France, June 2012 - day 1

Jersey-St Malo-Brest

I write lying down on a reasonably nice bed in a nice enough hotel after such a tiring day.

After last night being DJ for a private party and finishing at 1, probably the last thing I needed was a 7:00 start and 250kms driving. But it has been so worth it.

The crossing over was lovely. It was windy so around the harbours it was choppy but otherwise great.

Leaving St Malo by car used to worry me but the initial driving was easy. We had planned to drive to one of the first towns on route so we headed for Saint Brieuc to grab some lunch.

Now I know it's Sunday and they just don't open a lot but the town rather took sleepy to new heights. Although in fairness we found this gorgeous tea room for a baguette and by the car park we were in there was a lovely local market.

Next stop was Perros-Guirec which was a beautiful proper seaside town with a modern twist provided by its harbour. I could have easily spent hours wandering here and certainly wish we'd gone there for lunch.

We kept on driving around the coast on the lookout for the pink/red-coloured granite they have in some rocks and cliffs. Didn't see much of that but did find an amazing place where we stopped off for an explore and a drink. Ploumanach is absolutely stunning. Peaceful and beautiful and chilled. A really nice place to recharge a bit. The pictures should be fab when we see them.

Then the final leg today was a long-ish drive to Brest and our hotel. The hotel itself did it's best to hide but we soon tracked it down. Similarly a nearby Buffalo Grill.

We're really looking forward to Oceanopolis tomorrow and then head south for a bit of shopping and stuff. Will be busy again but if today's anything to go by I can't wait!