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Motorhoming In Finistere
MOTORHOMING IN FINISTERE
Finistère is the western most point of Bretagne or Brittany, and of its four departments. Due to its position, its capital, Brest has become a strategic naval town for both civil and military boats. It is a land forged in the image of the men who live there, sailors and fishermen, rugged and weathered. There is, not surprisingly, a naval museum at Brest, but this university town also offers an arts museum, a national botanical centre and for the younger members of the family, an aquarium ‘Océanopolis’, a remarkable window on the under water world and one of the principal museums of its sort in Europe.
If you’re crossing the channel by ferry in your motorhome, you can take the ferry from Plymouth to arrive in Roscoff. This commercial port sees daily arrivals of fish and seafood and is a good starting point if motorhome travel in France interests you. From Roscoff, head south east towards Morlaix with its beautiful bay where pirates gathered to sell their plunder. You can also visit the Lantern Houses of Morlaix, found only in this small town and all built to the same plans between the 15th and 18th century.
Cross country, direction west, to arrive in Quimper, the capital of the Breton ‘Cornouaille’ meaning Cornwall. Visit the town and its surroundings to discover the origins of the ties between the French department and the English county.
Head off then towards the coast to take in some of the beautiful, wild and rugged coastline of Finistère. Douarnenez with its three ports, and the museum of Port-Rhu which houses examples of boats from all around the world and where the fishermen who line the docks continue practising their ancient trades; Concarneau, a fishing town with sheltered bays, ideal for getting away from the Atlantic breeze!
If you’re hiring a motorhome in France you can follow the lighthouse trail around the coast of Finistère. There are 15 lighthouses protecting the sailors and fishermen from this rugged western tip of France. If you a bit of sea air, you can take the coastal walk which was used at the time by the customs officers who surveyed the coastline on the watch out for pirates. Wherever you stop off to walk along this footpath it’s an amazing way to take in this superb coastline with its steep cliffs, superb views and landscapes. Brittany at its wildest.
Looking for somewhere to stop off? Click on Aires de Service in Finistère.
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