we were at Berrien, which is near the summit! Huelgoat was not too far away. We arrived by the little lake hours earlier than we had expected. We were in time for lunch (pasta)at the Hotel du Lac, which helped to warm us up. Laura, owner of the chambres d'hotes that we stayed at, put the heating on and we had coffee and hot showers, and the bikes were safe in a shed. Laura is a lovely hostess. We had an evening meal at Hotel du Lac too (pizza).
Tuesday 1st May The next morning we had a great breakfast, cereals, yogurt, croissants, muesli toast, orange juice and coffee. Laura also gave us baguette and cake to sustain us as she thought we may have difficulties buying food as it was May 1st, a holiday. We saw lots of cyclists on the road, all friendly, the wind was still on the nose and some of the local cyclists said 'Bon courage' when they saw us struggling into the gusts. It was a beautiful run mainly downhill to Chateaulin on the Aulne river (Brest- Nantes Canal). The sun came out as we entered into the town, what a view, looking down the valley. We had lunch of scallop brochette, rice and broccolli followed by fresh fruit salad in the Grand Cafe, it was a busy place. We were placed elbow to elbow with another couple, who helped us with the chalkboard menu, they described the starter as duck stomach salad! They also advised us not to drink the water, not dangerous, but horrible!
We had a lovely short flat cycle to Port Launay in the sunshine. We had arranged to stay at The Old Salt House with Rhiannon, she left a note on the front door saying the key was in the left hand plant pot and to make ourselves at home! Obviously a low crime rate area. Beautiful room with a view of the river, the bikes were able to be wheeled through the house to the back yard. A quiet town especially on a public holiday. Tried a sketch, but not too good. Had an evening walk, everywhere was uphill, but great views.
Wednesday 2nd May After another good breakfast we cycled to Le Faou there are incredible views of the Brest Estuary, which means there are a few climbs, but the roads are really quiet compared to Cornwall which makes it easier.Le Foau is a very pretty town, had coffee then off towards to Sizun where we booked into the hotel. We could have gone further, but we thought we'd rather stay there than go to Guimilau which only has a motel. We made a mistake of not going to the restaurant when we saw it open, in the evening it was closed, so we only had the hotel where we were staying and it was a mainly meat menu, and as we don't eat meat this made it awkward, they were kind enough to make an alternative plat du jour for us.
Thursday 3rd May This was the best cycle of the week, we went through Guiclan (great boulangerie for apple tart, and the bar has good coffee). Onwards to La Penze, where we took a nice quiet lane to Henvic and met a beautful friendly donkey on the way. The weather was great sunshine and lighter winds. We decided to have a look at Carentec, and it was just like a French resort should be. It was market day when we arrived, a really good food market with lots of fresh fish and vegetables. When the market was packing up men came along and started to clean the street straight away and within half an hour there was no sign that it had ever been there. We found a perfect place to stay on the main street, Baie de Morlaix where there was a secure place for the bikes, and we had a family room for the price of a double with tv and the best shower. Food becomes so important when cycling as you get quite hungry, and we were so pleased to find Ty Briez creperie in Carentec, at lunchtime we had omelette, frites and salad with a pichet of rose wine, it was just what we needed. Then we had a walk to the beaches, where it was so warm that people were sunbathing, it felt very holidayish. There are lots of beautiful chateaux, most of which looked like they were straight out of Country Living magazine. In the evening we returned to Ty Briez for moules frites with more wine- fantastic.
Friday 4th May In the morning we headed back to Roscoff via St Pol de Leon ( for coffee) trying to get to somewhere to stay before the forecasted heavy rain started. We managed to get a room looking over the sea in Roscoff, and the management said we could keep the bikes in the bar overnight!
Caught the ferry the next morning in torrential rain again!
Tuesday 11th September-CARHAIX-PLOUGER TO CHATEAUNEUF DU FAOU. 24 Miles
After a really good posh breakfast with even homemade yoghurt and honey, we set off in earnest up the hill towards Brennillis. Ten minutes later torrential rain started, so we stopped! There was a handy bar umbrella nearby so we dived under it, then saw the bar was open, so we sheltered inside with an expresso. Then the sky cleared to a flawless blue, as we splashed through the streaming road.
We stopped at Brennillis at a perfect cycle stop, Le Charlegan is a little shop and sandwich bar with cycle stands outside. Friendly staff, for some reason hot sausage sandwich is only available on Wednesdays! We didn't partake even though we were there on the right day for once.
This area is full of tracks and lanes that are marked for bikes, it is a national park, unlike our Lake District, there is nobody about, but like Cumbria it does have is a nuclear power station (being decommissioned). A nearby village advertised a festival of butter for the next weekend, a pity to miss that, I was intrigued, do you get to have a taste? I think French butter is really good, but you don't need much.
