Life is better in Brittany and Normandy

The future's not all about going backwards!

2011-06-12T07:00:00.001-07:00

We had our website address and a few quotes published in the Mail on Sunday... Occasionally the Property Editor there calls me when France comes into his sights again - about once every 6 months... Mostly, as it is a tabloid, and errs on the side of just a little sensationalism... it's maybe about celebrities who are changing up through the gears and selling their French homes to move to the Greek Islands (a 'Chuckle Brother') or they are looking for the bad luck stories of people maybe who, for one reason or another, can't unfortunately complete their dream in Brittany or Normandy. I have spoken to David Noyes who's house is featured this week and which is on our websites...

http://www.ahouseinfrance.eu/component/jomestate/detailed/43

They've done a great job on it and established a very creditable business there. Anyone buying and running the equestrian element should do well. So yes...David & Frances's house is on our site and we passed it on to Hayley Hervé as we introduce our buying clients as well as vendors when relevant enquiries come in for that part of Normandy.

David's story is obviously not one that I would necessarily want to be responsible for helping to publish. A 45 year old builder who's target market has to some extent dried up and resulted in a return to the UK is not typical amongst our clients nor what we might call 'box office'... But, if your ambition is to retire to Northwest France where property prices (like for like... if you can find such a thing) are just half the price or less than what you might expect to pay in the UK... then you will find good luck stories rather than tales of misfortune. In fact David tells me that his business has also lost out to a category of artisans in France that are registered as 'micro enterprises', where hourly rates are lower because larger firms, as his was, must take account of employer's contributions and overheads in keeping with larger businesses. Running a business based in France is not a step to be taken lightly and requires plenty of research and (as the French are famous for their red tape)... paperwork with the relevant local office. Like I said red tape.

We have neighbours in Brittany though who have set up as 'Bricoleurs' - translated that's handymen... but I think there's something lost in translation there... They are registered to handle plumbing, electrics, small building works, plastering, decorating work - Quite a wide remit...and they are enjoying full employment at rates that both French and English clients alike seem to enjoy.

It's true that the 'boom' years, when the market was galloping, have lullled back to a walking pace - but it's a different kind of market... There are plenty of buyer types out there and obviously those who rely on a buoyant property market to make a living (such as artisans) are likely to have their ups and downs. Generally life is good and, when it comes to outgoings... property and local taxes are lower in France than UK. As an example our rates payable in the UK are £2,250 p.a. for a 4 bedroomed house on a postage stamp garden. Bins emptied fortnightly etc... In Brittany for a bigger house with three quarters of an acre we pay £400 p.a. Bins... Weekly!! So the swings and roundabouts are configured in slightly different ways. Voila! And Vive la Difference!

www.ahouseinbrittany.com

www.ahouseinnormandy.com

www.ahouseinfrance.eu

ps... the paper printed some of our contact website addresses wrongly too!

So You Want to Buy a House in France?

2011-06-12T00:32:00.000-07:00

We bought our own house in Brittany in 1999 with 3,000m2 of land, 2 barns, a ruin or two and a well for just £12,000... I know! Ridiculous isn't it?! But even today there are some extreme bargains like ours still to be had. And it's not unusual to find houses at half the price (like for like - if there is such a thing) that you might pay in the UK. And life over there is great...Property and local taxes are lower than the UK. Water is quite expensive and every domestic supply is metered (which is a good thing - especially for couples rather than large families). But if you buy a house with its own well you can install a pump and, by connecting the house to the pump, bypass the water service provider - so that your supply can be 'free'. (you certainly wouldn't want to water a larger garden from the mains). Electricity is on a par with UK - Gas similarly (but most rural properties must use bottled gas which at least you have to buy before you use it - so great for budgeting) and food costs are similar too provided you eat like the locals and don't spend all your time looking for 'English' specialities...But some of you I'm sure would insist on taking your own tea bags!

The first thing you need to know about buying in France is...it’s different to the way things are done in the UK. I find it easier to advise clients to forget what they know about the UK system than to throw up any criticisms. The French Notarial system is what oversees the transfer of property from one to another. It is our opinion that (the additional) use of a UK solicitor (a question often asked) often slows and hampers a system which has served the French well over hundreds of years. In fact the existance of ‘estate agents’ is a relatively new thing in France - an existence which has been rapidly accelarated by an interest in French property from people moving from other countries. In the past notaires would act as the agent also - but this happens less often these days... Going way back, in small communities; where everyone knew everyone else, the Notaire was the top man in each community and was the conduit for all property transactions...They are still well respected and powerful figures.

