Bretagne (France)

Way back when, on holidays past, my hubbie and I only had ourselves to please. We could book holidays at the last minute, go pretty much anywhere we fancied and when we got there all we needed was a good book, a patch of sand by the sea and a decent bar close by, to be happy.

Now we have two wilfull and lively boys in tow our holidays need to be very, very different. For a start our holidays need to be planned well in advance. The requirements are - somewhere safe, somewhere clean, somewhere with lots for the kids to do, preferably without too much adult supervision so we can get a rest - somewhere you can get to easily without the kids getting bored - not too hot, not too cold and all within a budget.

A conventional package holiday to one of the Spanish Costas say, could cost the average family thousands of pounds and even a stay in a tiny caravan in England during August can cost as much as £700 a week!

Luckily we have the answer pretty much on our doorstep!

A few years back a friend kept nagging us to visit Brittany but we had preconceived ideas about France, namely that the French were grumpy and arrogant, the driving was awful and the place was just too close to home to be a proper holiday, so we resisted. One year though, after spending two weeks in the aforementioned tiny caravan in England I determined to give France a go. My friend recommended booking a cottage direct with the owner as it usually worked out even cheaper than mobile homes, or even holidays under canvas, and as the internet was really starting to grow at the time it was becoming ever easier to find them.

I love the internet! Just by putting 'Brittany Cottage holiday' or similar into the search engine I have found hundreds of idyllic looking properties available for rent at prices which were astounding. Nowadays I always aim to spend under £400 per week on my holiday cottage and if I book my channel crossing early enough our summer holidays come in at less than £1000 for a fortnight in August. We've stayed in some fabulous places in France - a traditional farmhouse (with all mod cons including private swimming pool and acres of garden), cute little cottages in the countryside, a woodsmans cottage in the grounds of an ancient chateau and even a mussel farmers cottage situated right on the beach where there were the most amazing sunsets and the boys spent the whole time fishing or paddling. The cottage on the beach was in Locmariaquer and I thoroughly recommend it. Last summer we stayed inland in Brittany at a lovely refurbished house which had an acre of garden. We weren't expecting too much because the advertisement wasn't very detailed but when we arrived the boys were happy to find a massive trampoline (with surround), wooden swings, climbing frames and slide, as well as bikes for everyone and every garden toy you could think of to play with. We needn't have left the house and it cost about £400 for the week!

But it's not just the money. Brittany has so much to offer. For a start it may feel a little familiar. The landscape is similar in places to south west England and there are celtic connections. Brittany has an identity which remains somewhat separate to the remainder of France. Despite movements in the past to quash the culture there are efforts being made to revive the old language, and you will see place name signs in Breton as well as French, with peculiar combinations of K's and Q's. There are celtic influences everywhere, together with the inevitable celtic myths and fables, tales of fairy glens and King Arthur (or Artur of the Bretons). Intriguing stuff. Try visiting Huelgoat for a taste of celtic mythology Brittany style. There are huge granite boulders with waterfalls cascading over and you can visit the 'Devils cave' although this is for the agile only! You shouldn't miss a place called Carnac. We make a fuss over here about Stonehenge but imagine a place where literally thousands of ancient stones (much older than Stonehenge) are scattered about, some in lines, some in circles, some surrounding massive stone monoliths or dolmens. Why? There are lots of theories but you need to go to see for yourself. It's only fairly recently that the main groups of stones were fenced off to preserve them, but there are many places, a little off the beaten track, where you can get close enough to touch these ancient monuments. Go see them in early morning mist for some real atmosphere. You'd think children wouldn't be interested but our boys loved seeing the standing stones - once we'd told them the various theories about aliens, hobgoblins and whatever.

You'll find plenty to do in Brittany. The french never miss an opportunity to gently entice the tourists away from their Euros. You will find cider museums and 'degustations' which doesn't mean disgusting, it means tasting, so you can test the local brew (for research purposes only of course) and buy direct from the maker. There will be museums on just about everything - farming, tractors, dinosaurs, even biscuits! And you will find the usual theme parks, water parks and zoos. Zoos in France we've found to be exceptional. We visited one in Brittany (I think it was pont-Scorff, somewhere near Lorient anyway) which was excellent, really clean, and the animals were in huge enclosures and looked healthy and happy. If you like cycling it's safe and easy in France. Stick to country lanes and you will barely see any cars, and as the French are used to cyclists they will give you consideration. If you've got learner cyclists (our 4 year old is still a bit wobbly!) you may be lucky and find a disused railway track. We found one in Mael Carhaix which we could cycle along without worrying about the youngest running into trouble. You may also find velo-rails on disused railways. These are wheeled platforms which run on the railway with bicycles attached to the top to turn the wheels. With minimum effort you can get up to great speeds and take a look at the countryside. You'll be told at the start how long to cycle before turning back - which involves lifting the whole thing off the rails and turning it round to face the other way. Incidentally, you will have to do this every time you meet someone coming back towards you so be prepared!

So how do you go about organising your holiday in Brittany? Now you've found your cottage or house and sent off your 20% or so deposit you might start to worry about what the house will be like. Some adverts aren't very detailed, some websites will have photographs of every room - the best thing I think is to keep an open mind. We've never stayed in anything grotty. Houses are usually someones treasured second home so invariably are well decorated and homely. Many have supplies of books and games or even DVD's and Playstations in some places. Most will have all mod cons, including dishwashers, but if you can't live without something for a fortnight you can easily check with the owner before you book. You might want to have a look on a map to see where the nearest village or town is (some villages nowadays may only have one small shop - whilst most fair sized towns have a decent supermarket). If you're staying somewhere fairly touristy, near the coast for example, you should be close to lots of facilities. I always check with the owner that the house is detached (some photographs can be deceiving) as I like the children to be able to run around without fear of disturbing neighbours. For safety reasons I check the house isn't close to a road, or is unfenced etc. so we can relax that the kids are safe. Some house owners ask for a hefty security deposit - which usually means the place is either full of antiques or very expensively decorated, in which case I personally avoid it as these typically aren't children friendly houses. Some owners don't ask for a damage deposit, some don't ask for a deposit at all. The only time I would worry about booking a house is if it seems very much cheaper than similar properties - it's common sense really.

