Baltic vs Southern Brittany

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oakleyb

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We are lucky enough to get 5 to 6 weeks off this summer. We have two kids and a dog so looking for pros and cons for each area. We do need to factor in the return journey
 
Although I'm a great fan of the Baltic, I don't think that you will get good value in six weeks from the Solent. You will only have a short time there and spend most of it worrying about how to get back. You would really need about three months to enjoy it. I only know northern Brittany but know people who have been to the south. It looks enjoyable, but these things are often a matter of taste. Possibly better food, and a much easier return journey.
 
I haven’t been to the Baltic but love Southern Brittany, from the challenging but lovely Chanel du Four and Raz de Sein to the red tiled roofs and warmth appearing as you get towards Benodet. Then all the islands down to La Rochelle and back. A 3 week cruise to there when I was twelve was the one that really switched me on to a sailing holiday being full of swimming, foreign food and beaches as well and (what then seems like) high adventure.

Every body has different tastes and I’ve never liked the Morbihon or the unfriendly dump that is Camaret, but the rest is great.
 
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johnalison said:
Although I'm a great fan of the Baltic, I don't think that you will get good value in six weeks from the Solent. You will only have a short time there and spend most of it worrying about how to get back. You would really need about three months to enjoy it. I only know northern Brittany but know people who have been to the south. It looks enjoyable, but these things are often a matter of taste. Possibly better food, and a much easier return journey.
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+1 Been to both from Ipswich. Baltic splendid vast cruising area. Many people overwinter there rather than return each winter so they can explore a bit more each year. Southern Brittany much more do-able in 5/6 weeks. WP you should be able to reach Pte de Penmarche in a week if you press on and that leaves 3 full weeks to explore before starting the return journey which you could take at a more leisurely pace.
Tip: the French are not stupid. Their summer holidays finish about August 14th. The balmy Souther Brittany summer weather often breaks soon after. Be well on the way home by then!
 
Kurrawong_Kid said:
X+1 Been to both from Ipswich. Baltic splendid vast cruising area. Many people overwinter there rather than return each winter so they can explore a bit more each year. Southern Brittany much more do-able in 5/6 weeks. WP you should be able to reach Pte de Penmarche in a week if you press on and that leaves 3 full weeks to explore before starting the return journey which you could take at a more leisurely pace.
Tip: the French are not stupid. Their summer holidays finish about August 14th. The balmy Souther Brittany summer weather often breaks soon after. Be well on the way home by then!
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It used to be 'when the fishermen start hauling in their nets' time to head home, but now, with the dearth of fishermen, I suppose August 14th will do.
 
harry potter said:
Baltic is due North! Also http://www.arc2020.eu/factory-farming-made-the-baltic-sea-one-of-the-worlds-most-polluted-seas/ is a bit of a deterrant. Most Scandinavians, given the chance, head south.
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By virtue of being in the north, the Baltic enjoys long days and sunsets that seem to go on forever, like Scotland. It can also be stiflingly hot, and settled fine weather is not unusual. I have only ever been kept in port for a day or two in the summer by bad weather, unlike the weeks or more we sometimes get in the Channel. The Swedes go south because there's nowhere else to go other than messing around in Norway, which is no doubt very pleasant but with alcohol that costs even more than in Sweden.
 
Both are lovely places in their own ways and we have been to both.
However if you are Solent based and have just 6 weeks then unless you p!an to do some serious mileage in a short period to get there and back then 6 weeks is not going to give you sufficient time to get to the best parts of the Baltic and enjoy them before you then race back.
 
Not familiar with the Baltic, but have been a few times in Brittany, most recently three years ago. Lovely place with its own culture and strong boating tradition – my impression is that everyone there is familiar with the basics of boating! Extremely windy though... If you are chartering I would recommend Click&Boat, they have boats there at all prices. We hired a Jeanneau Sun Fast from a chap called Jean-Yves. Not to miss: Les Ebihens, Molene, Hoedic and Bono. Couple of lovely islands too but don't remember their names...
 
In Brittany all locals own a boat and often use them in ways that make us Brits worry. 14 boats rafted on one pair of fore and aft buoys in Isle de Yeux! One half will have 7 in the dinghy to go eat ashore while the other other half produce haute cuisine for 6 in their 24 ft bilge keeper! Love it��

Next year the Baltic for 4 months and maybe over winter for another 4 the year after.