The Notaire...

who prepares the documentation which you will be signing, works on behalf of both vendor and purchaser and is (unlike a UK solicitor) an employee of the state. You’ll find yourself a lot less likely to be ‘having to do half their job for them’ in order to put some speed into the transaction, which tends to take a similar period (exchange to completion) to that taken in the UK. It is possible for there to be two Notaire’s involved in any one transaction; one for each party. If that is the case then they share the fees which are dictated by the cost of the house - on a sliding scale (so the cost is not doubled). The Notaire also acts on behalf of the state in the collection of fees and taxes relating to the property transfer. This is probably the reason for some prospective purchasers, especially those from the UK., saying that they feel the Notaire’s fees are comparatively high. Not so... if you realise that the fees contain the Notaire’s costs but also the stamp duty and the intitial local authority and habitation taxes too. Here it’s also worth supporting agents, negotiators and immobiliers in France who, in our opinion, do far more for their money than their opposite numbers in the UK., often covering much more ground over a much larger catchment area too. Many are self employed and so have to pay their own unrecoverable expenses - fuel especially is their concern as they must cover the cost to escort or drive you around whilst viewing property... So let them down easy if they start sobbing after showing you a string of properties and you have just said to them... "Sorry but these just haven't rung any bells for us and we've got to be at our next appointment a hundred miles away in an hour. The agent you view with can be a very helpful ally who can bring you up to speed on all manner of procedures and customs.

Plan your trip carefully (UK based agents who work in the same way as we do should help do this) and make sure you see the houses that you want to see...(don't get 'railroaded') some agents over there don't understand the motives or taste of buyers from the UK. We can help you plan a comfortably paced viewing trip with fully registered agents, English speaking agents who, as well as showing you properties, will take you through all of the legal stages from Compromis to completion and beyond... They can, and may offer, to assist - if you haven't already - open a French Bank Account. They may also help as regards signing up with service providers... water, electricity telephone, internet etc., Although we found that doing these things for yourself and being responsible for your own mistakes (and successes) all part of a discovery process that gives you a great sense of achievement and gets you to know people in your community.

Many communes hold regular 'welcome' meetings for newcomers to the community. Good friends of ours have integrated well after these, taking part in many social activities.

Let me recommend straight away the work of AIKB (Association Intégration Kreiz Breizh) which was set up in 2003 with the idea of helping newcomers to integrate into their new lives in Brittany. A visit to their website is a very positive experience They have radio broadcasts and podcasts featuring ex-pats from all over the world who have one thing in common...having settled in Brittany... A visit really is a must!

http://www.aikb.fr/

We cover many of the points about Buying Brittany property touched on here in more detail on pages on our website...

http://www.ahouseinfrance.eu/buying-a-french-property.html

Where is everyone!

2011-06-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

Maybe you're like me... The first time I drove through France I was amazed at how few people seemed to be around. It's something that, having had much more experience over there now, and in Brittany in particular - I have come to like and enjoy. It's almost like having your own 'private' road network. Often we have driven some fairly long journeys - as much as 70 miles and yet seen just a handful of cars. If you give it any thought... and you probably would if you were used to driving around over there... France has an almost identical population to UK and yet is two and a half times the size of the British Isles, therefore having at least two and a half times the road network... so quite understandable that you should bump into fewer cars... You'd think there was less chance of that happening too. Mmmmm... yes but I have seen quite a few 2CV's pointing up telegraph poles... (in fact I must have a look for that photo). More surprising, bearing all this in mind, is the fact that the French do not pay road tax! I know... quite amazing. France did have a road tax - imposed initially to pay for reparations to the roads damaged during WWII. And let's face it there must have been plenty of damage - a heck of a lot more than in dear old Blighty. Anyway, the story goes that around 6 or 7 years ago the French government announced that as they had repaired all of the roads damaged during the war (and built a good few new ones since)... they had decided that they would cease to tax road users. Can you imagine that announcement being made by Downing Street. Why there's more chance of a female Home Secretary's credit card being used to pay for porn films! What!?.... Really?... Surley not... ahh well...

