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STANDARD MOTOR
CLUB BRITTANY HOLIDAY - A report by Len Barr
It
was nearly a year ago, that I saw the initial details advertised both on the
web site and in the Magazine. Brian and Dorothy Murrish, who had used the hotel
before with their local Austin Seven Club, suggested the venue as the suitable
destination for the Devon and Cornwall Group Holiday Rally.
In
the event, the Devon and Cornwall Group wanted a Yorkshire Holiday in the
School Holiday period, so in the end, it was five Standards, with ten people
that met on the Plymouth Dockside on Friday 2nd September ready to catch the
overnight ferry to Roscoff.
- 1935
Ten - Len Barr and Bob James
- 1938
Flying Twelve Drop Head Coupe - Brian and Dorothy Murrish
- 1938
Flying Twelve Saloon - Dennis and Sheila Brown
- 1951
Phase 1 Vanguard - David and Marion Piper
- 1955
Ten - Dennis and Paul Dark
Click
on any photo to see an enlargement:
| Saturday
morning at 7 am, and time to disembark at Roscoff, still quite dark and
it was necessary to use our lights. We all met in on the dockside, so
that we could re-group and then ready to set forth into the French
Countryside. With just two major considerations – remembering to drive
on the right, and also my very limited schoolboy French I was wondering
what the next five days would have in store for us.
A
leisurely drive to our first stop in the medieval town of Morlaix for
Coffee and croissants, a breakfast stop for those who hadn’t managed
to get breakfast on board the boat, a chance to look around the bustling
market for the remainder. Then on via a mid morning coffee stop in
Huelgoat, to a leisurely lunch, in a lovely small canal side café in
Chateauneuf-du-Faou. Which gave plenty of time to rest the cars, have
lunch and a pleasant walk along the side of the quite wide canal.
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All
to soon, it was time to set off on the last hop to Le Manoir du Menec,
at Bannalec, which was to be our base for the next four nights. A lovely
former manor house, which had been converted into a small delightful
hotel. The food was excellent, the bedrooms very comfortable, a indoor
swimming pool, which although claimed to be heated was anything but, and
gym equipment for the really energetic! The hotel was about three miles
out of the town of Bannalec, right in the country. The car park was
secluded and none of us had any concerns about the security of our cars
overnight.
Sunday
morning, after a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we set off towards
the coast. A stop for coffee in a delightful small town of Pont-Aven.
Also chance to walk around the town, which was made famous by the
artist, Paul Gauguin. Then onto the delightful walled town of Concarneau
for lunch. A pleasant couple of hours were spent in Concarneau, before
we set off for a drive along the coast, stopping at the lighthouse at
Pointe de Trevignon and thus back to our hotel. |
| Monday,
we again headed for the coast, but in the opposite direction towards
Larmor-Plage. As a change on Tuesday, we explored the inland region
around Bannalec.
Wednesday,
it dawned wet – our first really wet period of the holiday, but this
soon dried up, for our return drive up to Roscoff. We stopped in
Chateauneuf-du-Faou again for coffee, before a visit to the supermarket
to buy some picnic items for lunch. A pleasant picnic lunch was taken a
the viewpoint at Ferme St-Michel, over looking the lake and apparently a
nuclear power station! It had been quite a long steady climb up to Ferme
St-Michel, which at a little over a 1000 feet above sea level, was the
highest point on our return journey.
This
caused my 1935 Ten to overheat slightly and loose a bit of water. The
only previous occasion that my 1935 Ten had boiled was some years ago,
when traversing Snowdonia on one of the late lamented Llangollen Motor
Museum Rallies. On this occasion, I am inclined to consider this could
be contributed to the greatly increased levels of ethanol in French fuel
– when the ethanol is increased in the fuel over here, it will be
interesting to see if other people have a problem.
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After
the picnic it was time for the last leg of our return trip to Roscoff. A
stop at the Wine warehouse to stock up on essentials, then into the
pretty town of Roscoff, for a walk around the old town, a last dinner on
French soil, and thus back to the Ferry port, for the return overnight
crossing to Plymouth.
7am
on a very wet dockside in Plymouth it was time to say our goodbyes and
head home. It had been a marvellous trip and our grateful thanks must go
to Dorothy and Brian for organising the trip. We all had a wonderful
time and we hope that Dorothy and Brian will organise another holiday in
France
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Report
by Len Barr
Photos
by Brian Murrish
October 2011
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