The area and culture
Explore,by foot,cycle,or boat.
Explore this wonderful area of Southern Brittany.Some places to visit.
Auray - Have lunch at the lovely little port of St. Goustan a real smugglers cove. Auray town centre is also interesting for its historic and religious associations. Use the little train between the town and harbour if you don't like steep walking. It is a busy and sizable town with its main activities including tourism and oyster farming. Of more general interest is the vast war memorial, which is dedicated to the 250,000 Bretons who perished in the Great War. Walls inscribed with their names stretch for over 650 feet.
Belle-Ile - Brittany's largest island lies 8.5 miles off shore, and is reached by ferry from the port of Quiberon, which is south from Le Bauzo. This island is very popular for day excursions; various companies do coach trips for the day. As the ferry docks at Le Palais, above you looms the star shaped Citadelle Vauban, built in the 16th century. Once a former prison it now houses a museum of local history.
Broceliand Forest - A Celtic concept of the supernatural world. Fairies, spirits, and legends abound. A gateway to the other world to which man may have access.
Carnac Beach - Golden sands and plenty of space, even when it gets busy in late afternoon. Lovely lively café area and shops. Small amusement area and shows for children. Beach club in season. Check out La Men Dur on the route from La Trinitie for a subdued day before visiting Carnac plage.Carnac - Wednesday is market day in Carnac, which is about a 40 minute drive south from Josselin. It has a very big market which is busy but well worth a visit.
Dinan - A lovely medieval town with lots of nice places to eat at, old buildings to see, and lots of atmosphere.Dinard - A resort town, very elegant, some good restaurants (especially seafood). "Dinan, Dinard and Mont St Michel - two or three of these can be done in a day but start early". Large casino and night life. Airport links to U.K.
Hennebont - This feudal fortified town has a long pedigree, but its historic ironworks and location near Lorient made it a target in World War II and little of the old centre survived. The church and a walk alongside the river will fill a few hours.
Josselin - Our nearest town to the house. The most memorable feature of this charming medieval town is its mighty Rapunzel three towered chateau that dominates and reflects in the banks of the Oust. Famous doll museum. The 16th century part has many fascinating features revealed to you. Saturday market. Laze around the square and watch the world go by. Key dates are, Medieval Festival on Bastille day, July the 14th and Pardon on the 8th of September.Lizzio - A petite cite de caractere. Only a few minutes drive from L'esprit de Campagne. A pretty village with lovely stone houses . Nearby is the Insectarium and the ecomusee of old French life.
Locmariaquer - This pretty oyster port guarding the neck of the Golfe du Morbihan rivals Carnac in archaeological importance. Its main sites lie in a fenced compound north of the village. They include a huge menhir on its side, broken in four sections. If it ever stood upright it would have measured over 65 feet high. Locmariaque is a peaceful place with attractive south facing beaches, a pleasant old harbour from where you can get plenty of boat trips.
Lorient - A great place to visit on a Sunday - it has a lovely market and a very good beach at L'amour Plage, a wide variety of different types of restaurants/bars. The revitalised dock land and state of the art fish market at Lorient makes for an interesting spectacle on its vast harbour. Boat trips to Ile de Groix are a popular excursion from Lorient.
Malestroit - Malestroit is also known as the 'pearl of the west', which indicates something of its attractiveness. Its old quarters are exceptionally well preserved with gabled merchant houses of stone and timber. The church of St-Gilles is also worth a look. It was originally built in the 12th century, and modified in the 16th century
.Mont St Michel - Mont St Michel is very busy and touristy, and en route to the house from the Normandy ports. Well worth a stop off. Particularly to watch the tide come in and take photos of the Abbey. Children think of it as Hogwarts!
"Mur de Bretagne - Worth a visit to see the local Lake Guerledan and dam, but in particular because a fabulous chef has the l'Auberge Grand Maison. He is part of the "Tables et Saveurs de Bretagne." Cooked for the Queen's Grill on the QE2. Well worth the expensive treat.Ploëmerl - A lovely working French town with history. Connected with the Dukes. Check out the Lac Au Duc inland beach and lake with water sports and golf course. Only a short distance from Josselin. Lots of nice places to eat.Pontivy - Amazing buildings, great shops - especially the odd little ones up side streets. An evening walk along the canal really makes you forget the rest of the world. Monday is market day in
Pontivy. The church of Basilique Notre Dame De Joie, in the centre of the town is well worth a look around.Pontivy Chateau - The villages around Pontivy make pleasant touring. Nearby St Nicolas-des-Eaux has all the things you could want for a relaxing afternoon. A collection of shops, restaurants and bars, with plenty of picnic tables beside the river (Blavet) where you can spend many an hour watching the boats go through the locks. Lorient's opposite number at the mouth of the Blavet. It is much smaller, but much more attractive. The fortified citadel at the harbour entrance was founded in 1591, and its rampart walks give excellent views. Below the walls lies an attractive sandy beach with a casino.
Quiberon Peninsula - The resort of Quiberon at the far end of the peninsula is one of Morbihan's liveliest and most popular. Besides the good sandy beaches it is also the ferry terminal for Belle-Ile and is always crowded in the summer.Quimper - A lovely big city, even though it is big the locals are very friendly.La Roche-Bernard - Today the main revenue of this village comes from tourism, but is a good stopping point if you are touring around. There are some very nice restaurants and a walk around the charming flower decked houses will soon work off that extra little treat you gave yourself. A graceful suspension bridge spans the river.Rochefort-en-Terre - Everything here is in such pristine condition. No wonder its main revenue is tourism The area retains its ordinary sense of life with classy shops and restaurants. It also has a 12th century church and a castle, which has a small museum in it.
St. Malo - Founded in the 6th century by the Welsh monk Maclow. It is now amongst one of the most visited cities in the world. Beautiful beaches and remains charged with life in its cobbled stone streets in the winter months. The aquarium is great for kids.Vannes - Do lunch overlooking the harbour then explore. The old part is best viewed from the promenade de la garenne, a raised walk beside colourful public gardens. The most picturesque buildings are the lavoirs (wash houses) but the main sight to see within the walls is the Cathedrale St-Pierre, this houses the tomb of Vannes's patron St Vincent Ferrer, who died in 1419. Along with the archaeology museum and old houses there is a leisure park "Parc du gulf" near the gare maritime, this has several amusements, a butterfly farm and an aquarium. It also provides water taxi access to all the gulf islandse local attractions are