ብሪትኒ...አስካሪ ቆንጆ..

We drive into Brittany in pouring rain. Despite the weather, the magnificent landscape doesn't dampen our mood. Sandy beaches stretching to the horizon, cliffs and rugged coastlines, small fishing villages with colorful boats and countless stalls selling fish, mussels, oysters, and everything that creeps and crawls in the sea. The air smells like sea and fish. The forests are full of pine trees and the ground is covered with heather. I am glued to the windshield with enthusiasm. At Cape Pointe-Du-Decolle, we make our first stop and hike around the land's edge high above the sea. It's noon and the sea is once again gone. With a whopping 14 meters, this place has the largest tidal range in the world after Canada. When the tide goes out, the sea pulls the water from the land in an incredible current, leaving all the ports dry and the boats lying on the sand. The wind whistles in our ears but the view makes up for everything.

At Point-de-Bay, we find a free motorhome parking space and meet the Germans Susanne and Thomas. Together, we collect mussels at the dream beach. The rocks are covered with them, as the large mussel and oyster farms are in the bay next door. The dogs romp on the beach and are as happy as we are. In the evening, we enjoy delicious mussels with garlic-white wine sauce and sit together in our camper van until late at night. The stove is burning, it is stormy and rainy outside, the red wine tastes excellent, and the next day we all need a day of rest... the hangover is big :). Luckily, it is pouring rain today... so it's easy to laze around... and after all, we have all the time in the world. Thank you both for the nice evening.

Then we set off for Cape Frehel. First, we need to "refresh" ourselves again, which means getting rid of wastewater, refilling fresh water (even 250 liters eventually run out), emptying the composting toilet, shopping, and getting rid of garbage. Luckily, this is not a problem in France. There are plenty of disposal and service areas here. And supermarkets on every other corner.

Cape Frehel welcomes us stormy and cloudy. Despite the wind, we don't miss out on a hike around the cape, high above the cliffs, between broom and heather. The view from up here is fantastic, and both humans and dogs enjoy it to the fullest.

We continue along the coast. We sleep in small fishing villages, in the wilderness, or at free parking spaces, explore the area with our dogs, and look forward to daily new discoveries and walks. We feel most comfortable on our own...).

At Pointe de Primel, we climb over huge rocks and marvel at the bizarre rock formations. The Atlantic crashes with big waves onto the land below us. We can't get enough of it...

We usually stay 1-2 nights in one place, explore the area, and then move on... always along the beautiful coast. We walk across oyster beds. They are simply everywhere. The beaches are scattered with them, as are the cliffs, and the bright shells shimmer in the water. It feels like the whole Brittany is a shell landscape. People wave at us or stop for a chat. Everyone is enthusiastic about our camper van and especially men (of course!) like to have technical discussions with Kilian. Every 2-3 weeks, we look for a campsite with a washing machine for one night... otherwise, we only stay at wild camping spots. This saves a lot of money, and besides, we are not really "cuddly campers". We like to have space around us... that's when we feel free. Most campsites are closed in October anyway. There are almost only French people left... we rarely see Germans anymore. The temperatures have settled at 18-21 degrees... that's enough for us.

In Lagonna Daoulas, we find another great overnight spot at the very tip of the land in a small harbor. Beautiful hiking trails run along the sea. The beaches and rocks are covered with oysters, and both the dog and the human climb the rocks like mountain goats and have a great time. At Pointe du Van, a small cape, we check into the municipal campsite. There are only 3 guests and washing machines and dryers. What more does a camper's heart want?

In the morning, we are awakened by the sound of rain and storm. Autumn has caught up with us, and bad weather is expected for the next few days. We decide to take a day of travel today and head south towards La Rochelle. We start in pouring rain via Quimper. I am a bit sad because there are still so many corners here in beautiful Brittany that I would have loved to see.

Two hours later, the weather forecast suddenly changes (it always changes quickly here on the Atlantic). Tomorrow, clear skies are predicted. We see it as a sign that we have to stay here a little longer and drive to the Quiberon peninsula. We find a fantastic spot right on the beach, make ourselves comfortable, and wait for the sun. It's wonderful to be as timeless as we are.

We once again have nice neighbors from Rüdesheim. Wolfgang and Brigitte with their Italian water dog Mia are also traveling in Brittany and are just as happy as we are that the sun is finally shining again. We go out to eat together in the evening (a bit of luxury is always nice) and have a nice evening in good company. It was nice to meet you. It's always wonderful to meet nice people while traveling.

On October 7th, we say goodbye to the two of them, make a detour to Carnac, and visit the 1100 menhirs there. These are stones from Roman times that lie in exact lines in the grass. One could think that Asterix and Obelix will jump by soon....after all, we are in Gaul and the nearby campsite has the appropriate name 'Les Druides'.

In La Rochelle, we park at the harbor and stroll through the beautiful old town. In the evening, we find a great secluded overnight spot in a small harbor outside the city. The thermometer shows a fantastic 25 degrees, and the sky is cloudless. Tomorrow, we will say goodbye with a heavy heart to fantastic Brittany. We will forever keep this rugged coastline with its small sandy coves, cliffs, and fishing villages in our hearts as "particularly valuable". We had an incredibly beautiful time in the past weeks.

Pays de la Loire, here we come!

Note: I am often asked how we always find such great spots. That's why I want to answer that now. We use the camper app park4night, and we have the motorhome guide from the Womo series for most countries.

See you soon.

Sandra