"Côtes d'Armor" Quemper-Guézennec by alza

Quemper-Guézennec Travel Guide: 1 reviews and 2 photos

Bretagne Nord 1

The area described here is now officially known as Côtes d'Armor (in Breton language, this means the land by the sea.)

It's situated between the Finistère to the West (Brest, Quimper) and the Ille-et-Vilaine (Rennes, Saint-Malo)

The main towns in the Côtes d'Armor are : St-Brieuc, Guingamp, Lannion, Paimpol, Perros-Guirec, Dinan, Lamballe, Quintin.

From the Côte de Granit Rose, near Perros Guirec, vedette-boats travel to les Sept-Iles (Seven Islands) where grey seals and a variety of birds can be observed. Landing is only permitted on the Ile aux Moines.
The wharf is at the Trestaou Beach near Perros-Guirec.

The Ile de Bréhat, reachable by vedette from the Pointe de l'Arcouest is the most visited site in Bretagne Nord, along with Cap Fréhel. It's beautiful and great to explore by bike. Flowers grow everywhere thanks to the pleasant weather brought by the Gulf Stream.
The best time to go is outside high tourist season... From Ploubazlanec to the wharf at Cape Arcouest, it's 3 km. Huge parking at Arcouest, very full in summertime.

In Ploubazlanec, behind the church, on the cemetary wall, there are plaques without tombs with touching engravings... "In memory of Jean B., disappeared in Iceland, 1866, at the age of 16... Marcel B., lost at sea, 1891..." Thousands were lost at sea during the great fishing campaigns to Newfoundland and Iceland and the tragedy has marked Brittany.
Visit the Musée de la Mer in Paimpol to find out more about the terres-neuvas, before heading for Ploubazlanec.

Cap Fréhel and its fantastic cliffs is not to be missed! Vertiginous, granite walls dropping into ravines and the ocean. Near Plévenon.
Cap Fréhel gave its name to Freels in Newfoundland, Canada, when Breton fishermen started fishing there for cod.

In Loguivy de la Mer, near the mouth of the Trieux, daily life follows its course, the "criée" (fish auction) is held at 2.30 p.m. , no one says a word, a wink and a sign of the finger or a nod says it all.

Dive into this world apart, stop at the Café du Port, stare into the big Napoleon III mirror, read the ads for a belote competition (a card game) in Quemper-Guézennec or a picnic at Plouzbanalec. That's life over there, quietly traditional... simple moments never to be forgotten.

How to get there:
By car: Paris-Rennes-Brest (exit at Guingamp)
By plane: Airport at Lannion
By train: TGV Paris-Brest (stop at Guingamp)
Autorail: Guingamp-Pontrieux
By boat: Port de plaisance (marina)

Bretagne Nord 2

More to the West, in the area of Lannion, here are three great coastal areas, with pathways etc.

Côte des Ajoncs, North-East of Lannion, between Plougrescant and Port-Blanc

Côte de Granit Rose, North of Lannion, between Perros-Guirec and Trébeurden (beautiful but overbuilt for holidaymakers; prefer the other two coasts)

Côte des Bruyères, South-West of Lannion, between le Yaudet and Trédrez

I always went to Brittany with my car and honestly would not recommend travelling around there by bus. A good idea would be to come from Paris, say, on the TGV train and to rent a car at Guingamp or another city.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Authentic, remote, wild, simply true life!
Cons:What?!!

Last visit to Quemper-Guézennec: Dec 1998
Intro Updated Mar 6, 2011
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Reviews (1)

Somewhere in Brittany - Quemper-Guézennec

A crêperie that's also an inn Restaurants (1)

I stopped here years ago on the way from the Côtes d'Armor Department (Perros-Guirec, les Sept Iles, etc.) across... more travel advice

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Comments (5)

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sourbugger Oct 2, 2007 at 3:12 PM

duly logged as a must do
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craic Jan 31, 2004 at 6:53 AM

Just me.
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Ivan_Jimenez Sep 25, 2003 at 3:01 PM

And what about a Crepe Suzette for tonight? It is already late for me... cannot start breaking eggs so late at night.. but you? Tu devrais en preparer une et la jouir pour moi.
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billus Aug 28, 2003 at 8:53 PM

The Ferme Auberge Crêperie de Kerpuns on zee Planet is only oevert le lundi midi!!
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herzog63 Aug 11, 2003 at 8:04 PM

It's been a long time since I've had a good crepe!!