Beaches, islands and coastal hikes

Now that we’ve been in Auray for three weeks, we’ve noticed some changes. For one, the weather has improved. It’s hotter and sunnier than when we first arrived. There is currently a heat wave in France and although we’re not seeing temps in the high 30s and even 40s, it’s more consistently hot and sunny. We’re spending a lot of time on the coast, where it’s still cooler and breezy; around the mid 20s. And maybe it’s a coincidence, but with the better weather, we’re noticing that everything is a lot busier. There are big crowds, lots of traffic and the restaurants are slammed. We are hearing much more English and languages other than French. This is more what I expected of France in the summer, but we had gotten used to the cool, quiet atmosphere. It’s been an adjustment. Our days have also been very full. We’ve gone surfing and had some fun beach days. Read below about a boat to an island in the Golfe du Morbihan, a train to a town on the tip of a peninsula and another island trip. We are all getting used to walking lots…

Île-aux-Moines

There are 42 islands in the Golfe du Morbihan, just south of Auray, and Îles-aux-Moines is the biggest. We took a boat there first thing in the morning from Auray. It was cloudy, foggy and cool, especially on the boat.

The boat made several stops to pick up passengers. We saw lots of homes along the coast, all kinds of boats, and several big oyster farms.Turns out it’s a huge, important industry here. (Tasting planned later this week!)

The boat brought us on a tour around Île-aux-Moines before dropping us off. As we arrived, the clouds started to burn off and it got really hot. We had a picnic lunch and went swimming. We found a small beach where the water was a bit warmer than the water we’d been swimming in lately. It was beautiful: crystal clear blue and perfectly calm, with sailboats moored just offshore. We changed into our bathing suits “French style,” ie, right on the beach behind a towel. We’ve noticed that’s what everyone does here and it’s quite effective when you want to take a dip.

We walked along the coast and back into town toward the port before heading to the boat and home.

Quiberon

This lively beach town is located at the bottom of a peninsula on the far western coast of Brittany. On one side is the Atlantic Ocean and on the other is the Quiberon Bay. Here is what it looks like on a map. For reference, Auray is our home base and Carnac is where the kids went sailing.

To get to Quiberon, we took a train that runs from Auray in the summer, with a few stops along the way. It’s called the “Tire-Bouchon,” which translates as corkscrew, but is named as such because it keeps you from getting stuck in traffic (“des bouchons”), which I completely understand now that we’ve seen the crowds.

Here is what a sign for the train looks like. Note the very important inclusion of the Saint Day:

We quickly escaped the main, touristy town and hiked along the western, Atlantic coast for almost 10km. The trail there goes right along the cliffside. The water in some of the bays is turquoise blue, but don’t let that fool you. It’s a rough sea, with big waves crashing against the rocks. Swimming isn’t allowed anywhere along this coast and it’s clear why. The views are incredible though and reminded us a lot of Cape Breton but also the west coast of California. We stopped at some sandy beaches along the way to dip our toes in the water.

We walked to our final destination, an archway formed by rocks that we had seen photos of. It didn’t disappoint us.

Île d’Houat

We went back to Quiberon on the Tire-Bouchon on a different day and took a 40-minute boat ride to Île d’Houat, a small island with no cars.

Once on the island, we did a coastal hike and discovered a makeshift playground made up of old fishing gear. Perfect for kids itching to climb and play.

We made our way down a narrow, steep path to a small, deserted beach.

We hiked for a couple of hours and made a stop for lunch and to look for beach treasures. The kids have been finding and collecting lots of sea glass. Then we made our way to the main, large beach, which is a long crescent.

The beach curves around a point, seen here on the top right:

As we arrived, the clouds started to part at that very moment, making the water appear even more turquoise.

The beaches here are beautiful. The sand is soft and white, and the tide goes out super far. When the tide is in, you can stand for a long time before it gets too deep. The temperature of the water is cool, but warmer than at home (17-18.5 C), so we’ve been swimming lots. This beach is spectacular. The pictures don’t do it justice.

The town itself is so small and quaint. I really enjoyed walking through the streets, admiring the homes and gardens. People were sitting outside eating their lunches. I love the way they grow flowers everywhere they can.

These have all been places that are a little out of the way, but completely worth going to in order to escape the crowds, even if it means lots of walking and lining up for a boat ride at the end of the day.