It was a bucket list item for quite a few years – getting the boat to France, one of those things that we were determined to do. We had heard stories of the pâtisseries, the beautiful scenery with miles of glorious beaches and, of course, the wine – the car load of French wine at a fraction of the price you can get here.
So when the time came to load the Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven in Skibereen, we were like kids heading away on our first holiday abroad. Getting the boat to France is such a different way to travel and I’m a total convert. Instead of queueing at airport security, you queue in your own car, listening to music and reading a book. Setting sail, we passed towns familiar to us – Passage West and Cobh – with my mother and sister on the phone to me shouting: “We’re sitting at the harbour waving you off.” You’d swear we were off to America for life, it was quite comical.
Oyster farm.
Oyster bar at Huite Arin.
After that it was off to the mini-cinema and then a bite to eat. As we were in holiday mode, we opted for Le Flora, which has an impressive à la carte menu. This was the peak of our dining experience on board. Unfortunately, the breakfast on our return was not up to much. That aside, after an evening relaxing, it was off to bed and, just like that, after a good night’s sleep you wake in France. Now that’s the way to travel!
In fact, we woke up so refreshed it’s easy to see why many families can easily take on a few hours’ drive to the south of France, but we were here to enjoy the sights, sounds and, most of all, the tastes of Brittany.
Our first stop wasn’t very far at all. Most people know Roscoff as the entrance harbour to their tour of France and a fine location for wine supermarkets when they head home. However, on an early Sunday morning, with the smell of brewing coffee and freshly baked croissants in the air, we wandered around this quaint French village. Because of its location close to the harbour, you would assume it would be a bit of a tourist trap, and I’ll be honest, we were caught out in one café where we raised our eyebrows at the prices, but for the most part it is authentic, with pretty little shops and French chateaus with small balconies overlooking narrow streets. As the day progressed, there were lots of bustling bars to relax in and we enjoyed a very cheap glass of good Muscadet (€2.20) watching the tide move in and out.
Brittany coast.
Brittany Ferries trip to Brittany.
However, the real highlight was a little gem of a restaurant called Chez Janie, so good in fact that we came to Roscoff early when we were departing the following Friday to enjoy a second meal there. Head upstairs if you can as there is a beautiful dining room decorated in whitewash and blues where, with the shutter windows opened wide, the stunning views of the harbour match the decor inside. On our first night, we ordered off the à la carte menu, which was a fine meal. However, it was our second experience where we chose the impressive seafood platter that was most memorable. Prepare to get your hands dirty as you break apart brown crab, pick periwinkles from their shells, knock back fresh French oysters and indulge in prawns, which, interestingly, followed us over on the boat from Dublin.
A love of oysters
The French love their oysters and continue to be one of the biggest importers of Irish oysters. That’s not because they don’t have quality of their own, it’s because there is so much demand. Oyster farms usually aren’t the most enticing places – they are industrial and busy and in Ireland are mostly damp and cold. Huite Arin in Paimpol Bay, about 90 minutes from Roscoff, is run by Cécile Arin and her brother André and is quite the exception. The Arin family have been running an oyster farm in Paimpol Bay since 1947 and within this family, there has been serious girl power at play as it was passed from generation to generation. However, it is Cécile and André who brought the business to another level when in 2016 they opened an oyster bar on their premises with a view of the Boulgueff and Saint-Riom areas of Paimpol Bay that takes your breath away. On the day of our visit, the sun was shining and the tide was going out, allowing us to catch glimpses of grey oyster bags sitting just under the shore line, waiting to mature as we feasted on their brothers and sisters who had recently been shuck. Fantastically fresh oysters in such a unique location, it was a moment to remember. Just behind the outdoor area is also a little shop selling rillettes, jars of little seafood tapas such as tuna, prawns and salmon, so you can bring a taste of France home in your car.
French market.
Brittany Ferries trip to Brittany.
The oyster bar is about 10 minutes from the town of Paimpol and if you’re planning a trip to this bustling Breton town, be sure it coincides with the Tuesday food market. Remember that opening scene in Beauty and the Beast of a typical French town with all its fishmongers and baguettes, well we couldn’t quite get that song out of our heads as we passed through the stalls, enjoying the barter for the freshest catch of the day and admiring the mountains of red and white artichokes.
Artichoke fields are everywhere when you travel around Brittany, with the green camus artichoke in season for seven months of the year but it is the petit violet artichoke to really keep an eye out for if you happen to be in the area towards the end of summer. Only in season for two months, the purple artichoke is, like the famous Roscoff red onion, a little sweeter and, as a result, a little more special. Watch out for it on menus but the vegetables of the area as a whole are exceptional, with three quarters of cauliflowers consumed in France being grown on the Breton coast. While seaweed is very on-trend at the moment, it has been helping the production of vegetables and, specifically, artichokes since the 16th century.