Here's another thing... Those sleepy little bars that every village seems to have on it's main street or town square; how on earth do they manage to stay in business? One night, when we were having dinner at a friend's house, and having to drive back at a late hour... I asked the question about the chances of there being police presence on the road home given that we would probably see no more than three or four cars in 20 miles travelled ... The neck of the bottle was hovering over the rim of the glass. "Depends where you might be going" came the answer..."If you skirt all the towns and villages you'll be fine. If you go through the villages you will find plenty". My host went on to say that those tiny unassuming bars where one bloke might sit for most of the day with a Pastis in front of him... Well at night they heave with life from Friday through till Sunday and might not close till around 5am. Not that I disbelieved him at all but, on the way back to our place... Firstly - Micki and I had a bet about how many cars we would see travelling on the road - in either direction over our 18 mile journey. Neither of us took the prize because the total was just one! Secondly - on the final stretch, as we approached the nearest village to our house; a tiny place of less than 300 people... we diverted through the village square and were amazed to see that the 9 times out of 10 sleepy bar opposite the church was heaving and the square was jammed with parked cars. Heaven knows how the assembled crowd would be getting home because there on the edge of the mass of people and vehicles, unhidden were two police vehicles... gendarmes with side arms... just ready to pick off anyone (I mean they would 'feel their collar' - not shoot them) looking like they'd had skinful who dared to get into a car with the intention of driving.

The 'where is everyone' title wouldn't be justified without comment about the population density... It backs up the story about the wide open yet empty roads. In England there are 389 people per square kilometre. And in Brittany? Well the Bretons stay pretty well hidden by having just 111 head of population per square kilometre!

Incidentally, when talking about the 'no road tax' thing people often reply... "Ahh but they have a lot of toll roads though"! And it's true there are a fair few. And it's great that if you choose to use them you can zoom through the enormous land mass that the French enjoy. But, if you choose not to use pay roads then you'll still make good time too and be able to A. take advantage of many a roadside restaurant and B. keep an eye on that bloke in the café with his Pastis!

But... and for those thinking about buying a house in Brittany... There are no toll roads on the Brittany peninsula...The best of all worlds! There is such a small amount of traffic they are not necessary.

Happy Motoring!

Bon Repos in August - Burning down the 'House'... It's a must!

2011-06-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

We have been lucky enough to be in Brittany often enough to know that the Son et Lumiere at the Abbey of Bon Repos in the Cotes d'Armor during the first two weeks of August is habit forming. And, if we are there and don't go to the event it definitely makes for an incomplete trip and some despairing looks when we know what we are missing.

The townsfolk of Gouarec in the Cotes d'Armor hatched the plot around 25 years ago and now the 'show' (it's not a big enough word).... The French do it better... 'The Spectacle' has grown to be an important date in the local as well as tourist calendar. Four hundred actors (it's several generations of those townsfolk who pull off heaven knows how many costume changes)... 50 horses, a pack of hounds; all, plus a host of backroom unsung heroes, put on a historic re-enactment of several snapshots of Brittany's past from Stone age life, The Roman Invasion, The digging of the Nantes/Brest Canal, a Mediaeval Joust, The Dukes of Rohan at Play - engaging in a hunting party... as well as both the foundation and the destruction of the abbey itself... all of this played out in front of the abbey's laser projected facade... Not forgetting the mighty music score, voice over and sound effects...

Maybe it was the last time we were there... We had just packed up our picnic on a grassy bank at the side of the Nantes/Brest Canal which runs just around a hundred metres south of the abbey ruins. We joined the queue at the gate and a few hundred people waited for the signal to take their seats in the amphitheatre in front of the building and its greensward - where the action takes place. I heard an English voice just behind me. Glancing over my shoulder I saw a chap who was looking a little perplexed and asking his wife what she reckoned it was all about. "What brings you here?" I asked.

"I don't really know" he said... "We were just driving along the main road back there and there was a line of cars in front of us and crowds of people crossing the road...A bloke was waving cars off down here so we just followed them... parked up and here we are... What's it all about"? Being in the queue I thought he would have known. So I explained briefly what they were about to see and said he should stay in line so as not to miss the best experience of his holiday... "Your kids will love it".

The action starts as darkness falls at around 10:15. The lights go up, the music kicks in and a velvet voice, straight out of the Cointreau TV commercials, begins to let the story unfold... You don't need to have French as a first - second or third language to pick up the thread. I get by on a smattering and logic does the rest.... Most of the action centres around a village specially built for these two weeks, around which is enacted birth and death, the seasons of the year (they even make it snow) and they grow a field of wheat so that they can harvest it... Houses burnt down during the sacking of the village by the Roman hordes, are re-thatched as action transfers to the mock castle at the other end of the 350 metre stage. A drag hunt takes place with the pack of hounds zig-zagging their way across the arena and one charmer of an animal gets lost on cue and then steals the show by finishing his solo run to tumultuous applause from a delighted audience. The finalé, as the Abbey burns down before the assembled company of 400 actors, is an ensemble of stilt walkers, tumblers, fire blowers and torch bearing townsfolk under the spell of three lead flag bearers who proudly wield the Breton (Gwenn-ha-Du) flag on ten metre poles above the heads of the patriot 'army'... There isn't a dry eye in the house!

