# Brittany first timer



## Lilliput (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi

We are planning a trip to Brittany at the end of June for 2 weeks going on the Plymouth - Roscoff ferry. As we are first timers to France we thought we would stay in a camp site not far from Roscoff for a couple of nights just to find our feet, and then tour using Aires and the odd camp site if needed. 

Would appreciate any suggestions for camp sites, aires, etc. And any other tips and suggestions re places to visit, touring in Brittany.

All the best

Lilliput


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I cant recommend a campsite as we have never used them in Brittany. There are more Aires there than any other region and unless you want a site for the facilities there really is no need to stay on a site in Brittany.

Roscoff itself is worth exploring. Nice little place and a couple of good Aires from memory.

I guess it depends what you like after that. Heading west of Roscoff the scenery and coast more resembles the west coast of Scotland. Rugged and wild.

Going east there are more larger towns and resorts but in the main most of them are nice. Some good places to visit inland as well like Dinan / Port Dinan. The south coast is equally as pretty as well and generally wilder the further west you go.

I would just plan a circular trip from Roscoff and just move from one Aire to another.


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## bertieburstner (May 1, 2005)

2 years ago we went to Camping Lanniron about two miles from Quimper at the end of June. It's a large campsite with loads of facilities, including a large water park. As it's in the ACSI scheme it cost us 16 euros a night, and there was hardly anyone there. We had the water park all to ourselves :lol: 

We cycled to Quimper, which is a lovely old town. I am sure there are aires there as well


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

I would recommend the ACSI scheme. There are some excellent ACSI sites all around the coast of Brittany. We toured the coast a couple of years ago using a mix of aires and ACSI sites and never found a bad one.
One of the best aires we have ever stayed at was at Arzon on the south coast. Close to a beach, large supermarket, marina and town centre. 




Trevor


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*brittany*

Hello,

This is a lovely site

http://www.campingduletty-benodet.com/

If you don't have a discount for Brittany Ferries, you can use my Club Code S98469 for 10% off.

TM


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

We usually go overnight from Plymouth to Roscoff so you arrive at about 0800 having slept and breakfasted well, so we do not stay in the Roscoff area - the village itself is OK BUT touristy and the prices there match IMO.

Head a few km inland and there are some nice towns and villages - Morlaix is a good place to visit but is on either side of the valley and the hills are steep......

Lannion a few km to the East of Morlaix is also noce and is more level than Morlaix, or head west towards Lesnevan - a friendly little town with good access and walking around - and only a few km South of the very rugged North coast (rugged but with nice sandy beaches and coves in between the rocky outcrops.

Our preferred choice is to drive due South to the South coast - pat Qumper which is large and fairly busy (the campsite at the Orangerie is nice but not cheap....);

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_...e_de_Lanniron-Quimper_Finistere_Brittany.html

we go to the coast itself to Benodet and stay at Camping du Letty;

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_...ping_du_Letty-Benodet_Finistere_Brittany.html

easy cycle from there into Benodet itself (typical seaside town), the lagoon beside the campsite makes for warmer swimming and pleasant times, but beware if you cross to the seaward side at low tide then you have to swim back at high tide (we did then every day with chairs etc. in a small inflatable dinghy), it is much more peaceful on the seaward side and the sand of the promontory is lovely.....

From there it is a great plan to visit the walled city of Concarneau - lovely little town with an aire but often full of tourists....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concarneau

the whole area on the South coast is lovely - more rugged to the West and more built up to the East.

Dave


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## Hawcara (Jun 1, 2009)

When we go to Roscoff, either way, then we stay on the port itself for the first night or returning. In any event there are a few aires around Roscoff and as others have said it is a very pretty place. You can easily walk into the town from the port.


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## Hawcara (Jun 1, 2009)

One more point, if you're leaving Plymouth on a Saturday, be aware that the traffic can be heavy in Plymouth. You can either go in via Marsh Mills roundabout (Sainsburys) or carry on along the A38 until the A386 and go past Plymouth Argyle ground. 
If you go via Marsh Mills, the road layout has changed. Go towards the ferry port signs, when it goes into the 30mph limit, be careful as there are average speed cameras now, even though there are two lanes. A lot of people have been caught along there. 
When leaving Plymouth on your return, again follow the signs for the A38 but do not stray into any bus lane, as there are cameras on all of them. Think the Council has made several hundred thousand in revenue in a short time.


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## timontrak (May 3, 2010)

I'd second (third) the vote for Camping du Letty in Benodet. Great site and beautiful area. Further along I would also recommend Camping la Plage in La Trinite, and a visit to Vannes and the Morbihan (inland sea)


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## scouter (Dec 14, 2007)

Last year we just followed the coast anticlockwise, lots of super places mainly aires, Ile Grande north of Lannion (Camping Municipal or Aire ) right on the beach, huge bay, super sunsets, lots of rocks and rockpools, there's lots of interesting places out on the peninsular north of Brest.

