Quimper

The plan was to continue along the North Brittany coast but the weather was looking decidedly dodgy and bearing in mind that the previous  week had been very changeable, we decided to head to the south coast of Brittany.

We had been to Quimper for a fleeting visit some 20 years previously so we thought it would warrant a second visit, we were not disappointed. It is a good idea to go to the tourist office and pick up a map with the main sites listed.

Quimper is the ancient capital of Cornouaille,Brittany’s most traditional region, and has a distinct Breton character. The town is at the confluence of the rivers Le Steir and L'Odet, hence its Breton name, Kemper, which means confluence.

The old town is dominated by the twin towers of the Cathedral of  Saint Corentin . The pedesttrianised town centre has a medieval feel  with some fine old half timbered buildimgs.

Though this is a very traditional town, I have never seen so many creperies in such a small area before.

Fortunately there is an excellent site, 'Domaine de l' Orangerie de Lanniron, within easy walking distance of the town along a designated pathway.

This is an ACSI site. It is a member of the Castels camping group.

Concarneau

The trip down memory lane continued with a visit to Concarneau. The town is France's third largest fishing port and tuna is a big catch. The town itself is fairly non descript but the port area is interesting  and undoubtedly the town's main attraction is the superb old walled town. You can wander the narrow streets, which admittedly are very geared to the tourist trade, or you can walk the town's walls with superb views all around.

There is an excellent fishing museum in the old town, which when we visited gave free entrance, as they had a cultural weekend. We also visited the Maritime Museum outside of the town walls, turn left as you exit and follow the harbour.

We stayed at Camping Les Sables Blancs ,which is situated within easy walking distance of the town, sited above a superb beach with the same name. The site is arranged on terraces and when we visited , though in September, it was very busy as it was a weekend and demonstrated  the popularity of this resort.  It has all the facilities that you would expect , a few pitches were out of action because of the wet weather and some were very soft but we found an excellent corner pitch at the top of the site.

You can take the path directly into town by the old railway station or, which is slightly longer, drop down to the coast and follow the coast around.

The second day we took the coastal path to  La Foret Fouesnant , an absolutely brilliant walk and the plan was to have lunch , where we did not know. The walk took longer than anticipated, firstly because we ran into a running race, using the coastal path and secondly because it took us longer than anticipated. We arrived at the beach at Foret Fousnant, somewhat late in French lunch terms but from a distance we spied,what turned out to be the restaurant Les Boucaniers. Now bearing in mind that it was late and a Sunday, with no reservation, we hesitantly asked if they had a table. After a short wait where we were still not optimistic but nevertheless hopeful, the owner cleared us a table and we sat down to a superb fish lunch overlooking the beach. Suitably refreshed and following a brief visit to the town and the campsite where my daughter had worked 20 odd years ago, an experience that she did not really enjoy. Foret Fouesnant is not the place where a teenager would want to spend too long a time.