See you there!...Look out for me. I'll be the one trying infuriatingly to get a decent photo of the action... not that it would do any good anyway, but without flash. Try it and you'll have the person next to you giving you lessons in Gallic expletives and invective. Enyoy yourselves... I know we will! Oh... and by the way... that bloke and his family who didn't know what he was queueing for? We had eye contact as we were being carried out on a tide of the happy home-going Breton crowd and he gave me a beaming smile and a big thumbs up!

Why not have a look at what's in store...

http://www.pays-conomor.com/bande_annonce.html

You can buy tickets online too:- http://www.pays-conomor.com/reservation.html

Moules as the sun goes down anyone?

2011-06-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

This evening we had Moules with French Fries and a large beer just as the sun was setting across the Bay of St Brieuc. At the bottom of the slipway beneath the lone restaurant the beach, at low tide, reveals thousands of stakes driven into the sand. When the tide is at its lowest nimble tractors weave around with natty attachments that strip the harvest from the rope wound staves... The tractors dump the mussels into enormous trailer/bins which are then towed back to the head of the beach. Higher tides are dealt with by amphibeous landing craft which perform the same task but the fishermen keep their feet dry!

Between April and October (except on Tuesdays) La Moulerie de la Baie at Planguenoual, Jospinet, on Brittany's Cote de Penthievre opens its doors to present Moules served in many ways... restricted only by your imagination... For the feint hearted there is also steak and chips but that's the only 'non-moule' offering... and to drink? Well of course there is Wine, Beer and Champagne. The mussels go down a treat with beer. What is certain about your visit? Well, you will want to come again. And you will want to bring friends and you will want to tell everyone!

Remember - the restaurant is only open in the evening and, if you are lucky with the tide... you can enjoy a walk on the vast beach before or after and, although you can't take the mussels from the staves - for a start they are too far out - but, if you take a bucket... you can pick your own!

La Moulerie de la Baie, Jospinet, 22400 Planguenoual • Tel: 0296 32 82 22

Bastille Day? It's Trotting Time Again!

2011-06-07T00:04:00.000-07:00

I think it's a peninsula wide thing... if not, country wide. Anyway trotting is certainly a big thing in Breton culture. We came across it in a naive and I suppose a typical foreigner, 'incomer' kind of way...

We had decided that we needed a break from renovating. A whole day off! Wow! We would take a picnic; a baguette plus a random selection from the fridge... garlic sausage, cheese, some salad stuff, a bottle of wine, sparkling water, some fruit... even a corkscrew and, this time, knives and forks... well a knife anyway. Usually when work on the house just got too much; too long without a break, we would head off at about four in the afternoon to round off the day with a bit of R&R... a walk around the nearest lake or something, or up and down the towpath of the canal. But today we were doing it properly.

Initially it was just ..."OK, where shall we go?" With a bit of initial... "Beach? Lake? What do you want to do?" passing between us as we drove. I think we had decided that we would just drive toward the coast on the medium 'B' type roads and see what happens. In Brittany this means they were more like Cornwall's lanes... also meaning that because it's Brittany the chances of meeting anything coming the other way would be remote. Anyway we had only travelled about 5 or 6 kilometres when we passed a poster flapping on a telegraph pole. "Hippo Courses" it said. Even now as I'm typing this and checking it on Google Translations it's still giving me 'Hippo Racing'... but even on that day... Bastille Day - one of the most important bank holidays on the calendar, I don't think I expected there would be any Hippos around... Even I knew that we got the word Hippodrome from its association with horses... So I guessed this is what was being advertised. A few more kilometres and there was a bigger poster and this time an arrow had been added at the bottom. So, turning down the next, even narrower lane, to the right, seemed sensible. A little further along I was cheered by the fact that there were actually some people walking toward 'something'. The landscape around was still desolate enough to make you expect the worst. Like it would be we were following an old trail. The Hippos were last weekend. Actually that had happened to us before. It was our usual kind of luck.

But things were looking up. Just around the next bend and over the next brow there was bunting stretched across an otherwise normal and deserted gateway. Around here that means something is going on. We drove through and along a bumpy and empty track. I was beginning to think we must be trespassing when I saw cars parked up in a field. There was even a man with a high-viz jacket organising the parking. So, we did as we were bid and we parked. On getting out of the car it was refreshing not to be accosted for money. And, following the trickle of what I now realised were latecomers I realised we were not being asked to pay for entry to the Hippo racing either. Note: In the UK parking and entry to what we were about to witness would have set a family of four back about twenty quid - but this is Brittany.

