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In June/July 2006 we had a 9 day driving holiday in France. We caught a car ferry from Dover to Calais, drove down through Normandy, popped into Brittany and then caught the ferry back to Dover from Boulogne-sur-Mer.
We chose to take our own car over, as the cost of the ferry and petrol was significantly cheaper than flying from London and hiring a car in France. I also feel a lot more comfortable travelling in our own car as opposed to a hire car.
The only negative thing about driving our car in France is that it is a right hand drive car, and French cars are left hand drive, which means that tolls/tickets machines etc are on the wrong side of the car for the driver to operate…luckily I was able to assist in these duties from the passenger seat, but I do feel sorry for the solo traveller in these situations.
Driving in France is great. The roads are good and the sign posting is excellent. You can hoon along on the wide tollways/freeways, or travel along pretty coastal roads, soaking up the atmosphere of the French countryside. Just remember which side of the road you have to drive on if you come over from the UK.
When driving into Cancale, try to take the scenic road that goes along the cliff edge giving you fabulous views over the town. Leave a Comment
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Oysters are everywhere in Cancale, which probably has something to do with the fact that Cancale labels itself the 'Oyster capital of Brittany'.
There are lots of restaurants where you can sample the local fare, and rumour has it that some of the top restaurants in Paris use the delicious Cancale oyster as well.
The town is surrounded by hundreds of oyster beds. As the tide goes out, the town is filled with activity. Truck after truck after tractor heads down to their patch to harvest the latest salty specimens. It is really interesting just to watch them go about their business.
Cancale is also home to a small museum dedicated to shellfish and oyster farming. Leave a Comment
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When you visit Cancale make sure you check out the Marche aux Huitres (Oyster Market).
The market is located at the end of the road, close to the small lighthouse, and while it consists of only handful of stalls, it is worth a look.
The oysters are all laid out, according to their size and quality. Prices started from around 2 euro for a dozen of the smallest oysters (size 5), and are considerably dearer for the huge oysters, which are the size of a plate!
You can buy oyster from the market to eat on the spot. They open them for you and serve them on a plastic plate. You can eat them as is, or add a little lemon juice to taste. Leave a Comment
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I guess the big tidal difference makes it easy to harvest the oysters. At low tide, you can see tractors going way out into the bay. The oyster field is set up neatly like rice paddies. Leave a Comment
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If you are facing the bay, the oyster stalls are all the way to the left side. We went the other way and at the end of the way was this store. They're just as cheap. Leave a Comment
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There is nothing much to do in Cancale when the tide is in (as it was when we arrived and left), but we came to eat the oysters. When the tide is out the bay just above the jetty is a busy place tending and harvesting the oysters that Parisians look forward to. There are fine views and Mont St.-Michel may be visible (with time to spend you can mount the church steeple). Four km north up D201 is Pointe du Grouin covered in the next Tip. At the base of the jetty is a lighthouse and an old crane. Leave a Comment
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The Pointe marks the beginning of the Bay of Mont St.-Michel and the Abbey can be seen in the distance from there as well as along the succeding coast. At the Pointe is a solitary small hotel (Logis de France) and restaurant (often with rooms readily available). There are walks and hiking paths and an undisturbed series of sea views. Both this and nearby Cancale are excellent bases of operation from which to visit the area. We have described it under Bretagn.Off the Beaten Path and Beausoleil has ppictures in a Travelogue under St. Malo.
At the Pointe is a solitary hotel and restu
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on July 21, 2006
on December 2, 2006
on November 1, 2007
