Pink Granite Coast walks - Rainy Brittany- 5
Pink Granite Coast walks
This morning nature is fresh and wonderfully clean, and since the clouds are dramatic and it's not raining, we decide to go to Cap Frehel [↗], which we skipped yesterday.
It was a good decision and well worth the detour. We have a nice walk and even see a group of dolphins passing by.
We continue west on small back roads and stop in St. Quay Portrieux for an early lunch of goat cheese and honey crêpes. We sit outside the small café and even though the thermometer in the car says 18°C, it's quite windy and feels much colder.
Jürgen has two more sites on the agenda for the afternoon. One is Maison du Gouffre, a house squeezed between two rocks, while the other is less specific, just a walk along the coast near our hotel.
So we drive to a parking lot near the coast where the Maison du Gouffre is located. Even Jürgen thinks that there should be a parking lot closer to the Maison du Gouffre, we decide to stay here and walk along the coast, hoping for some nice views.
Just as we put on our hiking boots, it starts to pour. So we decided to stay in the car for a while. As quickly as the rain came, it disappeared and we started our walk. The first few meters are along the coast, but then the path turns inland. It's pretty nice right now. Maybe a little wet, but the air is fresh and not really cold.
Finally we reach the carpark near the house. There are a few houses here, but only the famous one is so picturesque. And of course there are cars parked in front of it. This seems to be the case no matter when you try to photograph the house. But Jürgen didn't expect to get a unique shot here anyway.
We turn around and slowly it starts to rain again. Then it gets heavier and heavier and we just reach the restroom near the parking lot when it's pouring again. About 15 people are crowded under the canopy and in the handicapped bathroom. It's actually quite amusing.
As soon as the rain stops, we continue. Our path has turned into a small river. Freya is really grateful that Jürgen insisted on bringing the hiking boots, even though she thought they were pretty useless. Unfortunately, the time until the next downpour is a little shorter and so we get another shower. But it's not too cold, the jackets are waterproof and all in all it was fun.
But now it's time to go to our hotel. It is in Ploumanac'h [↗], officially part of Perros-Guirec. On the way we have some doubts if the Navsat is showing us the right way, but yes, we're right.
Our hotel is right at the central parking lot next to the beach.
We even get an upgrade as there are only a few rooms occupied at this time of the year. So we drop our bags in the room and since it stopped raining, we immediately start our walk along the coast towards the lighthouse [↗].
The rocks in this part of Brittany are granite and have a pinkish red color - especially now that the sun is already quite low. So we walk towards the lighthouse and a little further. Freya sees faces in the rocks all over the place again.
Connected to the hotel is a restaurant (La Cotriade [↗]). Since we didn't know how long we would be walking along the coast, we didn't make a reservation when we checked in, but we manage to get a seat anyhow.
Although Freya had the menu explained to her in detail (she still insists on getting the explanations in French), we end up with "You have the first fish dish on the menu and I'll have the third". But that didn't matter this time. In the end, it was the best meal of the trip. Not cheap, but it can compete with the 1-star restaurants.
The next morning it's time again for some sunrise photos. Jürgen had already decided last night where he wanted to go. When he leaves the hotel, nobody is to be seen except for someone cleaning the road. Also on the way and at the photo spot he's all alone.
It takes some experimenting to get the right exposure for the waves, but as the sun rises behind some clouds he gets good shots even without bracketing or a filter.
Back at the hotel we have breakfast, which is good, but cannot compete with last night's dinner. We could have stayed longer here.
