This page is a summary of all the places where we reckon you can have a trip out with a family of four locally in Brittany for less than £10 for all of you- two adults a child and an infant. Obviously this doesn`t include your lunch and nibbles. It`s just the cost of the trip !!!
The Beach
This is a bit of cheat really as the beach is
obviously free. Go to Damgan you can have a great day out and spend
virtually nothing. Even the parking's free !! See the ``Beach`` page for more info
Our children love rock pooling at Damgan and searching for crabs keeps them happy for hours.
Boating on
the River Oust
Go to Malestroit and hire a pedallo, canoe or a rowing
boat and take a leisurely trip up the river.
Children's Boat Hire
Go to St Malo de Beignon and visit he miniature port. Children can go out by
themselves (or with you) on an eight acre lake specially designed to be safe
and secure for them (they wear life jackets). There are miniature ferries,
tug boats, steamers and even Mississippi paddleboats. All safety equipment
is supplied on site. Afterwards take a walk round the lake and buy an ice cream
or a drink in the shop.
Nip up the road to Carrentoir and the children can play on the sandy beach there. Afterwards they can play on the swings, see saws and assault course whilst you get a drink or have lunch at the restaurant overlooking the lake. Afterwards hire pedallo's and go for a trip around the lake.
Cider Making
Alternatively go to the Maison du Cidre at Ploermel and see how
it used to be made. Old straw presses (see photo) are used to crush the
apples, (not to mention the barefoot method). There`s also a large museum
of cider making at Le Hezo.
Sweet Making
At La Maison d`Armorine in Quiberon there is an `artisanal` sweet maker where
old fashioned sweets and chocolates are still made in the traditional way.
You can see the sweets being hand crafted and actually help with the work.
Glass Blowing
Go to the town of La Gacilly and see the glass blower in action. Its free
and extremely interesting. Wander round the shop and buy some unique hand made
items– prices are very reasonable. There`s also another glass blowers
in Saint-Meloir des Ondes.
Kerguehennec
Sculpture Park
Located at Bignan near Josselin. This sculpture Park and contemporary art centre
is definitely worth a visit and it`s free. Basically it is a large chateau (below
piccy) set in hundreds of acres of gardens with numerous sculptures dotted around.
The sculptures are all by contemporary artists and range from the bizarre looking
thing in the photo below to stone carvings and an odd creation of 1000 red plant
pots. It probably sounds a bit alternative and indeed it is. In addition, there
is a rolling art exhibition in part of the chateau, again of modern art. We recommend
that you take a picnic, as the grounds are a beautiful place to sit and eat lunch.
Silk Production
Go to Campel and discover the secrets of silk. See its `birth`, its
harvesting and processing. There`s a one hour guided tour
(in English) devoted to the history of the silk road. There are
living silkworms and contemporary creations in silk.
Pottery
The village of St-Jean-la-Poterie near Redon is the place to visit if you like
a bit of pottery. See the potters at work then visit the exhibition and shop.
There's also a pottery at Lizio and at Chapelle Caro.
You can walk round the village following the `trail of the sculptures` through the woods. You`ll see all the creations of previous years works.
Festival and Fetes
These are all free to visit. Best take a look at
the `fetes & festivals` page for the full list.
Megaliths
Monteneuf is famous in Brittany for its `standing stones`. There are dozens of
the mysterious huge megaliths in a small area just outside the village. The
stones, which range in size from 100 kilos to over 30 tons, are made from schist
(see photo). In addition, an authentic `bronze age` village has been created
around them to give the feel of mediaeval France. An extensive network of marked
paths specially designed for walkers and cyclists lead off from the stones.
Yves
Rocher perfume factory: La Gacilly
Here you can have a guided tour in English and see the perfume being made. Afterwards,
take a walk around their extensive gardens where the exotic plants for the perfume
are grown. On the way out, stop off at their factory outlet shop and snap up
some bargains.
Also at La Gacilly is the open air photo exhibition. This is said to be the biggest in France and is a great trip. Plus it's free. Go and look !
To see Vannes the easy way, take the thirty minute tour on the little train that leaves from the port every hour, our kids loved it. Alternatively, just take it easy and sit outside at one of the waterfront cafes and watch it all pass you by.
Snail production
Visit the Espace Escargots at Le Croisac and see how the French favourite -snails- are bred and raised, ready for your plate. It`s very interesting to see, well presented and our children really liked it. As did we as we bought a few for dinner !
Children's
playgrounds
There`s quite a few of these around. E.g. At Reminiac,
Monteneuf, Guer, Malestroit or St Congard (below).
Boules
All the supermarkets sell boules (or bring your own). Then pop up to the park at Reminiac and spend the afternoon trying to beat the French at their own game ! Alternatively you could just watch the locals showing you how the pro`s do it !
Pedallo hire at Ploermel
For less than a tenner you can hire a pedallo for an hour at the huge Lac au Duc at Ploermel. Then afterwards sit on the large sandy beach which runs a long part of the lake and watch the trainee water skiers falling off !
At the Lac au Duc there`s also some water slides where you pay a few Euros for the children (or you) to swoosh down.
Outdoor swimming pool at La Gacilly
This is a really low cost option for an afternoon out. The outdoor swimming at La Gacilly consists of two large pools and a jacuzzi. There,s diving boards as well and the deep end of one of the pools goes right down to 14 feet. The other one, though is no deeper than four feet so better for non swimmers. There's a large seating area around the pools (both terrace and grass) and they supply sun loungers and park benches for free so if you don't want to go in yourself you can just take it easy, read a book and let the children have all the fun on their own. We recommend taking a picnic. Best of all is the entrance price- 50 cents for non swimmers and 1 Euro 50 cents for the swimmers.
A whole afternoon of fun for all the family for less than six Pounds.................
Chateau de Josselin
With its three majestic towers this chateau dominates the valley of the River
Oust. Its striking gothic design is well worth a look. Take a guided tour
and look and learn about its fascinating history (English tours as well as
French).
Malestroit Market....with
crepes
On Thursday morning take a trip to the large market
in Malestroit town square. There`s loads of fresh food for sale. Check
out the numerous fresh fish and cheese stalls. Buy some heads of garlic
and then go to the crepe stall. Buy four takeaway crepes for less than
two euros for four people and then find somewhere to sit and soak up
the atmosphere.
Picnicking
There`s loads of nice spots with benches to stop off and have a picnic in the summer sun and what`s more it`s free ! Plus the French are really into picnics. They tend to turn up with cool box, hamper and even a table cloth. They don`t bother making up sandwiches beforehand they just grab a baguette or boule and a packet of ham or cheese, a bottle of red wine and put it all together when they arrive.
General stuff
It goes without saying that visiting all the local towns, going walking and cycling are all free !!! See those pages for more info
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