Brittany is great for just following your nose and wandering

alan


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## Lilliput (Oct 26, 2010)

Many thanks for all your responses, you've certainly given us lots of ideas and choices of where to go. We appreciate the hints and tips also. 

All the best

Lilliput


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

There are some of the most impressive megalithic sites in Europe concentrated around Carnac on south coast. Their scale (although not size of stones) dwarf Stonehenge. Well worth it if you are in the area.

Dick


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Don't miss Cape Finisterre, especially in rough weather, very spectacular.
All the ends of the peninsular are worth visiting with some interesting WW2 relics.


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## Lilliput (Oct 26, 2010)

*Brittany first timer - Returns!!*

We recently came back from a 2 week trip to Brittany and had a great time! Thanks to you all who posted tips and help. I must admit before going I was a bit anxious about driving the motorhome in France but I found it easier driving there than here in the UK. Roads on the whole were in much better nick and motorways were a lot less congested. Roundabouts tended to be the only bugbear as in my experience the French did not seem to indicate. Grrr!

From Roscoff we headed in the direction of Morlaix and out first night was spent at the Aire by the river in Huelgoat. We enjoyed walking around the lake and discovering the huge rock mounds that seemed to 'litter' the area. The next day we travelled to Hennebont and spent 2 nights again camped by the river at the town's municipal campsite with excellent facilities for just over 12 Euros a night.

During out time in France we were really impressed with the France's welcoming approach to campers whether in a motorhome, caravan or tent. I don't know if this is true but someone told us that by law each town in France is expected to provide a municipal campsite. We stayed in a few and found them to be well placed with easy access to the local town, very reasonably priced with good clean facilities i.e. toilets and showers. One of the municipal campsites was in the ACSI scheme right on the coast in Conleau and for 14 euros offered a restaurant and heated swimming pool. It was only a 20 minute leisurely cycle ride to Vannes,
We also took the opportunity to stay at Aires also and enjoyed one night at the recommended Aire at Arzon. Spendidly located close to the beach we enjoyed the scenic coastal route to the local port which abounded with cafes, restaurants and shops.
As this was our first trip to France in our motorhome we learnt along the way but were also well prepared with the excellent advice and support offered by all on this forum. We also found fellow motorhomers helpful and patient! One of the best tips when using Aires was to carry a pack of Dettol wet wipes to wipe down the drinking water tap as they do tend to be alarmingly close to the chemical toilet disposal. Travelling across Brittany we also used Lidl and Aldi to stock up on supplies and around lunchtime looked out for working men's vans as pointers on good places to stop for lunch! One lunchtime we stopped at such a place and enjoyed a 3 course Plat de Jour with a bottle of water, a carafe of wine and bread for 11 Euros! Great value! The 2 hour lunch took a bit of getting used to as often we would arrive in places at 12 noon only to find that everything shut up for lunch. We soon learnt to roll with it and I think it's a shame in the UK that we don't seem to recognise lunchtime anymore as a time to take a break to enjoy our food in a social and leisurely way. I speak from my own experience in work where often I don't take a lunch break but instead wolf a snack whilst still working at my desk.
I could go on but should probably stop here. Suffice to say we enjoyed our first time in France and can't wait to go again.

Carpe diem!

Many thanks

Lilliput


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Thanks for the update Lilliput and Im delighted you had a good first trip. Brittany and Normandy were our first destination with the motorhome in 2009 (seems like a lifetime ago now) and we have been back several times.

You cant go wrong there really with a motorhome. I agree about the lunch thing. In fact there are many aspects to French life that I really like. They seem to work to live rather than live to work, never seem to be in a rush and are much friendlier than I was always led to believe. I could have a touch of rosy coloured specticals but thats how it appears to me. Even when they get angry or hacked off it just seems quite funny. I love the fact that they seem to consider shows of wealth vulgar as well. How many flash BMW's or Sports cars do you see in the a French Supermarket or in general?

We are off next week over the water. Cant wait.


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## Lilliput (Oct 26, 2010)

*Brittany First Timer*

Thanks for your comments Barry D. Yes I agree the French pace of life certainly seems slower than our own. Have a good holiday.

All the best

Lilliput


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## goldi (Feb 4, 2009)

Afternoon folks,

I,m pleased to read that you enjoyed you first trip to France and it is also easy to understand why so many brits go instead of staying in UK. Be careful though it can become addictive !!.


norm


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