Agree Brittany for your time frame
 
oakleyb said:
We are lucky enough to get 5 to 6 weeks off this summer. We have two kids and a dog so looking for pros and cons for each area. We do need to factor in the return journey
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Both are fantastic cruising areas. It's really hard to recommend one over the other as it depends on what you are looking for. This would be a good starting point:

http://www.jimbsail.info/tidal-europe/biscay/france

http://www.jimbsail.info/cruise-area/baltic

To help maximise your time in the area, have you considered using a professional yacht delivery service to complete either the passage there or the passage back? We regularly help clients with this sort of service and both the Baltic and South Britanny are popular destinations.

Whichever option you choose, you won't be disappointed!

Pete
 
Both are great...Baltic, (my experience is mainly in Archipelago) many many islands to stop on so good for kids and dogs, no tide and sheltered bays so quiet nights sleep. flat water it never really gets that lumpy as you are nearly always sheltered. Never seems to get that crowded even in sandhamn

Souther Brittany... Many places to eat and buy fresh croissants for breakfast, can get quite crowded though. Fairly big tides and open to Atlantic so can get quite lumpy or rolley.
 
We have done both in our yacht. Baltic allllllll day long.

We did Stocholm archipelago. No tides, no current, loads of lovely islands, loads of anchorages so you hardly spend time in marinas so much cheaper! Mooring bows to the islands, dead easy. Next anchorage is maybe 30 minutes away!!! Down side is the season is fairly short and even in august some facilities in outlying islands are shutting down. We found food etc about same as here, just leave the hard booze on the shelf. Stockholm was lovely and the marina where we kept our boat was very easy and convenient, maybe 30 minute walk into the heart of the city. Locals are pleasent, theybtend to leave you alone unless you approach them, but very friendly when you do. DIY saunas on a fair few islands is fun!

We have also done what was east germany on a friends boat. Very free!

We also did a summer from Brittany, Roche Bernard. Lots of tide and current, marinas and anchorages are a fair distance from each other. No way are you mooring near a beach. Dont leave your boat unattended as the marina doesnt give you a berth, they keep moving you about. Probably had 6 different berths in 3 months, and a big scratch down the side. Good food and wine, but no longer cheap.

Any specific detail drop me a line.

We had the boat delivered on both trips. Lots of charter boats in both locations.
 
I would love to sail to the Baltic and the Navigator similarly keen but ......

To get to Brittany from Plymouth and back we need just over 3 weeks, and that is exactly what we will be doing to Festival de Mare in Morbihan in 2 weeks time. Even that is a bit short so we will only visit some of the islands we missed last time. Even then more than a couple of bad weather days cause major issues.

Planning for the Baltic indicates that to get to Sweden I reckon I need six weeks to get there. No doubt other boats are faster and others more willing for shorthanded long overnight passages, but for us the 32hr crossing to Brittany takes a day in port to recover so mix of one long hop with coastal small hops is in order for our exploring. I doubt that on my humble Railway Engineers salary/pension I can readily afford to leave boat in Sweden over winter so must plan to go out and back in one long season, though that might not constrain the OP.
 
oldmanofthehills said:
Planning for the Baltic indicates that to get to Sweden I reckon I need six weeks to get there. No doubt other boats are faster and others more willing for shorthanded long overnight passages, but for us the 32hr crossing to Brittany takes a day in port to recover so mix of one long hop with coastal small hops is in order for our exploring. I doubt that on my humble Railway Engineers salary/pension I can readily afford to leave boat in Sweden over winter so must plan to go out and back in one long season, though that might not constrain the OP.
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I know people who have left boats in the Baltic, though I haven't done it myself. The costs don't seem as bad as one might expect. One friend left his boat at Burgstaaken on Fehmann several years. He did tell me how much it cost which I don't recall except that it seemed very reasonable (under cover) and he is certainly not well-off. There are countries other than Sweden with coastlines on the Baltic without the additional distance of going to the east. Denmark and Germany both have their advocates.

As someone said, East Germany can be quite free, by which I assume that he means the influence of the FKK, the German naturist club. They have their own beaches but nude bathing is widespread.
 
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