SOUTHERN BRITTANY: Try Channel hopping to beat airport hassles

Jan 15 2008 by Susan Lee

Susan Lee enjoys a taste of the outdoor life on a camping holiday with the family in southern Brittany

"I'M WORRIED about our carbon footprint," said my better half, leafing through the holiday brochures.

I was less concerned with the environment and more worried about lost luggage, airport delays and cancelled flights.

Somehow flying had lost its attraction.

Which is why we found ourselves cosily ensconced on the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo on our family getaway to France.

My sea legs aren't all that good but our Brittany ferry was bright and spacious with a good choice of restaurants, bars and entertainment. The kids were thrilled with the adventure of it all and the sense that the travelling, normally something to be endured, was in fact part of the holiday.

Best of all our four berth cabin was small but comfortable and we all slept well, rocked by the gentle swell of the sea.

One of the other bonuses of travelling by overnight ferry - apart from not having to eat airline food - is you arrive in France refreshed and ready to begin your holiday.

Our base for the next nine days was with mobile home specialists Keycamp at La Grande Métairie, a large, well equipped site in the parklands of a former manor.

It offered good sized tree-lined pitches, a stunning indoor and outdoor pool complex and - a favourite with the nine-year-old - a tree-top climbing area complete with zip wires.

Also on hand were horses to ride, goats to feed and even a pig to pet - manna from heaven for our animal-mad daughter.

Add to all that kids' clubs, tennis courts, table tennis tables and an excellent play area - as well as a nice bar and restaurant for mum and dad - and you could quite happily stay on site in your mobile home or tent for your entire holiday.

That, however, would be to miss some of the best beaches and prettiest villages in France.

So we hired bikes from the site and set out to see what this particular bit of southern Brittany had to offer.

First stop was on our doorstep - the world famous standing stones at Carnac.

They are an astonishing sight, 2,000 stones which pre-date both the Pyramids and Stonehenge, spread across fields and alongside roads. There's a handy museum and visitor centre if you want more information but we found simply cycling round them as the sun set experience enough.

The kids were champing at the bit for the beach and we found the ideal spot less than 10 minutes' drive away but there were plenty of others from which to choose including the busier and nearer Carnac Plage.

Our particular little bit of paradise was quieter - just an ice cream vendor and some toilets - but it offered safe bathing, clean sand and fascinating rock pools. With a picnic, a bucket and spade and plenty of suncream, holidays don't really get any better.

Another favourite was La Trinité-sur-Mer. No beach here but fabulous yachts to ogle in the marina, interesting shops to browse and a wonderful jetty off which to fish and crab.

We returned again and again, often with some success. But nothing rivalled the day our neighbours, two French boys, landed a crab the size of a dinner plate. Our kids still talk about it.

If it's a touch of history you're after you can't go wrong with Auray, a jaw-dropping medieval town based around a lovely harbour. Higgeldy-piggeldy houses line twisting streets packed with bars and eateries.