Explorations In France

We awoke to amazing sunshine and a deserted beach!

In the dark we had only guessed to our surroundings but now the sun illuminated the view we realised we had travelled half way back down the peninsular during the night.

In the distance we spotted what had possibly been the source of our firework display the night before. 

Fort Penthievre guards the narrowest part of the peninsular and it was through its large gates that the only road from one end of the peninsular to the other runs.

I google searched the fort to find out if August was a special occasion only to read this!!

During the Second World War, Penthievre Fort at the narrow isthmus was occupied by the Germans and incorporated into the Atlantic Wall. 

It housed various blockhouses, but was mainly used by the infantry. In July 1944, 59 resistance fighters were tortured and buried alive there. A Cross of Lorraine mounted on a stone pillar, with a plaque listing the names of the fighters stands there in memory of them. 

Although the fort is still of military importance (as a training base), a gallery (tunnel) where the bodies were discovered can be visited.

We decided not to go and visit!!!

The beach we had parked by however was glorious.

People arrived at the beach carrying and then paddling small skiffs out to their bigger boats before setting off for the day.

Others walked their dogs along the cliff top pathways while families on push bikes cycled past Lady Sage as both Peter and I enjoyed a quiet morning!

This, we decided, was a life style we could get used to. 

We talked again about giving up the school contracts and having more time to travel around. 

Peter insisted he would need a big camper van, I insisted Lady Sage had more soul and character.

As the morning passed we made sketches onto bits of paper, came up with alternative ideas that each one of us preferred,  before eventually we compromised our plans and decided we could build a new van, one with a lower floor, shower facilities and less rust!!

Happily we finished our now rather late breakfast. We took a quick morning walk along the headland and then it was time to look at the map again. 

Both Peter and I love visiting peninsulas. 

While in Cyprus we had driven from point to point working our way around the coast. From where we were on the map Quimper looked to be the place to head to!

We headed cross country until we reached Lorient where we joined the main road to cross the estuary.

From there we continued along the motorway before turning off to head south via Fouesnant. 

Fouesnant itself is a beautiful little town and we stopped for a hour or so to explore, as well as pick up fresh bread and cheese!

From Fouesnant we headed towards Plomeur crossing another wide estuary and skirting around the mud flats laid bare by the retreating water. 

Our plan had been to head to Penmarch but as we passed the turning to Loctudy Peter noticed a big sign welcoming campervans. 

We continued all the way around the round about ignoring the Sat Nav as she insisted we took the second turning and confusing the cars behind us until we were able to look again at the sign. 

Yes Campers were definitely welcome so we took the turning.

As the Sat Nav continued to instruct us to turn left or right or anything to turn us around, Peter took us down the narrowing roads and into the heart of Loctudy.

The camper van area looked small and overcrowded so we headed off to look for somewhere quieter ending up at a wind swept coast that although had incredible views didn't allow overnight parking.

We drove further along, winding our way between what we believed were the houses that faced the coast until we spotted another sign for La Mer and followed it (turning the volume down on the Sat Nav to silence her protests as we moved further and further from the main road).

Our chosen route however, got narrower and narrower until it turned into a one way single track alleyway that wound its way through tightly packed houses. 

When this became even narrower we began to worry and then 

…. we ran out of road!!

.......But we had theoretically found the sea!!!!

Thick mist had by now settled over the entire area giving the streets a sleepy eery feel. The muffled noise of the sea lapping onto the pebbles told us it was there but we couldn't see it. 

We were also stuck in a dead end!!

Having decided that even though it didn't specifically say 'No Campervans' our dead end location was possibly not the best place to spend the night as we were blocking the footpath to the beach, Peter slowly began to reverse the large bulk of Lady Sage back out of the narrow lane.

With limited choices of direction (No Entry, Dead End or left) we turned left only to find a great little car park complete with recycling and a shower block!!! 

We positioned ourselves next to the only other big work van in the car park and quietly went for a walk.

Although not perfect, (we were in the middle of a residential area) we had somewhere to stay, toilets and a shower, plus 20m away we had the beach! We opened a bottle of wine and got out the cheese. We were now here for the night.

Tomorrow we would explore further and then try to figure out how to get out of here!!

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We slept beautifully in our little home. 

No cars drove past, no one tapped our window to tell us to move, in fact sleeping in a little hidden away car park was absolutely heavenly and we awoke the next morning refreshed and ready for a new adventure.

