The Best of the West in France - Part 1 (North)

Tour de Force Planning!

The plan was to exploit the fact that we were in the West Country and use a calmer crossing to France and then visit some places that we didn't know or where we have not been for many years. It has been been a great success!
First we crossed with Brittany Ferries from Poole to Cherbourg. After eleven years of Dover to/from Dunkerque or Calais the whole experience was like a breath of fresh air! Civilised procedures and manners - even from Border Force - space on the car deck, space in public areas, well-managed groups.. ! Just a bit of queasiness mid-voyage (four and a quarter hours in total) and some arrogant, loud and aged Rotarians in the cafeteria! Good stuff - Greyrocks will do this one again!

Our first stop was just half an hour away from Cherbourg in Quettehou - a small town down the Cotentin coast from Saint Vaast la Hogue. We had three nights in a mobile home on a mid-sized campsite. It was very busy for two of them as it was one of those many Bank Holiday weekends in May in France, and unfortunately the weather was poor:- largely dry, but without sun and very cold, and not pleasant for cycling, so we made more trips by car than we had hoped.

We visited St Vaast for its Saturday market and twice to eat (we had been there before - once as a couple with folding bikes, and once with a very young Chloë), and we also revisited Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Eglise, where there is a new large museum. This engaged us for an age - and kept us warm!
Whilst in the area we consumed several dishes of mussels and oysters - both local specialities - and survived!

LU - remains of the biscuit factory

Then we had our two-day city break in Nantes:- Greyrocks' first visit. Once again we had a map for getting to the hotel, but it was not up to the job and we ended up in a residential area without a clue! A nice passer-by not only put us right, but arranged for a white van to lead us there! This set the tone for our stay:- nice place, nice people! It is now running a close second to Montpellier as favourite French city!
 We used a Campanile located on a Busway route (eco buses integrated with the trams) which was comfortable and very convenient for the touristic things we had in mind. As we set out for the first afternoon the sun came out and a run of beautiful weather. The city is a great example of catering imaginatively for tourists. We followed much of their "Green Line" for walking around to see the sights - which are numerous! In the early evening we sat in a city centre square with some chilled wine and then went in search of galettes. This proved difficult, but ended well. See the review on Trip Advisor.

On the full day we took the tram on to the island where old shipping-related buildings have been transformed into workshops, galleries and engineering features. We wanted to see the giant mechanical "elephant" take one its "walks". This we did! It lumbers around with up to fifty passenger, making appropriate noises and squirting water.  We were intrigued by the range of other things in the park and hung around the "carousel" as it filled with school groups. We hoped to get some sort of a glimpse of the undersea action for free, but didn't. Chronic meanness again, but YouTube is free!

In the glorious sunshine we walked to the tip of the Ile. Along the river bank are a series of "rings" lined up for optical effect, and interesting murals on the opposite bank, then we came upon an old warehouse with deckchairs outside and a kitchen garden. We stopped for a drink in the bar, and were lured into having an early lunch, which was a charming experience.
The afternoon involved following more of the green line - including to the Jardin des Plantes. A truly lovely day!