E13: Foraging for fresh French Fruit de Mer

After stopping the night at St Mathieu, we joined the locals on the beach at low tide and harvested some nice fresh moules which we enjoyed later in the day having tried unsuccessfully sea fishing off the pier at Le Conquet.  Encouraged by our initial foraging we decided to return to the previous night stop to be ready for crab hunting the following morning!  As it happens we were also treated to a display by a Pod of passing dolphins and a lunar eclipse of the Super Moon ….

The beach is a popular site with the locals who come to find crabs and moules at low water….

most arrived ‘tooled up’ for the occasion! (we just had a fishing glove, a pair of bent skewers, a plastic bucket and our surf boots!)

However we were successful and caught ten of these Velvet swimming crabs, also known as Devil crabs due to their highly aggressive nature and nasty nip! (which Kate can testify to, despite wearing the armoured glove!)

As they say, ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’…. so after cooking these little critters we chilled them and ate them later for supper with lots of fresh crusty baguette, salted Breton Butter and a couple of glasses of white wine…. ‘yummy’….

 

Spurred on by our recent success  we re-located to St Cava in Lilia to try again the following morning (this time for larger Brown crab)….

 

The tide went out for miles and the made the rocky outcrops and islands accessible at low water where locals were this time shrimping and cockling as well.  We found a few more Velvet crabs and plenty of small brown crabs which were unfortunately below the minimum legal landing size.

Despite our failure we thoroughly enjoyed our beach combing adventures….

 

Todays Fasting Fact:  It was just as well we were on a fasting day……. nothing to eat! (well, nothing fresh from the sea anyway!)

E12: Pointe de St Mathieu 26th Sept 2015

St Mathieu is a headland located near Le Conquet which has been valued throughout history as a strategic naval maritime location.  Positioned on 20 metre high cliffs are the remains of a 17th century Benedictine abbey, a 56 metre high lighthouse and the latest in a series of signal stations (this one built in 1906)….

Just to the North is a cenotaph, commissioned after the WW1, in memory of sailors who died for France….

The stella, representing a sailors wife, was designed by René Quillivic and placed here in 1927

The position of this memorial is poignant and quite relevant as it provides an excellent look out over the infamous Chenal du Four and the sea entrance to Brest, an area in which many vessels have been dashed on this coastline over the centuries

In fact, the village which developed behind these ruins was partially funded by salvaging ship wrecks!

 

To finish off a lovely late summer day we parked up for the night on this spot overlooking the Pointe de St Mathieu with an un restricted view out to sea and the setting sun….

 

Todays Furious Fact:  About 30 minutes after taking this photo a French van turned up and (despite our protestations) parked right in front of us!!

E 11: Presqu'ile de Crozon 26th Sept 2015

On our way out of the Crozon peninsular we decided to cross the river L’Aulne where we anchored just North of the old suspension bridge….

Imagine our surprise to find this stunning new bridge ahead of us instead!!

We stopped at the observation points and discovered via these info boards that it was completed in 2011 as a replacement for the old one (seen clearly in front)….

 

A view from the East side showing the unique curve…. (in 2006 we anchored in the area that can be seen just under the bridge on the right hand side)

 

Then, just a kilometre or so further along the road towards Brest we popped in to this honey farm (and museum).  All the honey is cold extracted and comes from either 600 hives in the local area or 250 hives from Perigueux further to the South.  They produce all sorts of specific honey depending on the flower harvest at the time (e.g., chestnut, lime, pine,ivy) ….

Of course we sampled a few and brought some home with us (did I ever mention I love Honey? Grahame), and also a bottle of Hydromel (Chouchen in Breton) which is a digestif drink made from honey and water, fermented to reach 13.5% vol (it’s sublime) and is drank ice cold…….yum yum

E 10: Presqu'ile de Crozon 25th Sept 2015

From Camaret we cycled out to two of the headlands.  The first was Pointe de Pen Hir, three kilometres south of the village,  a spectacular headland composed of steep and dramatically weathered cliff faces and the site of two WWII memorials, during autumn and winter gales this must feel like the end of the world. 

