Les Blancs Holiday Cottage, Self Catering Accommodation, Holiday Gite, Brittany France
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Les Blancs Holiday Cottage, Self Catering Accommodation, Holiday Gite, Brittany France |
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ABOUT BRITTANY Brittany is popular with tourists because of the great diversity of its spectacular scenery. From the high peaks of the Monts d’Arree and the Montaignes Noires in the north, to the beautiful beaches of La Baule and Pornic in the south you will find an ever changing landscape. The region of Brittany is divided into four main departments: Finistere to the west, Cotes-d’Armour to the north, Ille-et-Vilaine to the south and east, and Morbihan, which is located in the centre and to the south of Brittany. Along the Northern Coast you will discover many lovely craggy bays and beaches reminiscent of Cornwall. The famous Mont St Michel can be seen from afar rising out of the sea and dominating the horizon. The Southern Coast is bordered by the mighty Atlantic Ocean. This is where sailors from the past once set off on their long and dangerous voyages to the Orient. The impressive sandy beaches are a favourite with the holidaymaker, and many holiday parks and hotels can be found nearby. Deep in the centre of rural Brittany you will find many hectares of forest and woodland. This is an area steeped in folklore tales and legends of the adventures of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. For more information on Brittany see: http://wikitravel.org/en/Brittany BEACHES AND ISLANDS OF BRITTANY FINISTERE Le Conquet - Trez-Hir and Blancs-Sablons. Saint-Pol-de-Leon - Sainte-Anne, Kersaliou and Pempoull. Locquirec - 10 sandy beaches between cliffs and rocks. Crozon Peninsula - Morgat and Lanveoc. Treboul - Sables-Blancs. Brest - Le Moulin-Blanc Beach. Roscoff - Beaches of Traou-Erch, Saint-luc, and cove of Perharidy. Concarneau - Beaches of Cornouaille and Sables-Blancs. COTES D’ARMOR Perros-Guirec - Trestraou and Trestrignel. Pink Granite Coast - Ploumanac’h and Tregastel. Between Saint-Quay and Binic - Casino, Chatelet, Greve, Noire, Comptesse and Port. Saint-Jacut - 11 beaches around the peninsula. ILLE-ET-VILAINE Dinard - Ecluse, Prieure and Saint-Enogat. Cote d’Emeraude - Saint-Lunairehas 4 beaches and Saint-Briac has 2 beaches. Cancale - Port-Mer, Port-Pican, Port-Briac, Verger, La Touesse and the cove at Du-Guesclin. Saint-Malo - Beaches of Bon-Secours, Eventail, Mole, Sillon. MORBIHAN (including coastal Loire-Atlantique) Carnac - 5 beaches. Rhuys Peninsula - Kervert and Fogeo. Ile de Groix - Grands-Sables and Sables-Rouges. The Estuary of the Vilaine - Penestin: beaches of Mine-d’Or and of Damgan. Lorient - Larmour-Plage. Belle-Ille - Beaches of Port-Donnant,Herlin,Port-Maria, Grands-Sables. Houat - Beaches of Treac’h-Er-Goured, Treac’h-Salus and treac’h-Er-Venigued. Quiberon - Grande Plage and beach of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. Le Croisic - Beaches of Port-Lin, Saint-Valentin and Saint-Michel. Guerande - Grande-Falaise Beach. La Baule, Pornichet, Le Pouliguen - 15kms of beaches. Near Saint-Nazaire - Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Marc-sur-Mer beaches. Jade Coast - Saint-Brevin, Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef, Prefailles - 7kms of beaches.
WHAT TO SEE IN BRITTANY Canals, Rivers, Lakes and Beaches: Brittany has over 600kms of navigable canals and rivers. River and canal trips can take you to areas which can only be seen from the water, such as lovely chateaux and mysterious standing stones. Canal locks can be very picturesque and are usually beautifully decorated with numerous plants and flowers. The many kilometres of towpaths are ideal for walking or cycling. There are many beautiful lakes of all sizes in Brittany. The Lac de Guerledan, on the borders of Cotes-d’Armor and Morbihan is the biggest lake in Brittany and attracts many tourists to the area.
Chateaux and Museums: Wherever you go in Brittany you will find references to the past. The region has lots of historic chateaux, such as the magnificent Chateau de Rochefort-en-Terre and the Chateau de Rohan on the banks of the Nantes-Brest Canal in medieval Josselin. There are museums in Brittany to cater for all tastes. Worth a mention is the Musee de la Resistance Bretonne, at Saint-Marcel, Malestroit, and the Village Breton, at Poul-Feton in Morbihan. Menhirs and Dolmens: Brittany has a large number of megalithic sites and is very popular with historians and archaeologists. The word “megalith” means “big rock”, some of these rocks date back to more than 5000 years BC. An important site, which is popular with tourists, is the one at Carnac in Morbihan. At the site is an impressive array of menhirs or standing stones. A dolmen is a stone table with various supports. It is thought that dolmens were used as burial chambers in prehistoric times. You can see an impressive example of a collection of dolmens, “cairns”, in the gulf of Morbihan. Breton Festivals: Feast days are an important part of Breton life and most communities will have a programme of special days when everyone gets together for a meal and a social evening in the local hall. Pardons are religious feast days which start with a mass in the name of the patron saint of the local church or chapel. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11477b.htm Sport in Brittany: Almost any water-based activity can be enjoyed in Brittany, but there are also many sports available that do not depend on water, such as, hiking, golf, horse riding, tennis and cycling. Nature in Brittany: There are coastal waters, marshes, moorland and forests in Brittany. Some are carefully managed and some are wild and untamed, but wild animals, birds and flowers abound in all areas. Food and drink in Brittany: Brittany produces more than a quarter of France’s total production of specialist ham and pork products. The 100% pork sausage is traditionally grilled and then rolled up in a buckwheat galette. You are bound to see herds of dairy cows which are bred for buttermilk and “gros lait,” Breton full cream milk. Other Breton specialities are artichokes and cauliflowers, oysters and mussels, and buckwheat pancakes, crepes and desserts. These foods are traditionally washed down with a local cider (made the traditional way with a” cidre presse”), chouchen (fermented honey drink), or cervoise (barley beer). Furniture, Antiques and Crafts: Breton furniture can be very ornate and carved with patterns, or traditional Breton figures in intricate detail. A wide variety of old furniture along with many other interesting antiques, pottery earthenware and other relics from the past can be seen in antique shops, or “depot vents”, which are found in most towns over Brittany.
Ask about discounted, cheap ferry fares when you book your holiday self catering accommodation. Great savings to be made with Brittany Ferries when booking through us!
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