Sorry about the suspension of service during my last blog update.  I had intended to talk a wee bit about our recent trip to Brittany in my post on Sunday but I got slightly overheated and distracted (as you may have noticed) by the all the excitement of the Tour de France. Oh well, if you can't write passionately about something you love then I guess it's not worth writing at all!

I am now waiting, slightly nervously, for my first solo trip to our gites in Brittany. The Petit Longère is free for a few days so I thought that I'd make a quick visit  and take the opportunity to tackle the garden - well now that the sun has finally arrived it would be silly not to take advantage of having a holiday home in France. It's just a pity that Andy can't come with me but Olympic duties have kicked off this week on top of his normal work schedule so no chance of him joining me! A bit scary going on my own but I am used to driving in France and I will be meeting up with friends whilst I'm there. We also have people staying in the Grand Longère so I won't be at the property on my own. Hopefully they won't mind me pottering around the garden!

At the end of our last trip to Brittany in June we decided to treat ourselves to a night in a hotel en route to our ferry back home. We were due to catch the Normandie Express, which is a high speed catamaran that takes only 3 hours to cross from Cherbourg to Portsmouth, on the Sunday evening. We booked a hotel near Mont Saint-Michel for the Saturday so we would be able to explore the local area.

Our first stop after leaving the gites was the beautiful medieval town of Dinan on the river Rance in Cotes d'Armor. Dinan is one of the most popular places to visit in Brittany and justifiably so. Dinan is classified by the French as a 'ville et pays d’art et histoire' (town and country of art and history). Its cobbled streets are lined with half-timbered houses which lean towards each other over the narrow lanes. 

The steep Rue Jerzual wends its way between13th and 14th century buildings to the old port, transforming itself into the Rue du Petit Fort halfway down. Ladies be warned, sensible shoes are required if you plan to explore this lovely walled town! The restaurants and bars that lined the river were buzzing and I can think of worse ways to while away an afternoon. You can also take a river cruise along the Rance to Dinard or St Malo in the summer with Compagnie Corsaire.

For the best view over the town and the surrounding area you can climb the 158 steps to the top of the Tour de l'Horloge which dates back to 1498. If you don't fancy the climb, you can get a fantastic view of the old port from the belvedere of the Jardin Anglais (English garden). You can also walk the walls of the old citadel visiting the 10 towers, stopping off at the Château de Dinan which now hosts a small museum. 

Our next stop was the huge Menhir du Champ-Dolent over the border in Ille-et-Vilaine. It is the largest standing stone in France at 9.5m (30 feet) and is estimated to weigh around 150 tons.

When we arrived (just in time for afternoon tea of course!) we were puzzled by the presence of a number of locals dressed up in bizarre costumes, armed with clipboards and a stop watch!  

As we drank our tea we observed a number of cars draw up in succession, from which a man would emerge, put on a costume, then a woman would mount his back and he would proceed to do a circuit of the stone at speed which was timed.

After much puzzling, as the costume wasn't very good, we realised that the character being portrayed was Obelix, the menhir sculptor and best friend of Asterix! It appeared to be some sort of visit Brittany rally and this was one of the check points - how the French like to have fun - they certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves and we were thoroughly entertained!

There are many legends associated with how the menhir actually came to be here. 

One says that the Devil threw a huge stone from the top of nearby Mont-Dol which struck and destroyed one of the towers of Dol Cathedral in Dol-de-Bretagne before coming to rest in the field where it can now be found.

Another story is of two brothers who were engaged in a fratricidal battle with blood running in streams.The great granite shaft rose from the ground below their feet and separated them mid fight thus preventing them from murdering each other.

Our final stop before we retired to our hotel was the charming town of Dol-de-Bretagne, home to the aforementioned single towered cathedral. This is another medieval town, its streets lined with more half-timbered houses. The difference is that this has not been preserved as a tourist attraction and we found it much more interesting than Dinan as a living piece of history. The appeal of Dol is the lack of the hordes of tourists that its more famed neighbour attracts in droves. There are lots of beautiful and interesting places in Brittany just waiting to be discovered, we are looking forward to finding them on our future trips.

I am sitting here "blogging" with the final stage of the Tour de France 2012 being played out live on ITV4 in front of me. Nothing much happens on the last day of the Tour until they reach the Champs-Élysées where all hell will break loose, especially when they reach the final lap of eight. Hopes are high for Mark Cavendish, the Manx Missile, to win the final stage, something he has already done on three occasions already, fingers crossed for his fourth win! Of course all of the talk is of the fantastic achievement of Bradley Wiggins who, barring accidents, will win the Maillot Jaune (Yellow Jersey) today, the first time a British rider has ever won the TDF. Even better, Chris Froome, another Brit, is likely to be standing in second place on the podium next to Brad. All this in lead up to the Olympics in London next week - can it get any more exciting?