We approached the event through a paddock lined with liveried horse boxes and trailers where jockeys and grooms, wives, mums and girlfriends feverishly prepared their mounts. The horses were all magnificently turned out ready for what was to come and those that had already competed foamed around the saddle areas and steamed with achievement as they were cooled, combed and cosseted. At the top of the paddock and across a sand strewn bridleway was the track and, for a 'miles from anywhere' event this was an amazing sight. With a grass racetrack stretching left and right from this paddock bend the view was of a thousand or more people lining the rails, lounging on the grass, picnicking, barbecuing, imbibing at the tented bars and generally having the best time. On the track the joy and excitement amongst the crowd was obvious and the bookmakers were ratcheting up a constant trade as, between heats, were the ox-roast stall, crepe, gallette and pizza vendors. As each race began the noise level quadrupled and the whole crowd hit the rails to cheer on their favourites. But the best... the piéce de resistance was yet to come... Hippos with trailers... Le Trotteurs!

These guys know how to stare down death and danger... They rattled around a one mile track on a pair of pram wheels with their 'wedding tackle' dangerously close to a pair of thrashing, steel shod back legs and the speed blurred hooves of a thoroughbred 'hippo' thrusting the whole ensemble forward at around 50 miles an hour... Jostling for position over a four mile course each lap funnels them through the straight where a thousand enthusiasts urge them on with money on their minds before the sportsmen and their much loved horses hurtle off around the paddock curve and off around the track again.

Where is this gladiatorial chariot racing played out?... Well, no doubt it happens in many of the larger villages across Brittany, but our best Bastille days have been spent at Plouec sur Lié in the Cotes d'Armor just 20 minutes south of St Brieuc on the Emerald Coast. It's a normally unhurried, sleepy market village (a would-be town which comes alive weekly on Thursdays for its market) that rocks with, not just the 'Hippo Courses' on Bastille day but the town square gently hums and 'lights up' all through the balmy evening with Le Dodgems... the Carousel and Candy Floss and Beer & Hot Dogs after dark!

Bastille Day is July 14th and commemorates an uprising against the famous fortress-prison which held many political prisoners who were deemed enemies of the king... The 'peoples' army' were also seeking to access gunnpowder and arms in order to continue the fight for the establishment of the French Republic.

Article 17 of the Constitution of France gives the President the authority to pardon criminals and, since 1991, the President has pardoned many petty offenders (mainly traffic offences) on 14 July. In 2007, President Sarkozy declined to continue the practice.

Life's a Beach... A Brittany Beach!

2010-01-20T06:32:00.000-08:00

It's impossible to talk about the 700 amazing miles of Brittany's coastline without making initial comparisons with Britain’s own southern fringes.

The clue's in the name though as, in the mists of time, the two were, of course, joined with no beaches at all. So there's a distinct fascination, but little mystery, about why there is a mirror image in the topography between southern England and the north coast of Brittany. If you know the southern Cornish and Devon coasts then there is a definite de-ja-vu feeling when exploring the Emerald, Penthievre and Rose Granite coasts of Brittany. Initially it's all about rugged outcrops, creeks, inlets, hidden harbours and those long 'loping' sandy beaches; where cliff top walks are interspersed with quaint fishing villages. And where you are talking about specifically doesn't actually enter the balance until you add that fascinating 'abroad feel' that centuries of influence of the indigenous and developing culture which has made its indelible mark on the edges of the landscape.

Breton culture is responsible for the myth, legend and magic that springs from Brittany's coastline. Some readers may be surprised to learn that a section of the south west Bretagne coast bears the name ‘Cournaille’. So it's not hard to see the connection, however you may pronounce it. Add to this the similarities amongst the native languages of Wales, Cornwall and Brittany and you begin to recognise the influence of the Celtic swathe that extends further north, through Ireland & Scotland and south via the Basque and beyond.

The resorts and beaches of Brittany extend from the chic of Dinard in the northeast (this was often known as 'the English resort' because of its popularity with Edwardians - 'les Anglais'). Dinard, with its genteel striped beach tents stares in admiration across the bay toward the rugged and swash buckling St Malo, a departure point for so many explorers and merchant-venturers in the days when many still thought the earth was flat! Already we are seeing that it's often what goes on both on and beyond the beaches which fuels the fascination. Incidentally, when you get to look at St. Malo, bear in mind that during WWII it was bombed and shot to blazes as the Americans (well it was an American book that I read it in but I'm sur ethere were at least some Canadians and Brits in there too) took it back from the Germans. From a city in ruins in 1944 every brick and corner stone of it has been rebuilt to the exact original city plan that the original Privateers, Corsairs and Malouins - even Jacques Cartier would recognise it from. And a walk around the town's walls is a must.