We carried on uphill, up the Monts d'Aree, we were anxious about this bit after looking at the map, but it was ok, a steady ascent that was managable. Then at the top we had a brilliant downhill run all the way to Morlaix, mainly on quiet back lanes, well tarmaced too.
Stopped at Morlaix to look at bike shop and have a drink. Then we thought we carry on to Carantec, as we like it there. At Carantec the hotel was full and the creperie we like was closed ( getting to be a theme).
We remembered there are a few hotels in Morlaix, so we decided to return there. It started to rain as we set off and became harder as we carried on. We have never cycled so fast on the flat, I sheltered behind Paul and we flew along. The first hotel we came to was full, we were getting worried, then we tried the Hotel d' Europe, they had 60 rooms. We asked for their cheapest, and a place for the bikes. The receptionist said she had a small but nice room for us and we could lean our bikes next to the ornately carved wooden staircase, what a welcome. I have a free book on my kindle about Brittany written by Fanny Bury Palliser, a lady who visited when the railways first made travel easier in the 1800's. I'm sure the Hotel d'Europe must have been where she stayed as it was built for the railway tourists. She mentioned the medieval buildings that luckily still survive today. She also visited a fountain nearby that was reputed to have run red with the blood of Englishmen, slaughtered whilst drunk after ransacking Morlaix during the reign of Henry VIII, we didn't find it on our walk around the town.
We really enjoyed our stay in Morlaix, we had tasty pizzas in a very swish looking pizzeria, near to the Duchess Anne's house. Then we had coffee and calvados in a bar in a medieval building that was amazing, when sat at the bar, you can look up and see the roof about three storeys high. A great end to a great day.
Morlaix, looking down towards the viaduct
Thursday 13th September- MORLAIX- TO CARANTEC -AGAIN. 8 Miles
Sunny day, soft warm wind, what a change from the night before. We tarried awhile in Morlaix. We found a cafe with terrace in the morning sunshine, and watched the workers hurrying past.
I did a sketch of the flower covered bandstand, and tried to do one of a dapper gentleman on a nearby table too at the same time (when he wasn't looking). He was an interesting man, probably in his 80's, and wearing his trilby at a jaunty angle.
We then returned to Carantec at a gentle pace, so that I could stop for drawing purposes, because we knew we didn't have far to go and our room was already booked.
It was market day in Carantec, there were lots of potential paintings, with all the blue and white striped stalls ,red lobsters and people shopping. I took lots of photos for later inspiration.The market disappeared just after midday like Cinderella at midnight.
We had a great lunch at Ty Briez near the church, afterwards we strolled down to the beach, and whilst we had a drink in the sunshine, I sketched this couple .
Friday 14th September 2012 CARANTEC TO ROSCOFF 23 Miles
It was drizzling when we first left Carantec, our original plan was to cycle to Santec, but after speaking to other people the night before, it sounded like the ferries were on strike and hotel rooms were filling up with disgruntled passengers. So we headed for Roscoff to make sure we had a room for the night and to find out about the strike.
After the bridge that crosses the Penze River it is possible to get to St Pol de Leon by quiet lanes that have fantastic views of the river and bay. St Pol de Leon is small town with many interesting houses as well as the cathedral, which has an bend in the nave to mimic Christ on the cross, we had noticed this before, but didn't realise why, but thanks to Fanny Palliser we now know!
After another expresso, we cycled out to Ilot Sainte Anne on the Promenade de Penarth. Then onto Roscoff, where we found a room in a waterside hotel and found out that our ferry would be running as usual from the very helpful tourist information office next to the lighthouse. So we had a leisurely ride to Santec, it was windy with occasional showers, but the road was flat with few cars, and the relief of having a room and a ferry home, made it all jolly. We made a baguette of smoked salmon etc on a bench in Santec (not much else there in September) and returned to Roscoff.
I really like Roscoff, it's clean, it's got a harbour, quirky stone carvings all over the place, the church has a corsair carved at one end that was probably paid for by a pirate in their heyday,and lots of lovely restaurants that you can treat yourself in on the last day of your holiday.
Our favourite is the Mary Stuart, it's reasonably priced, friendly and the best tarte tatin we've eaten with best vanilla ice cream. The pizzas are ok too. We waddled around the town afterwards and had a couple of calvados to finish. We still got up early the next morning for the ferry!
We don't do lots of miles, we like to do the tourist thing too, a bike is a great way of seeing a place. We use our cycles as way of getting from one cafe to another, and when it's hard going, you don't feel as bad tucking into cake when you get there.
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Another Brittany Cycle Tour
Where the holiday started,
Truro Railway Station, waiting for the Plymouth Train
Monday 10th September- ROSCOFF TO CARHAIX-PLOUGER. 46 Miles
We had a little breakfast on the Brittany ferry after a night crossing, keeping the plastic glasses from the orange juice for later, as they were too good to be thrown away. It was dark when we disembarked at Roscoff,and headed for St Pol de Leon for an expresso in the bar opposite the Cathedral. We didn't linger too long back along the coast we saw the sun come up over the Baie de Morlaix. It looked so calm and and clear, it was the first time we've seen the area without it raining.