Roscoff.
Coastal highlights
From Paimpol, the next stop on our French road trip was just 45 minutes away in the town of Perros-Guirec that rests on the beautiful pink granite coast, named after the colour of the rocks. You’ll find little restaurants sitting along the busy beach but on Plage de Trestrignel, things are much calmer and it’s the perfect place for an afternoon dip. It also happens to be five minutes away from our favourite place to stay in France, a B&B called Villa les Hydrangeas, named for its beautiful garden which when we visited was in full bloom. You barely catch a glimpse of them though because your eye automatically navigates to the most stunning coast view.
Run by husband and wife team Eric Normand and Coralie Riou, it is open just three years. In that time though, this young couple have renovated the entire building to modernise it but as Eric studied history, the authenticity and the character of the building still remains. While Eric is happy to fill you in on the history of the house and area, you’ll often find Coralie busy serving a memorable breakfast. Everything in the impressive spread is made from scratch by her. Everything that is apart from the croissants as she says the local baker is so good, they can’t be beaten. Stacks of freshly made crepes sit beside homemade lemon drizzle cake.
Plage de Trestrignel.
If you’re tempted to smear some chocolate spread on those crepes, don’t even think about uttering the word Nutella in this lady’s B&B. She also makes the chocolate spread herself as well as the jams, apple mash and coulis, using berries from the garden. Just that morning, Eric arrived back from the local farm with milk, butter, cream and farmhouse cheese, after which Coralie got busy making yoghurts for breakfast the next day. Another cup of tea, she asks as I finish a bite of her chocolate and hazelnut slice. Looking out at the beautiful scenery and picking up my book, I decide that I will because in that moment it was exactly the French experience I was hoping for.
Perros-Guirec.
Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven offers the fastest direct ferry crossing from Ireland to France, taking 14 hours and operating to a convenient weekend schedule. Passengers can enjoy an authentic French on-board experience, unmatched cruise style standards and award-winning service and cuisine. 2019 sailings start from €132pp return, based on four sharing. Book before 6 February 2019 and enjoy a 15% saving on both accommodation in France and on your return sailings. Booking can be made either online at www.brittanyferries.ie or by calling 021-427-7801. For more travel inspiration, visit www.brittanytourism.com
It was a bucket list item for quite a few years – getting the boat to France, one of those things that we were determined to do. We had heard stories of the pâtisseries, the beautiful scenery with miles of glorious beaches and, of course, the wine – the car load of French wine at a fraction of the price you can get here.
So when the time came to load the Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven in Skibereen, we were like kids heading away on our first holiday abroad. Getting the boat to France is such a different way to travel and I’m a total convert. Instead of queueing at airport security, you queue in your own car, listening to music and reading a book. Setting sail, we passed towns familiar to us – Passage West and Cobh – with my mother and sister on the phone to me shouting: “We’re sitting at the harbour waving you off.” You’d swear we were off to America for life, it was quite comical.
Oyster farm.
Oyster bar at Huite Arin.
After that it was off to the mini-cinema and then a bite to eat. As we were in holiday mode, we opted for Le Flora, which has an impressive à la carte menu. This was the peak of our dining experience on board. Unfortunately, the breakfast on our return was not up to much. That aside, after an evening relaxing, it was off to bed and, just like that, after a good night’s sleep you wake in France. Now that’s the way to travel!
In fact, we woke up so refreshed it’s easy to see why many families can easily take on a few hours’ drive to the south of France, but we were here to enjoy the sights, sounds and, most of all, the tastes of Brittany.
Our first stop wasn’t very far at all. Most people know Roscoff as the entrance harbour to their tour of France and a fine location for wine supermarkets when they head home. However, on an early Sunday morning, with the smell of brewing coffee and freshly baked croissants in the air, we wandered around this quaint French village. Because of its location close to the harbour, you would assume it would be a bit of a tourist trap, and I’ll be honest, we were caught out in one café where we raised our eyebrows at the prices, but for the most part it is authentic, with pretty little shops and French chateaus with small balconies overlooking narrow streets. As the day progressed, there were lots of bustling bars to relax in and we enjoyed a very cheap glass of good Muscadet (€2.20) watching the tide move in and out.
Brittany coast.
Brittany Ferries trip to Brittany.
However, the real highlight was a little gem of a restaurant called Chez Janie, so good in fact that we came to Roscoff early when we were departing the following Friday to enjoy a second meal there. Head upstairs if you can as there is a beautiful dining room decorated in whitewash and blues where, with the shutter windows opened wide, the stunning views of the harbour match the decor inside. On our first night, we ordered off the à la carte menu, which was a fine meal. However, it was our second experience where we chose the impressive seafood platter that was most memorable. Prepare to get your hands dirty as you break apart brown crab, pick periwinkles from their shells, knock back fresh French oysters and indulge in prawns, which, interestingly, followed us over on the boat from Dublin.
