La Mer, le Canal & les Pyrénées

Jacques Vert · 2024-10-10T01:00:11+1100

Vannes

At the head of the Gulf du Morbihan is the the city of Vannes. It has a history dating back over 2,000 years but is best known for its medieval old city, its ramparts and its half-timbered houses (of which there are approximately 170 remaining). It also has a port area just outside the old city which can be accessed by reasonably large pleasure vessels via the Gulf du Morbihan. Although it is now a city with a population of around 54,000 the old city centre has managed to retain it charm.

I've been to Vannes three times and I have to admit it remains one of my favourite cities in France:

On one side of the old city the ramparts have been maintained and the area once containing the moat is now a beautiful open area:

Jacques Vert · 2024-10-10T04:13:26+1100

Most french towns have their marché and while the one in La Rochelle remains the stand-out on this trip, the one in Vannes, although much smaller, is also pretty good...

Jacques Vert · 2024-10-10T05:42:02+1100

île de Groix

As noted before there are quite a few islands along the South Brittany coast. The île de Groix is situated around 17km south of Lorient and there is a ferry that goes from the port in Lorient and takes around 50 minutes to cross over to Port Tudy, about midway along the north coast of the island. We were thinking of making the trip and when the lady at the Office du Tourisme mentioned that there were free tickets for the ferry, of course we decided to go.

Not surprisingly the deal turned out to have conditions. You had to travel on the earliest ferry and return on the latest; although when booking it did seem that you may qualify if either your departure or return ticked that box, not necessarily both ways. Next condition was that there were only 10 free tickets per day and they sell out quickly. So at midnight I was ready to pounce but didn't realise that each ticket had to be purchased separately; that is, I couldn't buy 2 free tickets on the one booking. By the time I worked that out most of the tickets were gone but I did manage to get one free ticket and purchased a full fare ticket for +1. Oh well, effectively a 50% discount and we are always up for a bargain.

Our ride:

So on board just after dawn and the trip down Lorient's harbour is beautiful; one of the better harbours on the Atlantic coast. First a couple of photos for @drron :