And again continuing my cleaning house and updating revising very old posts in my blog, I take you to very close and familiar grounds. This is beach heavens just south of me. This is Carnac and Quiberon!
The day was windy ,cloudy, and a bit of rain with cool temps but anyway there is always a good time to go out in my Morbihan. As we said, when there is a will , there is a way. So we headed for our favorite beach towns with a visiting friend. it is a wonderful beach about 30 minutes from my house and an Unesco World Heritage Site on the megalith stones!!!
We took a ride by La Trinité sur Mer, Plouharnel, and then headed for Carnac arriving in city center doing some walks checking the high prices on the shops and then headed for a the Grande Plage or big beach here. Of course ,nobody on the water , too cold and windy , just the thrill of been on a nice flat sandy beach.
Carnac is sublime, a beautiful big beach=grande plage and plenty of bars/restos and shops all close in in a couple blocks, its like having a big street party with a beach lol!
We come here often on weekends when at home. Go early and you have all the parkings you need, go by noon and scramble to find one. So we leave home about 9h (9am) and always parking right by the entrance of the grande plage.
We went by our favorite places such as Memestra ( now closed) new owners and name in there) brasserie facing the grande plage and the Fisher’s Club right on the sand, both wonderful to spend a day there. We had some drinks here while looking at the grande plage and the boys went into the water yikes! a bit cold for me even if the temp outside was 24C the water was like 16C!
Then, we moved on to Quiberon, our favorite spot on a peninsula. We did came back thru the Côte Sauvage or wild coast, both previously written on it. We came straight to our favorite water hole here L’Esplanade Café on the place Hoche facing the Grande Plage or big beach here. You have plenty to choose from all around as well as a wonderful promenade boulevard facing the beach and plenty of goodies. You, also, have a Fisher’s Club here.
The city of Carnac on the Grande Plage: https://www.carnactourism.co.uk/node/454
My fav plages tv on the Grande Plage of Carnac: https://en.plages.tv/detail/grande-plage-carnac-56340
We did our normal walks in town and by residential areas with the great beach mansions, did a bit of the tourist office visit (always recommended visiting or living here), did some shopping visiting our favorites la Trinitaine store next to the tourist office.
At the L’Esplanade Café you can drink the famous Belzubeth 8,5% beers as well as the St Omer premium drafts. All very friendly and nice ambiance always. The Esplanade Hoche here is surrounded by shops, restos, bars galore on a central compact location in the beach. You can, also, spent a day here or combine the day with the above Carnac.
The tourist office of the Bay of Quiberon on Quiberon: https://www.baiedequiberon.co.uk/quiberon
We did some walks,rode around a bit, went by favorite areas like the mesme tra resto facing the grande plage of Carnac. Went along the beaches of St Colomban, and Legénere, and the inner streets of the beach town. Nice walk and an excuse to be away from home.
Then ,we headed back to the city center or bourg or town of Carnac is really about 2 kms away, and there we had the big Church of Saint Cornély.
We ate at Carnac bourg or city center at Restaurant Le Cozy (now closed) and its just that very cozy at the end of a courtyard with open air, very well serve, nice st jacques dish with terrine de colin a fish and local bonnets rouges beers, coffee, just wonderful restaurant at 2 rue Saint Cornély. Here just for the memories.
Along the route des kerlescan or D196, the route of the dolmens, menhirs, megaliths and alignements in French. These are stones from thousands of years that were move here in line on differents fields of which the main ones are along this road, Menec, Kermario and Kerlescan. It is thousands of stones all line up with meaning still to be found really. It is UNESCO heritage site indeed worth it.
At first , I saw them and wonder why would anybody would come here to see old stones, but then once here, realize it has a greater meaning to the local Bretons. Our homes like mine is full of them and gardens decorated with stones and house front with stones, it has a deep heritage meaning here. There is a house museum by the Menec site call the Maison des Mégalithes. And visited the museum or musée de Préhistoire ,very educational about the area stones or megaliths.
You have the stones or menhirs, and the funeral enclosing from Dolmens,couloir ,and cistes. At Kermario you have 1 100 meters long of stone alignments with over 980 stones. Kerlescan is the smallest but the best preserve; with 350 meters long of alignments and 140 meters wide, the great stone known as the giant of manio or “le géant du Manio” it is about 300 meters west of the center of the ensemble. The Champ de Menec the most westerly and in front of the maison des mégalithes is 1050 stones along 950 meters long. Here you find the tallest with more than 3 meters high call the giant du menec or “géant du Menec”.
The tourist office of Carnac on the alignments, stones: https://www.ot-carnac.fr/decouvrir/menhirs-et-patrimoine/alignements-de-carnac
The National Monuments of France on the alignment of Carnac: http://www.menhirs-carnac.fr/en/
Ministry of Culture of France arts panorama site on the alignment: https://www.panoramadelart.com/alignements-de-carnac
The culture section of the Morbihan dept 56 on the alignment of Carnac: http://www.megalithes-morbihan.com/sites/carnac-alignments.html
Always a fascinating subject to many indeed. It is a wonderful one two punch to have while in the Morbihan, Carnac and Quiberon are our backyard and we go often even just for a ride. Hope you enjoy the post and do visit these wild wonderul part of my lovely Bretagne and my belle France. Browse the many posts on them in my blog and I thank you for reading.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 