West of Dinard the air of chic extends to other north coast resorts; Erquy (with 11 beaches) and Pleneuf Val Andre, where sophistication lives cheek by cheek with the 'life support' of Breton life...the fishing industry. Dahouet, as an example, sits right next door to Pleneuf and it's practical neighbour with its still very busy harbour has opened its heart (and its quayside seafood restaurants) to all comers, especially those interested in antiques too, as converted fishermen's net sheds punctuate the line of restaurants, offering brocante and antiquites. The marina offers shelter to the more modern leisure sailor and, it's Interesting too to note that berthing fees in Brittany are half the cost (or less) of those paid on England's south coast.

The shape of the coastline and the slow incline of the beaches to the west, in the Bay of St Brieuc, has given rise to the farming of mussels which, along with Crepes and Gallettes, are just 3 of Brittany’s famed culinary legacies. Thousands of rope-wound staves bristle from the beach at low tide where amphibious craft and tractors reap the harvest. At one particular cove... Jospinet, a restaurant on the slipway opens only at 6:30pm and, from April 1st to October 31st (except Tuesdays)... Moules & Huitres, with a choice of accompanying beer, wine or champagne is a must if you turn up for a walk on the beach at the right time.

To the west of St Brieuc, at Binic, is another vast beach, where an expanse of sand of ‘Norfolk’ or 'Morecombe' proportions, is a haven for the ‘pick your own’ brigade... especially when the low tide coincides with early Sunday afternoon...Slow to start, but an increasing band of would be shell fish collectors with nets, buckets, rakes, trowels and shovels - amble, cycle; some even drive - towing trailers...all meander down to the low water mark. For a while all is calm as those digging for anything that will complement Sunday after-noon’s repas, are absorbed in their task. It’s the turning of the tide which is worth sticking around for. As it advances at ‘a trot’ with the accumulated ‘mussel, cockle and oyster pickers’all rushing ahead of it - en masse - in true ‘Monsieur Hulot’ style! Catch it if you can... Further west is a landmark amongst beaches and coastlines as the coast of the Cormorants gives way to that of Rose Granite. The ‘sport’ here is in identifying famous faces amongst the profiles within the high rock formations. For Brits there is the added delight of there being both a ‘Margaret Thatcher’ and ‘HM The Queen’!

The Morlaix Estuary punctuates the northern coast with hidden bays & secret sands amongst the cliffs before it turns into Brittany’s own (chunkier than Corwall's land's end) the Crozon Peninsula; as both it (and Cornwall) offer that ‘fists clenched’ gesture toward the Atlantic and all it can throw at the land - as it enters La Manche (the English Channel). Even here there are delightful beaches that contradict the belief that Finistere is harsh and cold. Some of the best protected creeks provide sheltered beaches for the westernmost towns.

The ‘fingers’ of the Crozon eventually give way to the southern Finistere and Morbihan coast. Here, Douarnenez, Quimper, Concarneau and Benodet - God fearing and sea faring towns - where best use has been made of their tapering peninsula land (as do Penzance, St Ives, Falmouth and St Mawes in Cornwall) all mirror again quite nicely, whilst the Gulf Stream allows them an income; by hook or by crook - by sea and on land; like fishing, mussel farming and daffs in December.

By now the southern coast levels out and presents estuaries and inlets hiding bays, resorts and marinas all with ‘nature provided’ convenient beaches of all proportions. River estuaries are headed by riverside towns with history and there's heritage galore such as Pont l’Abbé with it’s own beach community at Loctudy, Benodet and Concarneau (Brittany's ancient sea port) with their busy marinas playing host to many motor sailers and their owners from the south coast of England as they cruise the Brittany coast each summer. A point of pilgrimage for many is Pont Aven, home to Gaugin before he headed off for Tahiti... And “no” the weather in Brittany isn’t what encouraged him to leave. The climate here is generally better than is enjoyed (or is it endured?) in the UK.

The last leg of the journey along the coast gives us gems such as Auray - I always think it’s like an Arundel by the sea! Or maybe Auray's just nearer the sea.

For me... the coast from here, until it merges into the Loire Atlantique, is probably saving the the best till last...because there is Lorient with its own ‘seaside’ town, Lamor Plage with chic beaches and cafés - you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in teh south of France rather than the south of Brittany. And to the east of Lorient is a feature which (carrying on that mirroring the British coast theme) resembles Chesil Beach in Dorset where a slowly curving beach (‘spot the other person on the beach’ is a game you can play all day here) as it reaches out to join Quiberon to the mainland. A year or so ago we found ourselves on the beach near a large village (small town) called Gavres. It was (I know there will be some who will argue this)... a warm day in January... not a soul shared the beach with us. Come to think of it - it could have been those gates we drove through and the signs which I think said something about a rocket firing range... But I digress. As I said - It reminded me of the view along Chesil Beach from Abbotsbury looking toward Portland Bill. Here it was from Gavres to Quiberon. And I can thoroughly recommend the place...although, don't come looking for me if you are arrested - or pick up a dose of radiation sickness! From here we drove on to have a look at Quiberon itself.

