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Author Topic: Brittany and Dordogne - France  (Read 8886 times)

AndrewKulin

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Brittany and Dordogne - France
« on: August 02, 2009, 10:03:34 pm »

I am going to be in France in August visiting Brittany (7 days) and the Dordogne Region (5 days).

Suggestions regarding interesting locales for photographs would be appreciated.

Andrew
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wolfnowl

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« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2009, 02:10:53 am »

Hi Andrew:  There used to be a great créperie restaurant in town and the owner was from Brittany.  Unfortunately, they've closed so I can't ask them for suggestions!

You might want to start here, though: http://www.westernfrancetouristboard.com/brittany.html

Also, if Wim Van Velzen is still on the forums, you could ask him as he did a trip to Brittany not that long ago...

http://luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?showuser=4225

Mike.
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NikoJorj

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« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2009, 12:41:12 pm »

A few places I like in Bretagne :
- The Mont St Michel bay is nice but really too crowded, to be visited at undue hours (sunset eg, sunrise is not as nice but quieter),
- This applies to a lesser extent to the old town of St Malo, with nice surroundings too,
- The most beautiful coast of this area is the Cote de Granit Rose (Pink Granite Coast) between Paimpol and Perros-Guirrec or Treberden, with very scenic places such as the Sillon de Talbert or the Bréhat island (access by boat from Lezardrieux or Paimpol).
- South of the Brest haven, Camaret and the Cap de la Chèvre and Pointe de Pen-Hir are nice, and farther south the Raz de Sein (Pointe du Raz) can be quite scenic too.
- I know the south coast (Bretagne Sud in french) better from the sea (sailing) than from the shore, so wouldn't be very useful, but I'll suggest Concarneau (nice little haven and departure for Glénans), and Etel, Auray and LarmorBaden for their rias. Quiberon is quite worth a visit too, in this area.

It's not as practical if you travel by car, but every island can be worth a visit.
The accessibility of some of them can depend on the weather, as testify the seamen' sayings (qui voit Groix voit sa joie, qui voit Molène voit sa peine, qui voit Ouessant voit son sang, qui voit Sein voit sa fin, I'll let you translate   ).
Add the Glénans (south of Concarneau) and Houat & Hoedic (south of Quiberon) in the south coast, who can show a bit of a Carribbean mood if the weather is with you.

There are of course many other nice places that I don't know or didn't think! Particularly, I didn't speak of the inland, which can also have some rural charm in some places but has more often often been damaged by intensive pork and grain farming.
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Nicolas from Grenoble
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Lisa Nikodym

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« Reply #3 on: August 03, 2009, 04:35:15 pm »

In Brittany, the ancient megaliths are incredibly interesting to photograph.  The main concentrations are near Carnac.  In the most touristy set, you're not allowed to walk among the stones, just see them from behind fences, but there are smaller (though just as interesting) groups elsewhere in the area where you can walk among them.

Lisa
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francois

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« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2009, 06:30:50 am »

Quote from: NikoJorj
…It's not as practical if you travel by car, but every island can be worth a visit.
The accessibility of some of them can depend on the weather, as testify the seamen' sayings (qui voit Groix voit sa joie, qui voit Molène voit sa peine, qui voit Ouessant voit son sang, qui voit Sein voit sa fin, I'll let you translate   ).
Add the Glénans (south of Concarneau) and Houat & Hoedic (south of Quiberon) in the south coast, who can show a bit of a Carribbean mood if the weather is with you.
I agree with you. Ouessant, Molène and Sein are something to see, especially if there's windy conditions.
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Francois

Rob C

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« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2009, 12:09:01 pm »

Two suggestions:

a. look at Philip Plisson´s site;
b. the Dordogne in high summer is England; better avoid until second-half of September when all the northern Europeans have driven back home  and the local schools have started again. Relatively empty (read safer) roads, and scenery beautiful, even if lunch starts at noon instead of a more civilized 13.00hrs...

Rob C

francois

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« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2009, 12:51:12 pm »

Philip Plisson website is here: http://uk.plisson.com/
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Francois

NikoJorj

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« Reply #7 on: August 05, 2009, 03:46:12 am »

Quote from: Rob C
b. the Dordogne in high summer is England; better avoid until second-half of September when all the northern Europeans have driven back home  and the local schools have started again. Relatively empty (read safer) roads, and scenery beautiful, even if lunch starts at noon instead of a more civilized 13.00hrs...
Not false (even if I'd rather not call the Brits' eating habits as "more civilized" in Périgord, with due respect   - go eg to the "Criquettamus" in Sarlat if you wanna eat well, but there are many other good places)...
The simplest there is to follow the main valleys (Vezère and Dordogne) until something strikes you (hopefully not an english caravan).
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Nicolas from Grenoble
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erick.boileau

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Brittany and Dordogne - France
« Reply #8 on: August 06, 2009, 07:43:12 am »

In France you must see the town Sarlat and all the region around the cave Lascaux ,  Les Eyzies ,  if you have time le gouffre de Padirac

in Brittany you can see  my small gallery >> http://erickboileau.com/galerie.php?gal=bretagne , cote de granit rose  in Tregastel or Ploumanach, this region is one of the most beautiful region in France , I shall be there certainly at the end of August
« Last Edit: August 06, 2009, 12:24:29 pm by erick.boileau »
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Rob C

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« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2009, 10:29:10 am »

Quote from: erick.boileau
I France you must see the town Sarlat and all the region around the cave Lascaux ,  Les Eyzies ,  if you have time le gouffre de Padirac

in Brittany you can see  my small gallery >> http://erickboileau.com/galerie.php?gal=bretagne , cote de granit rose  in Tregastel or Ploumanach, this region is one of the most beautiful region in France , I shall be there certainly at the end of August




Another gallery to visit, in Sarlat, is the one belonging to Francis Annet. Unless the economic crisis has closed both him and Sarlat down, that is!

