Holiday gites in France - Things to do

This selection of Things to See & Do is by no means definitive. They are just some of our family favourites, or those choices favoured by our previous customers.

As much as possible, we try to furnish each of our three holiday gites with up to date brochures and publicity on what there is to see in the area. We are always on hand to lend maps or answer your questions. If we don’t know the answer we can usually find someone local who does.

In this section of our website you can find information on:

Family Fun, Beaches, Boat-Trips, Gardens, Castles & Chapels, Towns & Shops, A Place to Eat, Walking & Rambling, Cycling, Fishing, Canoeing & Kayaking

Family Fun

• Amoripark at Bégard – a leisure park for parents and young children, with pedalos, mini-golf, bouncy castle, mini luge, swimming pool – indoor & outdoor
• Le Village Gaulois at Pleumer Bodou – a trip back in time to an early Gaulish village, with games to play, and a Crêperie
• Planetarium at Pleumer Bodou – a programme of different star gazing events
• Le Radôme. at Pleumer Bodou – an enormous white sphere adjoins an inter-active museum about the past and future of telecommunication.
• Centre de découverte du son at Cavan – a sound park. Unusual musical instruments made from natural materials, located within the forest, waiting to be found.
• Parcours Aventure at Pleumeur Bodou – Tree Climbing park in either the little forest, or the big forest. How high can you go?
• Océanopolis at Brest – large Aquarium divided into 3 Pavilions for Temperate Region, Tropical Region and Polar Region.
• Zooparc at Tregomeur – features animals and plants from Asia and Madagascar
• Ferme Enchantée near Lannion – your chance to help with the animals on a farm, or have a donkey ride.
• Ponyland at Pleumer Bodou – pony and horse rides on the beach.
• La Vapeur du Trieux – steam train rides between Pontrieux and Paimpol
• Karting du Leff, Kelabo, at Cohiniac - Go Karting and mini-golf.
• Bowling L’eclipse at Lannion – ten pin bowling

Beaches

Golden, sandy beaches are only a short 20 minutes drive away from our three holiday gites. Passing through Lannion, and remembering to check the level of the river in order to gauge whether the tide is in or out, one can head west towards Beg Léguer. Here, in the Bay of Lannion, you can either find the long beach of Goas Lagorn, or the smaller beach of Maez an Aod. Further north, in the direction of Trébeurden, is the beach at Pors-Mabo, or further south, in the direction of Plestin-les-Grèves, are the beaches at Locquemeau, St.Michel-en-Grèves, and Locquirec.

In fact, the list could go on and on. There are beaches where one can build sand castles, or climb on the rocks. There are beaches where one can fly a kite, or surf on a body-board; and there are those where one can enjoy a barbeque at the end of a pleasant day. Some are good for swimming or sunbathing, and some are reserved for naturists. It never takes long to find the beach that suits you on that particular day.

Boat-Trips

This is your chance to enjoy the Pink Granite Coast, and a variety of marine life.
Les Sept-Îles is described as the largest nature reserve in France. Boats to here depart from Ploumenac’h, Perros-Guirec, or Trégastel.

Boats to the beautiful island of Bréhat depart from Paimpol or Perros-Guirec. With no cars allowed on the island, it is possible to enjoy a pleasant stroll amidst the peace and quiet. The gardens here are amazing.

• www.vedettesdebrehat.com
• www.armor-decouverte.fr

Gardens, Castles & Chapels

• The Chapel of Kerfons – a ten minute walk from our 3 holiday gites. Famous for its 15th Century Screen, carved from oak and subsequently painted. It is considered to be the best example of its kind in all of Brittany.
• Tonquédec Castle – a very short drive away from us. The remains of a medieval castle, set in the picturesque woods of the Léguer Valley. Events are often held here in full medieval costume.
• The Chateau of Kergrist – known as “the pearl of the Tregor Region”, and it is simply down the road from where we live. Three different style facades, from the 15th, 18th and 19th Centuries, look out onto the luxurious gardens.
• The Chateau of Rosanbo - at Lanvellec. The castle was embellished by the King’s Architect during the mid 1700’s. Magnificent interior and impressive gardens, with the longest tree lined walks in France.
• The Gardens and Chateau at Roche Jagu – has something for every garden enthusiast: walled gardens, terraces, a palm grove, a willow grove, a camellia wood, a meadow, and stunning views of the Trieux Valley.
• The Exotic Gardens of Kestellic, at Plouguiel, near Treguier. Rare trees and shrubs set in three zones- Mediterranean, Temperate, and Humid

Towns, Shops and Markets

Our three holiday gites are 6km from Lannion, an attractive Breton town, and capital of the Trégor region. It has a busy weekly market (Thursdays), where you can browse and savour some of the local produce. Probably Lannion’s most famous attraction, apart from its cobbled streets, and its 15th-16th Century buildings, is the Church of Brélévenez. The Church’s granite steps, (containing 140 steps), is a very familiar image to locals and visitors alike. If you treat yourselves to a souvenir tin of delicious Breton biscuits, it is possible that this will be the image on the lid.

There are also many flea markets held around the area throughout the summer. It can be fun to browse the brocante (bric a brac) stalls and maybe find an unexpected treasure.

You can probably find most of your holiday groceries, and necessary items, at the supermarket in our village of Ploubezre – a mere 2 minutes drive away. However, be warned, this shop, like so many others, shuts for about two hours at lunchtime. Lannion, a little further down the road, has three large supermarkets, so the choice is wide and varied.

