Road Trip Report – Brittany Part 4
When I last left you, we had toured the area around our hotel, the Relais Chateau property, Hotel de la Plage, had refreshed ourselves with a lovely panaché in the hotel bar and lunched at a creperie at the end of the world.
Bellies full we headed to our destination for the afternoon, Pointe du Raz, a point that sticks way out (but not the furthest out) from the western part of France.
To say this place is dramatic is not giving it justice. It is windy and wild and breathtaking. It is also under environmental protection as tourists have flocked to it for more than a century, particularly in the early 19th century when it appeared in novels by Victor Hugo and Gustave Flaubert. I certainly was enchanted. For some reason, I thought of Wuthering Heights, which is completely wrong, but that was what it invoked for me.
From the visitor center to the lighthouse, where you have access to the furthest point, is probably a 45-minute walk, but it took Mr. Misadventures and I about double that as we stopped ever 5 seconds to take photos. The coast is savage and the variety of colors is an assault on your senses. There are fields of purple and yellow flowers that look so inviting until you approach them and see that they are protected by brambles and thick bushes. The deep blues of the ocean are hypnotizing, the various shades of greys and browns in the rocks a wonder of nature.
I am fascinated by the old wood that runs along the beaches and cliffs here (mentioned in my previous post as well). The stories that these wind-whipped, salt-coated fences could tell….
As you walk along the main path or if you are a bit more adventurous, the sentier côtier, you can see four small landmarks off the coast: La Tourelle de la Plate, La Vieille (The Old Lady) Lighthouse and Gorle Greiz ( a rock). There is also the Raz de Sein, which is the stretch of water between it and the island of Sein.
Once we arrived at the lighthouse, we walked out to the furthest point which was extremely windy. The view is so amazing I didn't even take photos of the lighthouse!
We walked back taking more photos of the flowers and water, passed by the touristy visitor's center where there were various places that served crepes…pretty sure they wouldn't be good…and headed back on our one hour drive to the hotel.
I can almost feel the cool ocean breeze by looking at that photo. Ahhh, wish I was there right now. 😉
@Carolyn, it was amazing.
I’m ashamed to say I STILL haven’t made it to Brittany *gasp*! Love the story you weave here! Plus your photos are spectacular, I feel like I’m there!
@Lindsey, there is so much to see in France, there is no shame in not having been everywhere yet! You have been to Toulouse and Corsica and Marseilles – three places I would very much like to visit!