Once your house is booked you will know exactly where you're headed so you can organise your channel crossing. There are flights to France which I've never really investigated because the beauty of Brittany for me is to slow down your pace and get there in your own good time - by car. There are a choice of French Ports serving Brittany. St Malo, Cherbourg and Roscoff are the main ones which will give you only a couple of hours driving to do actually in France. These sail from Portsmouth, Weymouth and Plymouth. There is a fastcraft which gets there in about 4 hours but this can be very bumpy in choppy conditions. We used it once and it was horrendous - I was horribly sick for the whole journey. The larger, conventional ferries aren't as affected by the conditions but take up to 10 hours, although you can sail overnight. Either option can cost over £300 return in peak season. Provided you're not especially far from Dover the shorter channel crossings are much better value and quicker. Although it can take as much as 7 hours to drive to Brittany from Calais, depending which part you go to, the driving is easy and you soon eat up the miles. The route takes you through Normandy and over 2 magnificently high bridges (Pont de Normandie) which are the highlight of the trip for our boys. When booking your ferry remember the time difference and the amount of time you expect to be on the road, to enable yourself to arrive hopefully mid afternoon. Just in time to buy some supplies before collecting your keys. Another alternative is to book a crossing the night before and stay in a novotel or Ibis (both really cheap in France) before completing the journey in the morning.

Before you head off check your insurance is ok for Europe. Sort out some headlight adjusters so your headlights won't dazzle those driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, get yourself a triangle warning sign, a first aid kit and fire extinguisher (recommended but not compulsory) and you're good to go. I usually download a route and itinerary from drive-alive or the AA which are invaluable to me. They give you almost mile by mile instructions, including which filter lanes you need, how much the next toll will cost (so you can get your money ready in advance) and even any hotels along the way. Your sat-nav may be just as efficient. A word about toll booths while we're here. They do add to the cost of your journey (if you've used drive-alive to plan your route you can see the cost) but it is worth it for the fast, empty roads. All you do is pull up to the booth and take the ticket ejected by the machine. The next booth you come to will be where you pay, either to a person in a booth, or using your credit card at a machine. Don't be afraid of the credit card machine - it is easy to operate and usually gets you through the toll quicker than queueing.

The beauty of driving in France, apart from the near empty roads that look like they were built just for you that morning, are the stopping places. Called aire, (eg. aire de Cap Gris or whatever) they are simply areas to park up, get fed and watered (from your own supplies) and use the facilities. The facilities may well include the dreaded 'hole in the ground' toilets, but should have a conventional wc somewhere. Take your own loo roll because the aires are sometimes remote and not always kept stocked. If you need a conventional service station these are to be found at intervals along your journey, although not nearly as frequent as the aires. Service stations on motorways often get busy with very long queues for the petrol pumps. After a few visits to France we realised that the French fill up then park in the car park before going to pay. If you've got plenty of time you can take N roads. These are major roads, sometimes dual carriageways but often not. You will take longer to get there but it you will see more scenery along the way.

So you've done all the hard work, you've searched for the perfect cottage, booked the ideal ferry crossing and had an event free journey to your destination. All you need do now is open the bottle of vin rouge and settle down to watch the kids investigate the garden. Remember to get up in time to nip to the boulangerie for croissants and pain au chocolat for breakfast, and your baguette for your pique-nique. I'm jealous writing this - I want to go back right now.

If you, like we did, have preconceived ideas please try to forget them and really enjoy the French way of life. The French are warm and welcoming, especially towards children. If you have a go at speaking the language they will be all the more eager to help you. Don't expect everyone to speak English as away from the Ports most rural folk simply do not, but if you have the basics you will be fine - hello, please and thank you are essential.

The driving is easier and less stressful than back home and there is lots to see and do in Brittany - whether you're inland, by the sea or travelling around.

Brittany won't suit everyone, but I'm glad about that. I don't want to go on holiday with 'everyone'. I like Brittany as it is, but as I'm feeling generous here is a selection of places I recommend. I won't tell you all of them, half the fun is finding them yourself.

Carnac (dolmens and monoliths) Locmariaquer (quaint fishing village),
Gulf de Morbihan (stunning - take a boat trip around the bay),
Benodet (slightly more cosmopolitan seaside resort)
Quimper (famous for its pottery, a nice town to stroll around)
Douarnenez, Pnte du Raz (think lands end and you'll know what to expect)
St Malo (very attractive seaside port)
Huelgoat (lovely village steeped in foklore)
Villages around the Crozon peninsular (fossils)

Happy holidays !

*** AFTERTHOUGHT - I thought I should point out that if you go to Brittany out of season you will find some of the restaurants, shops and attractions closed so it may be worth a chat or email to the local tourist office before you book to double check the facilities in your chosen area. We went late September one year and although all the usual big attractions were open, some of the smaller museums etc were closed - especially during the week. We happened to enjoy the peace and quiet but if you prefer things buzzing then Brittany is not for you.

Also, French school holidays are invariably at different times to ours so you don't always find crowds when you'd expect - this means you can find bargain holidays during our half terms when back home the prices rocket!