I came back to wonderful coastal Etel and it was fun as usual. However, this time dwell into some picturesque sights of it that are just wonderful me think. Therefore, let me tell you about Etel and its port area ; oh yes in my beautiful Morbihan ,and my lovely Bretagne ,and my belle France. Do see my other posts on Etel, and hope you enjoy this post as I.
The river of Étel or Ria Étel (in Breton Stêr an Intel) is a small coastal river which flows in an Aber (or ria), meaning that its deep valley is invaded by the sea at rising tide. It is a small bay dotted with islets, the mouth of which lies in the Atlantic Ocean at the level of the town of Étel and that of Plouhinec. At the mouth of the Ria is the bar of Étel, a shoal of underwater sand formed by the crossing of the currents and whose position is variable. This bar makes navigation difficult. A semaphore is built in 1960, on the Plouhinec side, in order to safely guide sailors towards the entrance to the ria.
The Étel marina has a capacity of 460 boats on pontoons. The port of Étel has a visitor area for your stopovers with 46 berths available. Attention, the maximum draft is 3 meters (about 10 feet).
There is a quant nice water taxi boat between the harbor of Etel and that of Le Magouer across the ria. Its sort of the little train on water ! And there is fun for sea lovers in me, for the pleasure boat lover or owner, the harbor marina (Le Port) is heavens and so picturesque ! Talking about the the Harbor well here you can get cruisinto the river up stream and into the islands outside on the Atlantic. Below going to Le Magouer!
At the entrance to the most beautiful Ria in southern Brittany, the port of Étel is located in the middle of a large dune site, between Quiberon and Lorient, a charming stopover in the heart of the city, offering quality services and activities. for everyone (swimming, sailing, hiking, etc.). During the Tuna Festival, at the beginning of August, it is eaten, grilled in all the sauces in the restaurants of the port. At the port of Étel, bicycles are offered to boaters stopping over for a ride to Plouhinec and the island of Saint Cado via its small stone bridge and a pretty view of the ria.
Located on the left bank of the Etel River, the port consists of a main basin, to the north, with its mole to the west. To the south, the quays of the auction and the cooler extend to the rescue station. On the embankments behind the quays, one finds successively from north to south: the fish market (1957), the old fish market (1888), the maritime cooperative, the disused municipal cooler (1946) with , on either side , fishmongers’ huts (1948, unmarked), and the lifeboat shelter (1962). Only the parts of the quays to the south of the basin (around 1850-1860), along the hall and the old fish market (1867), and their extension towards the rescue station (1939-1942), are in freestone. . The others, including the old mole, are all or part built or rebuilt in reinforced concrete. The rest of the banks of the port is laid out with riprap.
The SNSM is a voluntary organisation in France to lifeguard the sea aficionados and boat owners getting them safe out of the water in case of mishaps; they do other functions such as taking my mother Gladys and wife Martine out to sea burial at Honfleur (Normandie) . I am very attach and supporter of the org and a donor since 2007. The station at Etel was done in 1866! SNSM Etel: https://station-etel.snsm.org/
The local Bay of Quiberon tourist board on the port and ria of Etel: https://www.baiedequiberon.co.uk/etel-and-its-port
The Morbihan dept 56 tourist board on the Ria of Etel: https://www.morbihan.com/accueil/decouvrir/le-morbihan/les-incontournables/la-ria-d-etel
There you go folks, another dandy road warrior ride into beautiful seacoast territory we love, and so glad Etel is very close to us ,only 22 km or about 14 miles, Hope you enjoy this post on the port and ria of Etel in my beautiful Morbihan.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 