Now in January on that warm and sunny day Quiberon was heaving. All the cafés were open and doing good business. The benches that line the promenade were all taken with people sunbathing... OK some had coats on - but it was warm and the beach was busy with families getting in some early frisbee and football practise. It was wonderful. In July it might just be tad too busy - but I'll be happy to give it a try if I'm down that way.

Next along the coast is Carnac. Now there is definitely something going on here! There are 4,000 Neolithic standing stones. Some say they are a Roman legion turned to stone by Merlin. Personally I'd dispute that... I'm no history buff but - weren't the Neolithic times a bit before the Romans? Another story goes that the stones were placed there by successive generations in memory of their loved ones. Now that's a bit more like it! I guess toward the end of that period though we should expect to find some with chiselled tributes. But whatever the truth is about those that worked so hard to place them there they must have been driven by a powerful belief because some of those stones look heavy. Of course there are those who think that Carnac's stones are a landing field for extra terrestrial craft (but this is promoted by what I call the knit your own yoghurt brigade. And you won't get me on that one. And anyway the stones would just play havoc with your undercarriage!

Now that I am getting into this Blogging lark I will be doing more and maybe... for next time I will be visiting, researching and reporting on the big one...one of the most interesting areas of coastal Brittany - The Gulf of Morbihan...

Bonne Chance et Bonne Année CS

The Rigole d'Hilvern

2009-12-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

Our house in Brittany is very near to the Rigole d'Hilvern. It's a 'cut'... a mini canal if you like. But it hasn't been navigated by any boats. Our neighbour did tell me though, that when he was a boy, he and his dad regularly caught Pike at the top of the lane. And, even though it winds for 62.5 kilometers (only 25 or so as the crow flies) it has no locks (as a feat of engineering - it drops just 3mm in height for every 10 metres of its length) and these days not much of its length holds water Many of the pedestrian bridges that cross it have rotted away leaving just the stone buttresses, pillars and iron railings. But it still manages to attract thousands of walkers and riders every year, both equine, pedal powered (and occasionally our neighbour on his trials bike) via hundreds of access points as it winds its way under roads and tracks past hamlets and villages between Lake Bosmeliac and Hilvern near to Pontivy (Napoleon's northern Garrison town) where it joins the Nantes Brest Canal and the River Blavet.

The digging of the Rigole provided work for the 10 years between 1828 and 1838 for redundant linen workers; those left high and dry when their industry's biggest customer, the French Navy, upgraded from sail to steam. I often speculate about what life must have been like at our place whilst the digging team worked their way slowly past, dropping down the hill a couple of hundred metres to draw water from our well, buy cider and eggs or to use the bread oven to bake dough which they might bring to work with them. Being good citizens of Napoleon they also planted trees as they worked, ensuring that future generations (as well as Boney's army) might also walk in the shade.There are plans in place to lay a track of crushed and pounded stone along one side of the Rigole. All part, no doubt, of making sure that as many people as might wish to can make full use of what has become a popular (if sometimes overgrown) amenity. We are yet to be convinced that this will be an improvement. The existing grass 'tow paths' may need mowing three or four times a year by whichever commune's works department they are passing through - but maybe the added awareness for the facility will also mean that more vehicles than just the two tractors a day that pass the end of our drive will mean trippers, picnickers, hot dog vans, a car park... I'm joking of course. At least I hope I am!

The original need for the Rigole has long passed. Originally it kept the Nantes Brest canal topped up with water when low levels needed a lift. Napoleon first decided that the main canal should be constructed to move goods without exposing them to plunder by the English fleets that controlled the seas around the 700 miles of Brittany's coastline. So, you see it was all the fault of 'les Anglais' and Napoleon's key adversary, Nelson, in the first place... that the Nantes Brest canal was excavated. And so, if the place gets too busy we've only got ourselves to blame!