Whether you are interested in architecture (Tréguier, Pontrieux), hoping to visit some museums (Perros Guirec, St.Brieuc) or simply happy to wander the streets and soak up the atmosphere (Quintin, Dinan), the place for you can almost definitely be found in one of the guide books placed in each of our gites.

Click here for a PDF listing the local markets. (COMING SOON)

A Place to Eat

For many of our past visitors and gite customers, one of the highlights of their holiday was an evening spent at the celtic crêperie in Ploubezre – Crêperie Lezoreguic. Excellent food, and a wonderful atmosphere, all contributed towards some happy memories of their stay in Brittany. Sadly the owners sold the crêperie in 2011, but these days they bring the experience direct to our door. On request the two proprietors will come to our gites, where they will prepare, cook, and serve their delicious savoury and sweet crêpes. A truly memorable evening for all.

Other favorite places to eat locally include:

Le Moulin Vert, a Lannion crêperie. Le Borneo in Lannion for pizzas and pasta dishes. Le Tire Bouchon, Lannion, for traditional local cuisine. Le Café du Port at Locquémeau for excellent organic food in a lovely location overlooking the beach. Crêperie de la mer at Plestin-les-Grèves, for simple food in a lovely location. Aziza in Lannion for it’s Moroccan specialities. We have named just a few of our favorites here but to see more click here

Walking & Rambling

We live on the edge of the beautiful Léguer Valley, and we are within a 25 minutes drive to the famous Pink Granite Coast. Both locations provide miles of uplifting walks – whether one wants to explore the woodlands, flowers and chateaux of the Valley; or the rugged cliff tops and sea views along the Coast.

The French Guide Book: ‘Le Pays du Trégor…à pied’ recommends over 7 walks that are virtually on our doorstep, and a further 20 or more, that are within the area. Our gite customers are welcome to borrow a copy of this guide, which provides clear maps, and details of each specific route. The suggested circular walks range from 4 km to 11km

An English Guide Book: ‘Walks in Côtes d’Armor, Northern Brittany’ is also available to borrow. This once again gives suggestions and maps for walks through the lush Brittany countryside, or by the dramatic Breton seaside.

Some suggestions include:

• The woods and valley around the Chapelle of Kerfons, or the Chateau of Tonquédec
• The cliff tops at the Domaine du Dourven (with the Contemporary Art Gallery)
• The extraordinary Pink Granite rocks and boulders at Ploumenac’h
• The river estuary, and the Roman remains at Le Yaudet
• www.brittanywalks.com
• www.reddogbooks.com

Cycling

The roads in this part of the world are not as congested as they are in England, although one has to watch out for tractors, especially those with trailers carrying heavy loads. Cycling is a popular French activity, and it is very common to see, especially at the weekends, large groups of brightly coloured cyclists passing through our village of Ploubezre.

The Ouest France Guide: ’36 balades en bord de mer à pied et à vélo’ recommends routes around Perros-Guirec. Some of our previous customers enjoyed the route to and from Plestin Les Grèves.

Maps, made for the Côtes d’Armor mountain biking organisation, detailing all the biking trails in the area, can be bought from Tourist Offices.

Electric bikes can also be rented by the day or for half days from the Lannion Tourist office and from several other locations in the area. For further details click on the banner below.

River Fishing

The River Léguer is within walking distance of our three holiday cottages, and the Rivers Guindy, and Jaudy are approximately 25-35 minutes drive away. All three rivers are famous for their trout and salmon fishing. The local Fishing Federation is very proud of the fact that the rivers are not artificially managed in any way. No fish are added to the rivers. Everything is a natural, biological process. The three rivers come in the 1st Class Category.

Most of the Léguer can be fished (Fly Fishing), as can the Guindy, and the Jaudy. The Season begins mid-march and closes at the end of October. The best time for fishing Truite Fario (Brown Trout) is from the beginning of May to mid-July. The best time for fishing Saumon (Salmon) is from mid-June to the end of July. Of course, it can be good fun at any time.

For anyone interested in a fishing holiday, or doing some fishing whilst on holiday, we are more than happy to help obtain the necessary licences. The licences available are:

• ‘La Carte Vacances’ – a holiday licence that allows you 15 consecutive days fishing, valid from June to December.
• ‘La Carte Journalière’ – a licence for one day, valid any day throughout the year.

There is a Fishing Tackle shop in Lannion. The staff are extremely friendly, and full of help and advice.

Sea Fishing

Boats and guides can be arranged on request

Canoeing & Kayaking

We are very near the River Léguer. One particular spot that is favoured by the Lannion Canoeing & Kayak Club is the point where the Léguer passes the old, picturesque chateau of Tonquèdec – about 5 minutes car drive away from us.
From this spot it is possible to paddle all the way down the river into the historic market town of Lannion, a distance of 30km. The water is Flat Water all the way, until one reaches Lannion’s unique ‘Stade de Vive’ – this is an artificial White Water Course, working with the tidal currents, passing through the centre of town.
A further 10km paddle along the river from Lannion takes one out to the river estuary, and the sea. However, one can only paddle in this stretch of the river at times when the tide allows.
The Lannion Canoeing Club, have advised us that April/May is the best period for being on the river – which is then at its fullest. Much enjoyment can still be had from June onwards, but the water level is a bit lower.

The River Trieux and the River Jeudy are also within driving distance of us, and they too flow out to sea, and the Pink Granite Coast.

For details about prices for hiring canoes & kayaks, sea kayaking, or organised kayaking tours around the islands see

www.nautismebretagne.fr

www.ville-lannion.fr

www.tourismebretagne.com

www.cotedegranitrose.fr