He was in love with Nikon and Velvia - wonder where he´s at now...

I don´t think I´d choose to stay in Sarlat, though, perhaps best simply to spend a day there. A small logis that we used to enjoy was the Hostellerie de la Paix in Payrac, not too far away; modest rooms but excellent cuisine. Since our time it seems to have departed from the Logis fold - possibly collateral damage from the creation of the motorway system that has tended to sideline so many previously prosperous main routes through the country. Only because we resisted using the motorways for some years did we have the opportunity of finding nice places to spend time. Turning back that clock, however, takes a talent beyond mine...

Rob C
« Last Edit: August 06, 2009, 03:36:57 pm by Rob C »
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erick.boileau

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« Reply #10 on: August 06, 2009, 12:26:30 pm »

and Sarlat in August is crowed, full of tourist
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Rob C

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« Reply #11 on: August 06, 2009, 03:44:04 pm »

Quote from: erick.boileau
and Sarlat in August is crowed, full of tourist




I had a look at your gallery just now: Catalogne Mountain, image no. 6243 is, in my opinion, beautiful. Congratulations.

Rob C

erick.boileau

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« Reply #12 on: August 07, 2009, 02:51:46 am »

Thank you Rob

it is in the region of  France > Perpignan  > lac des Bouillouses , not far from Fond-Romeu
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AndrewKulin

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« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2009, 03:22:53 pm »

Hi all.  I've read the suggestions and:

The trip's been booked for about a year (it's an extended family trip in celebration of my Parent's 50th wedding anniversary - my Mom was born in France) so nothing I can do about the schedule.  So we'll be in the Dordogne with all the English tourists (my brother-in-law is from England).

I get seasick watching kid's on a swing so island's off the Brittany coast by boat looks unlikely (my wife loves to tell the story of our honeymoon on Hawaii when we took a dinner cruise on a catamaran and I spent a good portion of the cruise looking straight down at the ocean if you catch my meaning ... and seas were apparently "gentle").

In Brittany we'll be staying with some of my Mom's relatives in a small town between Nantes and Rennes.  I'll try to get up to the Pink Granite Coast (ideally for photographs late in the day, but according to Google it looks to be about a 2.5 hour drive one-way - not a big deal to me, but there is a wife and two kids to accommodate, and there may be some debate about the merits of driving back to our base camp after dark).

The megaliths at Carnac were on my wife and eldest son's list of things to see - good to know about the access restrictions at some of the locations.  My eldest seems to be developing an appreciation for ancient cultures.  I had visited Brittany about 33 years ago with my parents and remember being taken to the site of some Roman ruins by my Mom's uncle near where we will be staying that were just being excavated and I will be interested to go back and to see whatever has happened since then.  

With regard to Sarlat, if this is called Sarlat-la-Caneda then we are staying at a place about 6 km west of the town.  What is it about this town that is so special?  (as it was specifically mentioned as place to visit for at least a day).

The rest of our trip will see us visiting the battlefields at Passchendaele, Vimy, Somme and Normandy and ending with about three days in Paris, which will be purely the tourist stuff as my wife want to take the kids to all the "sites" - Louvre, Versailles, Eiffel Tower, etc.

Andrew
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Rob C

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« Reply #14 on: August 08, 2009, 03:41:15 pm »

Quote from: AndrewKulin
Hi all.  I've read the suggestions and:

 

With regard to Sarlat, if this is called Sarlat-la-Caneda then we are staying at a place about 6 km west of the town.  What is it about this town that is so special?  (as it was specifically mentioned as place to visit for at least a day).

Andrew


Yes, that´s the place!

The main thing about it is its age; very old and historic with beautiful old buildings to match (old town) though the modern bit isn´t anything special.

Domme is another place to visit - hard to park, if not impossible during your slot - but worth the try. Great views of the river from the heights of the town. Another place nearby is Rocamadour on the other side across the old N 20; it is all very concentrated in the area - but don´t forget to start looking for lunch berfore noon! Oh, La Roque-Gageac is also interesting and you can climb up and visit some cave dwellings if you want to risk your neck... If you have time, try Montpazier too; classic bastide.

All in all, a beautiful part of a wonderful country.

Rob C

Lisa Nikodym

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« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2009, 11:13:11 am »

Quote
The megaliths at Carnac were on my wife and eldest son's list of things to see - good to know about the access restrictions at some of the locations. My eldest seems to be developing an appreciation for ancient cultures. I had visited Brittany about 33 years ago with my parents and remember being taken to the site of some Roman ruins by my Mom's uncle near where we will be staying that were just being excavated and I will be interested to go back and to see whatever has happened since then.

The region of Brittany around Carnac is absolutely littered with bits of megalithic ruins.  I suggest looking for a guidebook while you're there.  While it's well worth seeing the main set from behind the fences, my recommendations for the two best where you can walk among the stones (at least of the ones we saw) are:
(1)  the Kerzerho alignments,
   http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/9929/
   two of my photos of it: Kerzerho 1
     Kerzerho 2 (infrared)
(2)  the Petit Menec stones, at one end of the major Carnac rows, in a pretty forest:
  http://www.montcocher.com/tag/le-menec/
  one of my photos of it: Petit Menec 1

There are also some interesting megaliths on the Locmariaquer peninsula, though they're less photogenic.

Enjoy!
Lisa
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