A season in South Brittany ?

T

tsekul

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We are thinking of keeping our boat in South Brittany for a season and exploring the area over long weekends and holidays in the summer. Has anyone done this and can you recommend a reasonably inexpensive place to base her. it would be best if there is public transport links from Roscoff
I was thinking of somewhere in the Lorient, Vannes area as exploring the Islands would be a priority.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
T
 
Have a look in this thread
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?525720-Brittany-advice-for-a-base-for-2020-cruise

We have had two long summer vacations remaining in the area so were not bothered about our links back to UK.

I think I I was leaving my boat for any longer durations I would probably choose a location either at Vannes or on the River Villaine. That will depend upon availability which others will be able to comment on as I dont have recent knowledge.

I love that area and am hoping that if my retirement is confirmed that we will be returning there next year from Wales via Southern Ireland including the Cork 300 and the Scillies with plenty of stops on another memorable Celtic Cruise.
 
Friends asked about the Villaine and I nosed around a bit. They now keep their boat there on a dry basis, with 12(?) lift out/ins a year for when they want to use her. Works for them, but the area is a bit sparsley connected and not many useful towns/services.
 
I'd second the R Villaine. La Roche Bernard is lovely, but always booked solid except for the buoys off the town. We left our boat in Arzal, just after the lock as you enter the river. Good rates and very secure, but not exactly 'buzzing' in the winter.
 
tsekul said:
We are thinking of keeping our boat in South Brittany for a season and exploring the area over long weekends and holidays in the summer. Has anyone done this and can you recommend a reasonably inexpensive place to base her. it would be best if there is public transport links from Roscoff
I was thinking of somewhere in the Lorient, Vannes area as exploring the Islands would be a priority.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
T
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Public transport to the Vilaine is all but impossible, we keep ours in Quiberon. Love the whole area but not sure many places are public transport friendly, don't think you can get anywhere from Roscoff without a bus to Morlaix first.
When I 'delivered' my boat to Quiberon, to get home I took a bus to Auray, train to Caen via Rennes then another bus to Ouistreham for the ferry to Portsmouth. Left Quiberon at 0630, arrived Portsmouth at 2115. Would have been quicker to go via Paris on Eurostar but 3X more expensive...
 
Lightwave395 said:
Public transport to the Vilaine is all but impossible, we keep ours in Quiberon. Love the whole area but not sure many places are public transport friendly, don't think you can get anywhere from Roscoff without a bus to Morlaix first.
When I 'delivered' my boat to Quiberon, to get home I took a bus to Auray, train to Caen via Rennes then another bus to Ouistreham for the ferry to Portsmouth. Left Quiberon at 0630, arrived Portsmouth at 2115. Would have been quicker to go via Paris on Eurostar but 3X more expensive...
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Not great but it has improved this year with 3 buses a day between Arzal and Vannes. If cost is important then Arzal is the cheapest berthing by some margin in the area though not much to do there. That said, La Roche Bernard is only 40 minutes up river and lots of other places are within 6 hours sail.
Unless you live near a ferry port, flying from Nantes is the easiest way to get to London or Manchester.
 
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In September I used the #8 bus from La Roche Bernard to Vannes, change at Muzillac. Cost 2 Euros.

There is a train station at Vannes and it is a hub for several bus services.

The waiting list for a berth at Vannes is several years .
 
Poignard said:
In September I used the #8 bus from La Roche Bernard to Vannes, change at Muzillac. Cost 2 Euros.

There is a train station at Vannes and it is a hub for several bus services.

The waiting list for a berth at Vannes is several years .
Click to expand...

Timetable for LRB and Arzal is here.
 
We left our boat in L'Orient for two weeks this year. Public transport is relatively good there; we got the train to Rennes and flew to Southampton. But they only fly that route 3 or 4 days per week. The alternative is to change trains and go to St. Malo for the ferry.
 
tsekul said:
We are thinking of keeping our boat in South Brittany for a season and exploring the area over long weekends and holidays in the summer. Has anyone done this and can you recommend a reasonably inexpensive place to base her. it would be best if there is public transport links from Roscoff
I was thinking of somewhere in the Lorient, Vannes area as exploring the Islands would be a priority.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
T
Click to expand...


Brest would be easiest, there are very regular, fast trains from Morlaix and getting to the train station is ok provided you take an overnight ferry and arrive early morning. The town marina is a short walk from the station and the airport is also quite handy.

Failing that, once you are at Morlaix there are regular trains (changes required) to all the main hot spots.
Quimper maybe, but a bit of a hassle, onward to get to your boat at Pt Foret, Benodet or Loctudy. The same trains would take you on to Lorient where the town marina is in walking distance and the other marinas within reach of an excellent water and bus net.
I suspect Vannes might be full up, but the train station is within a walk (long) of the marina.

It might be best to ask where you are likely to get a place and work from there - Saborite (?) of this parish is based that way and may be able to advise
 
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