The road alongside the river to Morlaix is one of my favourite cycle rides, mostly flat, picturesque with few cars. We had hot chocolate (very thick and strong) with a croissant at the Cafe Europe, this is a ritual, as it was the only place open when we first visited Morlaix one early morning a few years ago.
From Morlaix we started to head inland up towards Berrian by the road not the V7. The first time we did this route I got the 'bonk' and thought I was going to die on the first day of the holiday! This time we were near the summit before we realised where we were. The fitness improvement is gradual, so when you do something months apart the difference can be startling. We were really chuffed, because we knew from there we had miles of downhill to Carhaix- Plouger ( there is a little climb up into the town that can take you by surprise and it feels incredibly hard after the easy ride).
Carhaix is a town that has everything medieval buildings, good restaurant, reasonable hotel, supermarkets, bike shops, Decathalon, fantastic patisserie (the best strawberry tart ever), river and beautiful surrounding countryside.
We stayed at the Noz Vad hotel in a 'confort' room, above economy, but below prestige, and went to La Rotunde restaurant (delicious) in the evening. It was a still clear night and it was warm still as we walked back to the hotel- beautiful.
We woke up to a damp morning, we wanted to have a look at the Decathalon shop, which opened later than we expected at 10am, we were having an easier day today so we mooched around the town in the morning, because it seemed it was all closed yesterday. Of course we went to the bike shop which is on the way more or less to the canal, which is a great car free way of getting to our next town Chateauneuf du Faou.
As soon as we were on the canal path the sun came out and stayed out. The most amazing thing about this day's ride was we cycled for nearly 25 miles and saw only seven people, two horses and a dog. One of the horses was working, pulling a painted wooden cart for two men who were maintaining the canal path. I wish I'd taken a photo.
At lunchtime we had a picnic of smoked salmon baguette sat in the sunshine with our bikes leaning against a plane tree with dragonflies and butterflies flitting about. Heavenly.
Chateauneuf looks like a classic travel advert picture as you come around the bend of the river and the view opens up, perfectly placed spire on the top of the hill, little riverside cottages at the bottom, with wooded slopes between. The climb up to the town was really steep, if I had stopped at any time I wouldn't have been able to get going again. A woman in a car gave us the thumbs up when we reached the square. Although today's ride was much shorter I was glad to stop, I think the tree roots shook me up a bit, and I felt very weary.
Chateauneuf was very quiet, I think it may have been half day closing again, as a lot of places said they were closed on Tuesdays, and of course it was September too. It looks like a potentially lively place, with bars, pizzerias etc. We found the bar in the square open, so we drank our beer outside like tourists do, even though the locals are all huddled inside . We had a wander around the pretty town, but found it hard to kill time with everything shut, so we returned to the bar for a coffee. We had to wait until 5.30 to get into our room, which seemed ages when the sun stopped shining.We saw another couple looking forlorn too, and we met again later in the chambres d'hotes. Later we had a good meal at the local hotel (Logis chain), but I've forgotten the name. We had hoped to find the bar still open on our way back for a hot drink, but the town seemed like it was under curfew, (note to self- get a lightweight cooker next time).
Wednesday 12 th September- CHATEAUNEUF DU FAOU- CARANTEC- MORLAIX. 48 Miles
Chateauneuf was very quiet, I think it may have been half day closing again, as a lot of places said they were closed on Tuesdays, and of course it was September too. It looks like a potentially lively place, with bars, pizzerias etc. We found the bar in the square open, so we drank our beer outside like tourists do, even though the locals are all huddled inside . We had a wander around the pretty town, but found it hard to kill time with everything shut, so we returned to the bar for a coffee. We had to wait until 5.30 to get into our room, which seemed ages when the sun stopped shining.We saw another couple looking forlorn too, and we met again later in the chambres d'hotes. Later we had a good meal at the local hotel (Logis chain), but I've forgotten the name. We had hoped to find the bar still open on our way back for a hot drink, but the town seemed like it was under curfew, (note to self- get a lightweight cooker next time).
Wednesday 12 th September- CHATEAUNEUF DU FAOU- CARANTEC- MORLAIX. 48 Miles
After a really good posh breakfast with even homemade yoghurt and honey, we set off in earnest up the hill towards Brennillis. Ten minutes later torrential rain started, so we stopped! There was a handy bar umbrella nearby so we dived under it, then saw the bar was open, so we sheltered inside with an expresso. Then the sky cleared to a flawless blue, as we splashed through the streaming road.
We stopped at Brennillis at a perfect cycle stop, Le Charlegan is a little shop and sandwich bar with cycle stands outside. Friendly staff, for some reason hot sausage sandwich is only available on Wednesdays! We didn't partake even though we were there on the right day for once.
This area is full of tracks and lanes that are marked for bikes, it is a national park, unlike our Lake District, there is nobody about, but like Cumbria it does have is a nuclear power station (being decommissioned). A nearby village advertised a festival of butter for the next weekend, a pity to miss that, I was intrigued, do you get to have a taste? I think French butter is really good, but you don't need much.
We carried on uphill, up the Monts d'Aree, we were anxious about this bit after looking at the map, but it was ok, a steady ascent that was managable. Then at the top we had a brilliant downhill run all the way to Morlaix, mainly on quiet back lanes, well tarmaced too.
Stopped at Morlaix to look at bike shop and have a drink. Then we thought we carry on to Carantec, as we like it there. At Carantec the hotel was full and the creperie we like was closed ( getting to be a theme).
We remembered there are a few hotels in Morlaix, so we decided to return there. It started to rain as we set off and became harder as we carried on. We have never cycled so fast on the flat, I sheltered behind Paul and we flew along. The first hotel we came to was full, we were getting worried, then we tried the Hotel d' Europe, they had 60 rooms. We asked for their cheapest, and a place for the bikes. The receptionist said she had a small but nice room for us and we could lean our bikes next to the ornately carved wooden staircase, what a welcome. I have a free book on my kindle about Brittany written by Fanny Bury Palliser, a lady who visited when the railways first made travel easier in the 1800's. I'm sure the Hotel d'Europe must have been where she stayed as it was built for the railway tourists. She mentioned the medieval buildings that luckily still survive today. She also visited a fountain nearby that was reputed to have run red with the blood of Englishmen, slaughtered whilst drunk after ransacking Morlaix during the reign of Henry VIII, we didn't find it on our walk around the town.
Morlaix, looking down towards the viaductThursday 13th September- MORLAIX- TO CARANTEC -AGAIN. 8 Miles
Sunny day, soft warm wind, what a change from the night before. We tarried awhile in Morlaix. We found a cafe with terrace in the morning sunshine, and watched the workers hurrying past.
I did a sketch of the flower covered bandstand, and tried to do one of a dapper gentleman on a nearby table too at the same time (when he wasn't looking). He was an interesting man, probably in his 80's, and wearing his trilby at a jaunty angle.
We then returned to Carantec at a gentle pace, so that I could stop for drawing purposes, because we knew we didn't have far to go and our room was already booked.
It was market day in Carantec, there were lots of potential paintings, with all the blue and white striped stalls ,red lobsters and people shopping. I took lots of photos for later inspiration.The market disappeared just after midday like Cinderella at midnight.
We had a great lunch at Ty Briez near the church, afterwards we strolled down to the beach, and whilst we had a drink in the sunshine, I sketched this couple .
We returned to the Ty Breiz later for moules frites, you get such an appetite on a cycling tour!
Friday 14th September 2012 CARANTEC TO ROSCOFF 23 Miles
It was drizzling when we first left Carantec, our original plan was to cycle to Santec, but after speaking to other people the night before, it sounded like the ferries were on strike and hotel rooms were filling up with disgruntled passengers. So we headed for Roscoff to make sure we had a room for the night and to find out about the strike.
After the bridge that crosses the Penze River it is possible to get to St Pol de Leon by quiet lanes that have fantastic views of the river and bay. St Pol de Leon is small town with many interesting houses as well as the cathedral, which has an bend in the nave to mimic Christ on the cross, we had noticed this before, but didn't realise why, but thanks to Fanny Palliser we now know!
After another expresso, we cycled out to Ilot Sainte Anne on the Promenade de Penarth. Then onto Roscoff, where we found a room in a waterside hotel and found out that our ferry would be running as usual from the very helpful tourist information office next to the lighthouse. So we had a leisurely ride to Santec, it was windy with occasional showers, but the road was flat with few cars, and the relief of having a room and a ferry home, made it all jolly. We made a baguette of smoked salmon etc on a bench in Santec (not much else there in September) and returned to Roscoff.
I really like Roscoff, it's clean, it's got a harbour, quirky stone carvings all over the place, the church has a corsair carved at one end that was probably paid for by a pirate in their heyday,and lots of lovely restaurants that you can treat yourself in on the last day of your holiday.
Our favourite is the Mary Stuart, it's reasonably priced, friendly and the best tarte tatin we've eaten with best vanilla ice cream. The pizzas are ok too. We waddled around the town afterwards and had a couple of calvados to finish. We still got up early the next morning for the ferry!
We don't do lots of miles, we like to do the tourist thing too, a bike is a great way of seeing a place. We use our cycles as way of getting from one cafe to another, and when it's hard going, you don't feel as bad tucking into cake when you get there.
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