aldeburgh
Well-Known Member
We are off to Brittany for the first time and would like some recommendations of the best beaches and anchorages not always detailed in pilot books.
ps our children are 16 and 18
ps our children are 16 and 18
Best beaches and anchorages in Brittany
- Thread starter aldeburgh
- Start date
jhr
Well-Known Member
"Secret anchorages of Brittany" by Peter Cumberlidge. ;-)
ksutton
Well-Known Member
Imray book called secret anchorages of Brittany by Peter Cumberlidge, no marinas mentioned all choice anchorages.
Cornishman
Well-Known Member
You will find many anchorages in Ch 9 of the Admiralty publication called The Channel Pilot (NP 27). I have used most of them from time to time and many are delightfully quiet away from the crowds which seem to frequent the marinas in places like Perros Guirec, Treguier etc. If you wish to anchor in a small port area try Port Blanc.
Jinks
Well-Known Member
Publishing a book called "secret anchorages ... " does seem something of a contradiction.
Sorry, just struck me as amusing.
Sorry, just struck me as amusing.
youen
Well-Known Member
If you come in South Brittany ,I think if the weather is fair the best anchorage is the Ile des Glenan but you can find a lot of nice anchorages everywhere depending of the weather
DownWest
Well-Known Member
Ah! but it is English, so the French don't know about them and crowd them up in August.
:grin:A
:grin:A
davidfox
Well-Known Member
I found anchoring here quite challenging and a bit alarming following the pilot books, however loads of people do it with ease, local knowledge plays a big part.
Robin
Well-Known Member
Forgive me for asking why?
We anchor a lot in South Brittany and are headed that way in a couple of weeks to do just that! I've never had a problem with anchoring at all in the area. We anchor regularly in Camaret, Morgat, Audierne (St Evette), outside and inside Benodet River Odet, Concarneau, Isles De Glenan (many places) Port Manech, Belle Isle (lots of places, the famous Ster Wen is but one) Houat (lots of places) Hoedic, inside Morbihan (lots of places), Isle De Yeu and so on.
North Brittany is more challenging because of the tidal streams and tidal range but we have still anchored in L'Aberwrac'h, Sept Isles, off Perros Guirec, Port Blanc, Treguier River, Brehat.
Secret Anchorages is worth having but it is also worth getting the French Pilotes Cotiers pilots which I would guess is where most of the information for Secret Anchorages came from.
davidfox
Well-Known Member
It was the isles de glenan (the inside anchorages) that we found a bit alarming due to the rocky approaches around the outside it was ok.
James_Calvert
Well-Known Member
Beaches and anchorages (the best ones) don't always go together. Also depends what you want from a beach.
For beaches our N Brittany favourites include:
St Malo - a walk across/around town from the locked marina
Ile de Brehat: La Corderie - pick up a visitors buoy at the entrance - there's also a couple of beaches on the S of the island.
Port Blanc
Perros Guirec - good beaches the other side of town from marina (uphill and down again)
Ploumanach - either walk from harbour or dinghy to the islet opposite with the castle on it
Tregastel
Trebeurden - the main beach across the isthmus beyond the marina or dinghy to or anchor off Ile Molene.
Anchorages.
Ile de Brehat - the south side for access to beaches - but rather in the main tidal stream (you can't anchor close in because the beaches are buoyed off )
Port Blanc - visitors buoys may be available and there's also room to anchor.
Tregastel - visitors buoys again - very picturesque, but exposed to swell at HW.
Trebeurden - off the beach to the S of Ile Molene - a classic desert island with rocks instead of palms - daytime only I'd suggest.
For beaches our N Brittany favourites include:
St Malo - a walk across/around town from the locked marina
Ile de Brehat: La Corderie - pick up a visitors buoy at the entrance - there's also a couple of beaches on the S of the island.
Port Blanc
Perros Guirec - good beaches the other side of town from marina (uphill and down again)
Ploumanach - either walk from harbour or dinghy to the islet opposite with the castle on it
Tregastel
Trebeurden - the main beach across the isthmus beyond the marina or dinghy to or anchor off Ile Molene.
Anchorages.
Ile de Brehat - the south side for access to beaches - but rather in the main tidal stream (you can't anchor close in because the beaches are buoyed off )
Port Blanc - visitors buoys may be available and there's also room to anchor.
Tregastel - visitors buoys again - very picturesque, but exposed to swell at HW.
Trebeurden - off the beach to the S of Ile Molene - a classic desert island with rocks instead of palms - daytime only I'd suggest.
Robin
Well-Known Member
The key to Les Isles De Glenan is to have a large scale chart (the French one is better by far then the UKHO one) or a plotter with large scale charts loaded, we use C Map. The next key is to arrive if you can at HW or at least above half tide for the first time into a new anchorage inside the islands because whilst the anchorage may have deep enough water the approaches to it might not. Even the visitor moorings (ugh!) do not guarantee it is deep enough for a fin keeler on springs - French boats often have legs! We have 2.08m draught BTW or 6'10".
