Sauzon to Hôtel Le Grand Large Belle-île-en-mer – 19th March 2024
A very pleasant day when not very much happened. I took endless snaps of little bays where time and sea have melded the hardest rock into fantastical shapes. It was 13 with a slight westerly, so things were fine as long as I kept moving. However, as I came up the last stretch towards the hotel, I noticed two gay men approaching pushing a large pram, the sort a sporty, posh all biz mother type might use. As it went past me I saw the baby lounging inside to be a lovely Setter Dalmatian cross.
Sauzon and not a boat to be seen.Not sure if that is the big lad himself up in his alcove giving Sauzon the once over. France is nominally a Catholic country so I suppose they’re just being a bit restrained with the old iconography here in Bretagne.What I love, apart from the idea of protecting the beaches by adopting them, is that some school kid has added a poster of what it means to them and no one has drawn a big knob anywhere on it.Leaving the unfortunately named Port Puke. looks like it might rain.The island of Houat on the horizon. Someday, maybe in May.Plage Deuborh and there is a van there but he turned out to be a worker.Saul and Sandra Seagull just-a-chilling.The cross marks the end of a poor bastard like me, over-balancing on his trembly old legs.Big chunks just fall off.This little one is Port Penhoet.Coming up on the Poulains lighthouse and about to turn south down the west side of the island.Fort Sarah-Bernhardt. Must have been a lonely old posting back in the day. The bored Frenchies have spent their time carving her profile into the rock on the left.The Côte Sauvage, though that name seems to apply to at least three places on this coast.Many, many headlands still to go.We need to tell you about it but we don’t want to shout.Didn’t see anything dangerous – maybe only a little dangerous to match the sign.A big hole in the ground that will soon be more Côte Sauvage.Leaving the northern peninsular behind, about 8 miles to go.Plage de Ster-Vraz ahead and maybe a stop for a few minutes.Not sure that I’d like to try and navigate through that to the beach.What were the wee Canadians doing all the way down here, I wonder?The Plage at Plage de Ster-Vraz and a small shortcut across the beach which is always welcome.Stêr Ouen. I know, all starting to look the same.More seascape / bashed rock.That one seems quite clear. Risk of fatal fall. Access prohibited. A small detour then.Ok don’t know what’s going on. More of the Accés Interdit signs but there was no other choice. Heading to that ruined Semaphore station.There you go, a nice sea cave.You can just about see the Lighthouse sticking up which is near the Hotel.I have to scramble down the slope to that little bridge then up the hill on the other side. Only about the 40th today.The next one along. Get me out of this hell.I can finally see the hotel, a vague bump in the middle of the shot.Four more down and a chance to shortcut across a beach, if I can get down to it. The tide seems out far enough that I could splash around that rock in the middle.The Germans fortified this island too. Don’t usually see the old defences but someone has lit this one up.Plage de Donnant – you saved me a hard mile.I say it is a witch with her tongue sticking out.Hard to see the ones at the other end.The last bay – hopefully – before the peninsular the hotel is on.There you go a large sea cave, this time.Just one more of the sea lashed rocks.There she is, the glorious gaff. Not sure I can even be bothered with a shower just now. Just need to lie down.The fog siren on the cliffs opposite the hotel. I do love a good old fog horn.
Belle-Île-en-mer is so reminiscent of the Isle of Man. It is not far enough south to get the heat of Spain so the vegetation probably stays green the whole year round. It also reminds me a lot of Jersey, of course, that might be because of the horrendous first day – though for different reasons. Here it was cos I went much too far. Still it is beautiful so, on with the show.
