1st - 17th July 2012 Organisers
- Paul and Jean Fettes Several
of us will be on site by the end of June and the dates given are only a guideline.
Some Seavets will stay for the whole period, others dip and out and some, like
us, will be there for 3 weeks.
The Quiberon peninsula is on the south coast
of Brittany and the nearest largish town is Vannes. Camping Municipal de Penthievre
is about halfway down the peninsula adjacent to the east facing beach, a large
campsite with a small snack bar, bakers shop etc. At the snack bar you can buy
chips, roast chicken, burgers etc. Close by there is also a pizza shop. There
is a good supermarket, the Utile in Plouharnel, a few minutes drive away, and
large supermarkets in Camac and Quiberon (both about 4/5 miles away).
The facilities on the site are good with shower blocks (which include toilets,
washing up and laundry facilities) situated every 50 yards or so. Nowhere is more
than about 100 yards from the beach but a "Humpit" trolley is useful
for carting boards and gear about. If you haven't got one you can always borrow
mine. The campsite does not take bookings, but this has never been a problem,
and we always manage to camp together in "Seavets Alley". Everyone makes
their own travel arrangements. For those not in camping mode there are two
local hotels. The Petit Matelot, virtually opposite the campsite entrance, is
a fairly modern hotel with a restaurant and bar and is well recommended by our
holiday makers who have stayed there. The Grand Hotel des Deux Mers, rather a
posh title for an old hotel, has some lovely sea veiws and is comfortable. If
you are into old houses, this is the place for you - it must have been very grand
in its day and is also recommended if you like the quiet life. We have the details
of the hotels, but you will have to book direct with them. There are also apartments
for rent in and around Penthievre; contact the Tourist Information for details:
http://www.quiberon.com
The
beach is sandy and slopes gently to the water and there is a roped off bathing
area. You can launch wind surfers from anywhere along the beach apart from the
bathing area. The sailing is best about 3 hours either side of high tide when
there is plenty of water. About 400 yards south of the site the peninsular becomes
very narrow and here the wind is strongest during the prevailing west/south westerlies
with dead flat water. When the tide is low there are plenty of other
activities to occupy you. A local railway line has a station almost within the
site. You can use this to visit Quiberon itself at the southern end of the peninsula
or to go the other way to Auray which is a very pretty town situated on an inlet
of the Gulf of Moroihan. From Quiberon for the very adventurous early risers you
could even catch a boat to Belle Isle for the day. Otherwise there are cycle rides
galore with the local standing stones and Cote Sauvage within easy reach and sand
yachting or kite surfing available on the other beach on the west side of the
peninsula. Travelwise
the shortest route by car is via the ferry to Cherbourg, Caen or St Malo but even
from Calais you can easily reach the site with one overnight stop, with most of
the route being by motorway. Hope to see you there! Paul  |