We usually stop overnight in Glenans on our way south from Camaret to somewher in Quiberon Bay and reserve a longer stop for when on our way home. We use it going this way as it is quicker than going into Benodet or Concarneau (both of which also have outside anchorages). This often means we are arriving at near LW and in the dark if we have come from Camaret and through the Raz. It can still be done with care! We use the easier northern entrance via 'La Pie' beacon which now even has a light on it, dim like a LED but still lit. After that the route passes the outer anchorage to another lit beacon and you hang a right here (not too close..) into La Chambre anchorage which is the most popular. There is room to anchor east of the moorings and it is actually deeper here than on the buoys, somewhere between the buoys and the rubbish raft is ideal.
The other easy route in is via the west side of Isle Penfret and there is deep water off here to anchor even on big springs. To get to the main La Chambre anchorage you go along Penfret far enough to clear the frighteningly named 'La Tete de Mort' rock then head straight for La Chambre. The other inner anchorages are all reached at suitable tide states from this inner area, we did our own research once over several days sailing around everywhere in a Tinker dink.
The holding in the islands is good, we've used a CQR copy, then a CQR genuine and now a Delta over 20 some years and never dragged once. You need to find a clear bit of sand to drop it on otherwise (don't tell anyone...) there is lots of eel grass and I might bring some back this year to plant in Studland.
The water is so clear you can count the shells on the bottom.
We have stayed overnight in winds up to F6 but left otherwise simply because the islands are at their nicest with the sun shining rather than wet and windy.
There is another incentive too. On the main island by the tripper boats landing is a cafe that morphs into a restaurant at night and if you like lobster they have the pick of them from the enormous concrete tank just in front of them, where they keep stocks to send to Paris I was told. It used to be (very) cheap but in recent years it has become trendy, still good but pricy.
Oh and the swimming in the islands is wonderful, there is a natural coral beach betwen the two bits of the main island.
You do need a thorough knowledge of colregs to deal with the hundreds of trainee sailors in every possible kind of boat doing all things unpredictable.
We usually stop overnight in Glenans on our way south from Camaret to somewher in Quiberon Bay and reserve a longer stop for when on our way home. We use it going this way as it is quicker than going into Benodet or Concarneau (both of which also have outside anchorages). This often means we are arriving at near LW and in the dark if we have come from Camaret and through the Raz. It can still be done with care! We use the easier northern entrance via 'La Pie' beacon which now even has a light on it, dim like a LED but still lit. After that the route passes the outer anchorage to another lit beacon and you hang a right here (not too close..) into La Chambre anchorage which is the most popular. There is room to anchor east of the moorings and it is actually deeper here than on the buoys, somewhere between the buoys and the rubbish raft is ideal.
The other easy route in is via the west side of Isle Penfret and there is deep water off here to anchor even on big springs. To get to the main La Chambre anchorage you go along Penfret far enough to clear the frighteningly named 'La Tete de Mort' rock then head straight for La Chambre. The other inner anchorages are all reached at suitable tide states from this inner area, we did our own research once over several days sailing around everywhere in a Tinker dink.
The holding in the islands is good, we've used a CQR copy, then a CQR genuine and now a Delta over 20 some years and never dragged once. You need to find a clear bit of sand to drop it on otherwise (don't tell anyone...) there is lots of eel grass and I might bring some back this year to plant in Studland.
The water is so clear you can count the shells on the bottom.We have stayed overnight in winds up to F6 but left otherwise simply because the islands are at their nicest with the sun shining rather than wet and windy.
There is another incentive too. On the main island by the tripper boats landing is a cafe that morphs into a restaurant at night and if you like lobster they have the pick of them from the enormous concrete tank just in front of them, where they keep stocks to send to Paris I was told. It used to be (very) cheap but in recent years it has become trendy, still good but pricy.
Oh and the swimming in the islands is wonderful, there is a natural coral beach betwen the two bits of the main island.
You do need a thorough knowledge of colregs to deal with the hundreds of trainee sailors in every possible kind of boat doing all things unpredictable.
davidfox
Well-Known Member
Very nicely put - However coming from the land of soft mud I find those rocks far too hard and sharp!
Robin
Well-Known Member
Nah, I much prefer rocks because they don't move then jump up unexpectedly because you are using a 10 year old chart...
There actually aren't that many rocks inside Glenans, only on the outer approaches so once inside the perimeter you are only dealing with sand and tall seahorses!
There actually aren't that many rocks inside Glenans, only on the outer approaches so once inside the perimeter you are only dealing with sand and tall seahorses!