Hot off the Press! With enormous help from Brussels - so thanks all you UK tax payers - the Rigole is being given a face lift... The tow-path on one side of its entire 60+ kilometers is being 'paved' (actually with a top layer of crushed stone) to allow a greater number of cyclists and walkers (not to mention wheelchairs and baby buggy users) to enjoy the facility. We walk or cycle a couple of miles along the rigole as often as we can. It opens up such a wealth of 'extra'... whether that is just access to otherwise hidden hamlets or to collect the fallen boughs and branches to keep our winter fuel costs down... It's especially good for keeping an eye on the wildlife you won't find near to roads... deer, foxes, badgers and wild boar. With typical French efficiency many trees have been removed, doctored or planted to ensure that the rigole lasts for another hundred and fifty years.

Life is better in Brittany & Normandy

2009-06-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

We bought a house in central Brittany in 1999 for just £12,000GBP. And it's the best move we haven't yet made! I should explain. For family reasons we still yo-yo between Sussex and Brittany. Initially the house was nothing more than a project to which we would probably retire at an undetermined point in the future ••• I don't think we realised quite what we were getting into. Not just from the amount of work that we had taken on... but how enjoyable it could be as a bolthole before it might become our permanent home. Obviously we liked the house sufficiently to buy it (who wouldn't for 12 grand?) and we knew broadly that Brittany was a very pleasant region of France - having been on a couple of scoots around. What we didn't know was how well placed we would be for all that the area has to offer...proximity to the coast, lakes, rivers, the Nantes/Brest Canal and the historic cities, towns and villages; their architecture, earthworks, culture and entertainment ...we've even (now) seen Bruce Springsteen at a festival - just a half hour's drive from the house).

Finding the house back in 1999 wasn't easy. Estate agency (as we know it in the UK) was still taking shape over in northwest France and evolving from the traditional role in property transfer historically undertaken by the notarial system. The same goes for the web-marketing of international property. Some of the fledgling sites in those days were good on-screen but didn't necessarily match up in reality. We were messed around by one or two agencies who probably thought they were doing a good job. Without some extremely good luck we would have missed out on seeing the house we eventually bought. No thanks to the agents whose organisational skills were full of holes. We probably wasted about £1,500 before we got to see the house we eventually bought due to the ineptitude of the stringbag beginnings of people who are now our competitors...

Two years after buying in France we (once again accidentally) became involved in establishing a business based around introducing those interested in buying property in Brittany to the right calibre of agents who had on their books to the right kind of property to 'hit the spot' for prospective clients. We began with just a handful of properties in just one small area through one fledgling agent. But we did come up with a great name for marketing purposes (nice to know that a career in advertising didn't go to waste)... www.ahouseinbrittany.com - Interestingly the market is now peppered with so many names that are inspired by ours (bleeding annoying actually - but what is it they say about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery). The only problem we had back in 2001 was that as soon as we began advertising and getting our name around we had calls and e-mails from people wanting houses in Brittany - yes - but houses all over Brittany! To cut a long story short we have now been at it for 8 years and have around 2,000 properties on our sites and have working relationships with around 30 agencies. We have expanded the operation to include www.ahouseinnormandy.com and www.ahouseinthe loire.com (the Loire site is still in development, having been first uploaded during the beginning of the recession - but we're working to recruit new agents in greater numbers).

How is life better in Brittany & Normandy?

Well, for a start, property prices are much lower than in the UK...and the French don't pay road tax (can you imagine 'Teflon' Tony or 'Flash' Gordon coming up with that for the UK?). And, remember, France has the same population and yet two and half times the road network of the UK... so it costs their government far more to dispense with any extra charge on motorists. The roads in France are better and emptier too than any you'll find in Britain... In Brittany if there are more than 3 cars between you and the horizon it's known locally as a 'traffic jam'!

Our local rates in Brittany are just £400pa as opposed to £2,200ish in Sussex. The pace and quality of life is better suited and there is an unhurried and definitely less crowded feel to the place (111 people per square kilometre as opposed to 390 in England...the most crowded country in the EU).

Brittany has 700 miles of stunning coastline and it mirrors Devon and Cornwall across the channel with creeks, beaches, marinas, moorings and lakes, rivers and canals aplenty. So much of the topography is very similar and nowhere is more than around an hour's drive from the coast. The locals are friendly... especially if you make the effort to integrate and speak with them in French. And there is a warmth amongst new neighbours with plenty of opportunities and activities to help newcomers to fit into their new community. Friendships are easily made with the many Bretons and Normans who remember D-Day too and, if it wasn't that giving us a bond, it is the fact that Britain was under Norman rule for a good few years after 1066...so, our up and down relationship with the French is still definitely 'up' with those whose ancestors have historically lived close to the coast in the north... those who were touched by foreign occupation and tyrrany. Watch this space - I'm going to be adding posts with tips and hints and other related subjects I may get to cover as I get time... I still have a couple of websites to keep up to date - Bon Chance!