Brittany

Brittany Ferries is offering 10% off all holidays booked by 18 January 2010.

The choice includes Brittany, Normandy, Western Loire and Aquitaine; Hotels, gites, villas. cottages, apartments, camping etc.

For more info see Brittany Ferries

From 22-23 August 2009 the pretty Brittany port of Roscoff celebrates the local speciality – the Pink Onion (oignon rose) and the locals who used to cross over to England every August to sell these special onions to the British.

“L’Oignon Rose de Roscoff” is now protected as an Appellation Controllée (AOC from 2009) due to its specific character (delicate skin, long life, intense flavour and good size – and only grown in and around Roscoff). If you are deeply interested in the history of this vegetable and its connection to the UK , visit the La maison des Johnnies et de l’Oignon de Roscoff – the Onions Johnnies museum in Roscoff.  Festivities include an onion market, music , torchlit parade  and a  bicycle race!  Food based on the oignon feature of course – onion tarts, onion bread and onion soup – together with a dispay of impressive onion strings!!

Beyond Onions and Johnnies, I still consider Roscoff one of the pleasantest ports of arrival/departure in France – close to the town and retaining most of its medieval and maritime character it is a delightful place to spend an hour or so (or longer).

For more info on Roscoff and its Onion Festival see www.roscoff-tourisme.com

Brittany Ferries run services from Plymouth and Cork.
Find the best rates for Hotels in Roscoff

There is a whole week  of great jazz playing through the streeets and parks of the city of Vannes (56 Morbihan, Brittany) on Britanny’s south west coast from 27 July to 1 August 2009.

Although it is a coastal port, the city is protected from the sea with by the Golfe de Morbihan which provides many opportunities for water sports and sailing.

But for this one week there are some great Jazz perforances from the likes of the Buena Vista Social Club and the Carla Bley Big Band.

The festival is also an opportunity to discover emerging young talents and for amateur and professional musicians to express themselves through the springboard and jam sessions. The entire town lives in step with jazz during the daytime entertainment, the concerts in the Auditorium des Carmes and the “jazz off” event, with evenings of improvisation and concerts organised throughout the city.
The 30th Festival will begin with the traditional free evening event in the Place de Hôtel de Ville and at the new esplanade on the right bank of the harbour.

More info on the Jazz à Vannes Festival
Find the best rates for Hotels in Vannes

Air France has introduced a new route from London’s City Airport to Nantes at the mouth of the Loire, ideally situated to explore Brittany, the Loire Valley and the Vendée – see www.airfrance.co.uk

Meanwhile budget airline Easyjet starts flights from London Luton to Montpellier in southern France from 7 July 2009 – well-positioned for the mediterranean beaches and the other joys of Provence and the Languedoc. – see www.easyjet.com

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If you are a fan of Bruce Springsteen, Lily Allen or Lenny Kravitz, then a visit to the town of Carhaix(29 Finistere, Brittany) from 16-19 July 2009 should be on your agenda. This is for the well-established Villes Charrues music festival – a literal translation being “old ploughs” festival. But be warned. this is a major music event attracting over 200.000 people from all over Europe and with an impressive international line-up.

Carhaix is just an hour by road from the port of Roscoff (Brittany Ferries) and can also be reached from Brest (Ryanair from London Luton and Dublin) and has good bus and train links with the rest of Brittany.

For more info see www.vieillescharrues.asso.fr

Brittany Ferries has introduced a new ship on its Plymouth – Roscoff route – the mv Armorique (see photo):-

The state-of-the-art €120 million cruise ferry Armorique has been designed specifically for use between Plymouth and the Breton port of Roscoff. Entered service in February 2009, it incorporates the very latest technology and will be particularly fuel efficient as well as environmentally-friendly by keeping CO2 emissions to a minimum.

Roscoff (29 Finistere, Brittany)  is a delightful point of entry into France. albeit the most westerly. Ideal for Brittany and with good road access in the UK. The new ferry , built in Helsinki, can carry 1500 passengers and 470 cars and even offers wi-fi internet access on board! as well as a range of accommodation and dining options.

Armorique is the ancient name for coastal north-western France (or Gaul) meaning “the country which faces the sea” as well as the name of a national park in Brittany-le Parc Naturel Régional d’Armorique.

Brittany Ferries are also introducing a new route from Portsmouth to Santander on Spain’s northern coast – very convenient for access to the Pyrenees and south west France. This route is in addition to the existing route to Santander from Plymouth and avoids the long drive down from the South and South East of England.

Certainly the ferry to northern Spain is the most civilised way of getting to South West France (even if the Bay of Biscay can be a little frisky at times) – but it still seems perverse that the port city of Bordeaux cannot or will not offer a car ferry option – admittedly Santander already has car ferry facilities. Bordeaux would seem to potentially offer both a shorter crossing than Spain with direct access to some of the most popular areas of France.

For more info see www.brittany-ferries.co.uk