 There are two war memorials on the Pointe de Pen Hir, this one is the Cross of Pen-Hir, a tribute to the Bretons of Free France

 and this one is the memorial to the Battle of the Atlantic and is located in the bunkers of the Kerbonn Battery

 

The Western tip of the peninsular leads to the Tour du Toulinguet which is a Fort, signal station and lighthouse and this is where we spent a peaceful night stop

 

Todays Frightening Fact:  We were joined overnight my this mighty Mann 4 wheel drive overland motorhome (!) from Germany.  It certainly gave us an inferiority complex (the rear section had an opening roof providing an elevated observation platform, all that was needed was a machine gun!)….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E9: Presqu'ile de Crozon 24th/ 25th Sept 2015

The fisherman anchor shaped Crozon Peninsula is hailed as one of the most scenic areas in Brittany.  For the last three days we have been exploring its various arms, the heavily eroded cliff faces and coves, the quaint traditional stone buildings and villages and the many and varied memorials often placed on the “Pointes".  

 

Southern territory 

Cap de la Chèvre lies at the tip of the Penisulas' Southern arm.  The area is thick with gorse and heather (still in blossom during our visit) and dotted with glimpse of wind sculptured pine trees.  Criss crossed with walking and biking trails it is easy to lose yourself amongst the heathland.  We took the sometimes precipitous coastal walk around the Cap.

 

On the tip of the Cape is this striking memorial to Naval Airmen

  

We stopped for breakfast at Morgat Harbour.  The town was built in the 1930s as a summer resort by the Peugeot brothers (Car maker!) and still reflects some of its colourful past, the wide safe bathing sandy horseshoe bay is heavily utilised as a sports and recreational resource.

 

Western territory

Located on the tip of the Western arm is Camaret-sur-Mer,  a thriving fishing village until the beginning of the 20th century and at that time the biggest crayfish port in France.  Its fishing past is immediately evident including the vast harbour, streets of stone warehouses now converted into apartments and most notable the clutch of abandoned fishing vessel carcasses in various states of weathered decay.  

The Chapelle Notre Dame de Rocamadour behind the boats, is a typical sailors church with a wooden roof constructed like an inverted boats’ hull and decorated with oars, lifebuoys and model ships. 

 

E8: Concarneau 23rd Sept 2015

The natural harbour of Concarneau fans out from its massive trawler port, fishing trawlers from the Indian Ocean and African coast drop off their catches of Tuna bringing in around 200,000 tonnes of thon a year.  

 

The original habour centred around the 14th century fortified town situated on an island in the harbour bay and linked to the main land via a series of foot bridges.

 

 

In the 16th Century architect Vauban (if you are unfamiliar with this chap he is to forts what Brunel and Telford were to bridges and canals) further modified its defences to the impressive fortification seen today.  

 

Inside the walled town the original stone housing has been converted into a colourful tourist hotspot of shops, restaurants and galleries.

 

Todays Fun Fact:  We have wanted for some time to show you a photo of Kouign Amann (Breton Butter Cake), but we don’t have a photo because we have eaten them every time before we thought about taking a picture….ah well, we will just have to buy some more….

E7: Pont-Aven 22nd Sept 2015

Nestled in the “valley of the willows” this quaint Breton village (population 3000) bumbled along quite merrily until it was discovered by a series of artists, the most famous France’s Paul Gaugin and Emile Bernard who set up a colony here in the 1850s.  This morphed into a movement recognised today as the Pont-Aven School and remains a magnet for artists today.

Pont-Aven retains a feel of rural river charm.

 

Its small commercial centre is primarily composed of Breton Biscuit shops and art galleries (some 60 open in the Summer).  We spent the afternoon retracing the steps of the masters, the spots where they planted their easels and the views that inspired them.

 

 

 

TodaysFun fact:  Even the public convenience has an artistic rural charm.  Grahame however can (just) be seen availing himself of the practical use of this building!