A love of oysters
The French love their oysters and continue to be one of the biggest importers of Irish oysters. That’s not because they don’t have quality of their own, it’s because there is so much demand. Oyster farms usually aren’t the most enticing places – they are industrial and busy and in Ireland are mostly damp and cold. Huite Arin in Paimpol Bay, about 90 minutes from Roscoff, is run by Cécile Arin and her brother André and is quite the exception. The Arin family have been running an oyster farm in Paimpol Bay since 1947 and within this family, there has been serious girl power at play as it was passed from generation to generation. However, it is Cécile and André who brought the business to another level when in 2016 they opened an oyster bar on their premises with a view of the Boulgueff and Saint-Riom areas of Paimpol Bay that takes your breath away. On the day of our visit, the sun was shining and the tide was going out, allowing us to catch glimpses of grey oyster bags sitting just under the shore line, waiting to mature as we feasted on their brothers and sisters who had recently been shuck. Fantastically fresh oysters in such a unique location, it was a moment to remember. Just behind the outdoor area is also a little shop selling rillettes, jars of little seafood tapas such as tuna, prawns and salmon, so you can bring a taste of France home in your car.
French market.
Brittany Ferries trip to Brittany.
The oyster bar is about 10 minutes from the town of Paimpol and if you’re planning a trip to this bustling Breton town, be sure it coincides with the Tuesday food market. Remember that opening scene in Beauty and the Beast of a typical French town with all its fishmongers and baguettes, well we couldn’t quite get that song out of our heads as we passed through the stalls, enjoying the barter for the freshest catch of the day and admiring the mountains of red and white artichokes.
Artichoke fields are everywhere when you travel around Brittany, with the green camus artichoke in season for seven months of the year but it is the petit violet artichoke to really keep an eye out for if you happen to be in the area towards the end of summer. Only in season for two months, the purple artichoke is, like the famous Roscoff red onion, a little sweeter and, as a result, a little more special. Watch out for it on menus but the vegetables of the area as a whole are exceptional, with three quarters of cauliflowers consumed in France being grown on the Breton coast. While seaweed is very on-trend at the moment, it has been helping the production of vegetables and, specifically, artichokes since the 16th century.
Roscoff.
Coastal highlights
From Paimpol, the next stop on our French road trip was just 45 minutes away in the town of Perros-Guirec that rests on the beautiful pink granite coast, named after the colour of the rocks. You’ll find little restaurants sitting along the busy beach but on Plage de Trestrignel, things are much calmer and it’s the perfect place for an afternoon dip. It also happens to be five minutes away from our favourite place to stay in France, a B&B called Villa les Hydrangeas, named for its beautiful garden which when we visited was in full bloom. You barely catch a glimpse of them though because your eye automatically navigates to the most stunning coast view.
Run by husband and wife team Eric Normand and Coralie Riou, it is open just three years. In that time though, this young couple have renovated the entire building to modernise it but as Eric studied history, the authenticity and the character of the building still remains. While Eric is happy to fill you in on the history of the house and area, you’ll often find Coralie busy serving a memorable breakfast. Everything in the impressive spread is made from scratch by her. Everything that is apart from the croissants as she says the local baker is so good, they can’t be beaten. Stacks of freshly made crepes sit beside homemade lemon drizzle cake.
Plage de Trestrignel.
If you’re tempted to smear some chocolate spread on those crepes, don’t even think about uttering the word Nutella in this lady’s B&B. She also makes the chocolate spread herself as well as the jams, apple mash and coulis, using berries from the garden. Just that morning, Eric arrived back from the local farm with milk, butter, cream and farmhouse cheese, after which Coralie got busy making yoghurts for breakfast the next day. Another cup of tea, she asks as I finish a bite of her chocolate and hazelnut slice. Looking out at the beautiful scenery and picking up my book, I decide that I will because in that moment it was exactly the French experience I was hoping for.
Perros-Guirec.
Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven offers the fastest direct ferry crossing from Ireland to France, taking 14 hours and operating to a convenient weekend schedule. Passengers can enjoy an authentic French on-board experience, unmatched cruise style standards and award-winning service and cuisine. 2019 sailings start from €132pp return, based on four sharing. Book before 6 February 2019 and enjoy a 15% saving on both accommodation in France and on your return sailings. Booking can be made either online at www.brittanyferries.ie or by calling 021-427-7801. For more travel inspiration, visit www.brittanytourism.com
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: