French Hols 2012

[donnie]

I'm planning a holiday next year with the family in the campervan, following the D904 coast road from Calais and meandering to Quimper in Brittany taking a few days to get down there. We'll stop at Honfleur, Mont St Michel and Boulogne old town is worth at least a coffee stop. Can anyone recommend any other nice stops/places that are worth a visit. WW1&2 places probably not a good option but anything else.

cheers,

Haydn

 

[Wapping]

The standing stones at Carncac....... and just about all and anything in the Michelin Green Guide to the area. You really cannot go wrong with it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brittany-Green-Guide-Michelin-Guides/dp/2060000602

http://travel.viamichelin.com/web/Destination/France-Brittany

http://travel.viamichelin.com/web/Search-Tourist-Attraction/France-Brittany

 

[donnie]

cheers Wapping. Helpful as always.

Haydn

 

[Humbug]

Concarneau is worth a visit from Quimper, especially for a meal in the evening. The little island in the middle of the harbour, approached by a causeway has plenty of small bistros serving good food. You can park directly opposite.

 

[(RIP) Sugar Ray]

I was quite impressed with Dinan - steep cobbled streets, good selection of bars & restaurants. Spent a couple of days there this summer.

 

[wessie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fécamp_Abbey - home of Benedictin booze

Western coast of the Cotentin Peninsula is lovely - great beaches and the Cap de la Hague is worth a visit http://www.lahague-tourisme.com/index.php?id_site=2

The coastal road from Barfleur to the Cap, taking in the Phare (lighthouse) at Gatteville is very pretty too. You can climb to a gallery in the lighthouse - 365 steps as it's the 3rd tallest in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phare_de_Gatteville

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courseulles-sur-Mer is a nice town if you can avoid it in August when Paris relocates there.

Coutances is good - Norman cathedral, botanical gardens & art museum. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coutances

 

[Wapping]

There's some good suggestions in this thread.... and timely as I was just pondering (as I rode up the M20 this evening) on a possible 'wander' to this neck of the woods myself in 2012.

 

[donnie]

indeed. Thanks for all the suggestions, a few things there to add to the journey.

 

[Mrs Puffer]

No shortage of beautiful places to visit in Brittany ! Try Ile de Brehat just off the coast near Paimpol. You'll have to leave the campervan in the car park by the ferry terminal as no vehicles are permitted on the island, so it's shank's pony or tractor and trailer once you're there. Because Brehat is washed by the Gulf Stream it enjoys a different climate to the mainland and plants such as wild mimosa grow in abundance. Take a picnic and enjoy !

 

[Deleted account 210609001]

Audierne is a lovely town, and the beaches nearby are just the best beaches for rock-pooling.

(That may sound childish, but I defy anyone to go crawling round in rock pools looking for crabs and stuff and not come back smiling and sunburnt. )

Can't really recommend any places en route, but you're right about Boulogne old town - it's lovely. Several restaurants in close proximity in this country would result in tourist rip-off. In France, it results in fierce competition and high quality meals.

Oh, and in far west Brittany, try and buy some proper locally-made kouign amann. not cheap, but unbelievably tasty and a little goes a long way (it is very rich).

 

[bowser]

Harras National (stud) Hennebont

Haras National d’Hennebont
Rue victor Hugo
F-56700 Hennebont
Tél. 00 33 (0)2 97 89 40 30

www.haras-hennebont.fr

This the one of the french national Stud, where they breed and keep the Breton Heavy horse, its a really interesting visit.

 

[woodpecker]

Ditto for Dinan old quarter is well worth a visit, if you do visit go down to the river lots of quaint old bars and the alike then catch the dotto train up to the old quarter,also if in this area combourg is worth a coffee stop and a look around.I think also its a little place called Hede which has a canal running through it with a valley filled with locks to allow the barges through spent a while watching some of that going on.Also if wanting to stay to the coast look up the granite rose coast I believe its called had a great day out along this when we stayed in treguire.

 

[Falco9]

The motor museum in Loheac is superb

Its a bit off the beaten track but its a great spot and has a superb rallycross and race circuit on site as well

F9

 

[Tank]

If you are doing Honfleur, and don't plan to do the Normandy beaches enroute to Brittany, you could come inland from Honfleur and if you are into Horses visit the National Haras Du Pin

http://www.haras-national-du-pin.com/index.php?L=3

Very impressive show every Thursday afternoon from June to September.

You could then head to Falaise to see William the Conquerors Chateau, well worth a visit.

http://www.chateau-guillaume-leconquerant.fr/index_uk.php

From there you can head down to Domfront, which is a medieval town, and worth a look around then it is a straight run across to Mont St Michel through St Hilaire Du Harcourt.

From Mont St Michel you can work your way around to Cancale, famous for its seafood and then on to Dinan, which as mentioned is also a lovely coast town.

Doing this sort of route kind of cuts you across towards Brittany anyway avoiding all the beaches.

I know you will end up seeing a fair bit of Normandy but I am biased anyway as it is a great region!