The mist had lifted slightly allowing us to see the beach so hidden the evening before and to my absolute joy it was covered with shells!!

Armed with my faithful basket I began to collect the perfectly circular limpet shells. 

Their tops had been ground away to leave perfect rings! 

As I picked them up I decided there just had to be something I could make with them even if I couldn't think of anything at the moment!!

With my basket half full I began to add other shapes.....

......diversity would be needed once I had thought of something to make I reasoned.

We reached the point and sat to watch the mist roll in over the boats moored just offshore. I swear everyone in France must own a boat of some description!! 

Light rain began to fall through the thickening mist as we headed back down the beach.

I filled the rest of the basket as it seemed a shame to waste the space and once we got back to lady Sage, we got out the map once more.

If the sea mist was this thick where we were and thickening by the minute, it seemed silly to continue all the way to the point only to gaze at a wall of cloud. 

When we had travelling along the motorway we had missed a large area between Fouesnant and Lorient. 

We reset the Sat nav to back track to Concarneau and started the engine.

I do not know whether an inanimate thing like a Sat Nav can actually develop a sulk that results in a revenge attack of directions, but after our afternoon of pointedly ignoring her advice she definitely decided revenge would be hers as we asked her to navigate our way our of our hidden car park and onto a main road.

As we searched for any road wide enough for two way traffic she instructed us to turn right into some ones private driveway! She then told us to go down a one way street the wrong way and at one point even told us to take a track through an orchard that a mini would have struggled with!!!

As the morning progressed she gave us other bits of advice that were rather dubious to say the least and by lunch time we had resorted to checking the map each time she gave us an instruction!!

Through various miss turns and some serious resetting of our dear friend the Sat Nav we some how found a coast road somewhere around Nevez. Stopping to admire the view over the mist free sea while we ate some late lunch we decided that after the adventure we had had so far that day, here was a good a place as any to spend the night!

We walked along the coastal path enjoying the breeze and smell of the sea only to find an even bigger beach around the point. In the distance we could see a car park

...... but as we walked back we decided our beach was just as nice.

Plus Lady Sage was just perfect where she was. (look carefully and you can see her about 1 inch from the top left!)

Although we were on the side of the road, having chosen not to move into the car park beside the road at the bottom of the hill, all traffic stopped about 10.30pm and we had yet another good nights sleep.

Breakfast consisted of our usual bread and cheese with Peters super coffee pot chugging away. 

We moved to sit outside by our table in the morning sun noticing as we did that a large group of people had arrived at the beach. 

Two huge flags were stuck into the ground and for the next two hours (we left at that point so it could have been longer) they practised what appeared to be Tai Chi!

With practised precision they performed their opening 'Form' in unison before splitting into smaller groups to practice more precise moves, some of which involved sticks or hand held flags. 

Some members instructed, others had their stances corrected, all were dedicated to the day's movement meditations and from our cliff top view point it was a pure pleasure to watch.

We packed away the breakfast things as they continued their movements and as we drove away, not quite sure where we were heading but knowing it was in an Easterly coastal sort of direction, they were still moving in formation as the tide receded further and further.

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Despite its name, Moelan-sur-Mer, for anyone wishing to know, is NOT on the sea! 

I know this because we went there! But it does lead through to a great little place called Ploemeur and from there if you are lucky you will find a beautiful cliff top town that I have totally forgotten the name of!!!

We parked Lady Sage beside the large tourist car park and checked out the toilets!!

Just across from where we had parked, the town council, in their infinite wisdom had laid out picnic benches complete with trees for shade!! 

The shell collecting/shopping/picnic basket was packed with all we needed and carried across.

With Lady Sage so close, what we realised we actually needed once we got there, was soon collected and very soon we were playing backgammon while eating cheese and bread and drinking sparkling water with lemon juice!!

Talk about civilised and healthy!!

As the afternoon slowly passed, Peter and I discussed our options. 

We could either head off to look for somewhere to spend the night and head back to Josselin in the morning, or we could spend another hour or so playing back gammon and then jump on the motorway which would get us to Josselin by 6pm!

With our wine stock still looking healthy we decided option two was our best bet and by 6pm we were pulling into Ronnies back garden, only to find we had the company of another motor home complete with children and a sibling dog!!

And so another two days hazed into oblivion!!!!