As my friends and family will attest, I have been a huge fan of the TDF for many years and everything stops for 3 weeks each July. Watching the Tour highlights each evening is not negotiable! I was lucky enough to attend last day of the 1996 Tour in Paris, the year that the Danish rider Bjarne Riis won. Paris was festooned with red and white flags and the atmosphere was amazing.

Personally I was thrilled to see Chris Boardman in Paris that year. It was a real achievement for time trial specialist to complete the Tour, having dragged himself over the mountains, much like Mark Cavendish has this Tour. 

Yay, yay, yay!!! The end to a perfect Tour de France for Great Britain as Phil Liggett just summed it up. Okay, so, I somehow didn't think that I would continue writing once the peloton hit the Champs-Élysées and thus it was, I was glued to the TV, cheering on Jens Voigt (who I've met as I've mentioned in an earlier post) as he led a breakaway for a number of laps of the Champs, before finally being reeled back in on the last lap. This was won in style by Mark Cavendish after he was led out by the man in yellow himself, Bradley Wiggins.

What a fantastic end to the Tour and a great lead up to the 2012 Olympics - all this and sunshine too! I am now going to enjoy some of that sun and will raise a glass or two to Team Sky and all of the British riders (can't forget David Millar who also won a stage of the TDF and is part of Team GB). Vive le Tour!  Tomorrow is going to be a real comedown - what will we do without the Tour? Oh yes, we have the Olympics to look forward to - yay (again)!  

Firstly, I would like to mention that we currently have a special offer for the Petit Longère. This is for 6 nights from starting from next Sunday 22 July at the beginning of the UK school holidays for up to 4 people. It really is a last minute bargain and we'd love someone to take this up, we hate seeing the gîte empty and unloved. It's the perfect opportunity to visit the spectacular sound and light show at the Château de Kergroadez, 

You can find details of the special offer here.

Ty Hir seems to have become a haven for all the local bird life - including our neighbour's chooks! Every afternoon our neighbour Jean-Yves lets out his chickens and they gradually work their way around to the front of the gîtes. They have become so cheeky that the rooster waits by the front door crowing and flapping his wings until we come out and feed them - they really are very demanding!  

It is fun to have your own part time chickens and during the course of our stay we began to understand the meaning of 'pecking order'. They all have their own personalities and whilst the rooster thinks he is in charge there was definitely one hen who obviously gave rise to the term 'henpecked'!

As well as the chickens we had sparrows nesting in a hole in the stone wall at the front Petit Longère, you could hear the chorus of chicks begging for food as each parent returned from numerous and constant trips in an effort to keep their greedy bellies full. We also had a family of newly fledged swallows performing kamikaze stunts, practicing for their epic journey to Africa at the end of September. 

A wren had made her nest in one of the window sills of the Grand Longère. Last year we had a wren family fledge before our eyes the day after we completed our purchase of Ty Hir - there seemed to be little fluffy wren chicks everywhere, in my car, in the gites - it was lovely to see and a real privilege. We have bird feeders in the garden and a number of nesting boxes, one of which we are sure was used by a blue tit. The ravenous wood pigeons soon discovered if they waited beneath the bird feeders that the other birds would drop them some tasty titbits. It is lovely to sit on the terrace in the evening and let the birds entertain you whilst enjoying a glass of wine (or two!). 

One afternoon we went for a little jaunt to the riverside town of Châteauneuf-du-Faou in the Montagne Noires (Black Mountains), a 15 minute drive away down quiet wooded country lanes. The Chapel of Our Lady of Doors sits on a hill in Châteauneuf-du-Faou in Brittany overlooking the river Aulne. The chapel was built in 1438 following the discovery, in the hollow of an old oak tree trunk, of a statue of the Virgin Mary to whom a number of miracles have been attributed. The statue attracts pilgrims from all over the world. The annual traditional Breton pardon takes place on the last Sunday of August.

This section of the river forms part of the Nantes-Brest Canal. The river is famous for its salmon and trout fishing and you can walk along the tow path through the green river valley, stopping a picturesque locks along the way. 

Every summer, a jazz festival takes place in Châteauneuf n the banks of the river. With four stages lining the river Aulne, the Fest Jazz has a fantastic atmosphere with something for all generations to enjoy including music and dancing, picturesque scenery, and plenty of good food and wine. This year's festival is on 27, 28 and 29 July. We saw one of the act taking part in the festival, the Good Time Jazz band, on a visit in March, performing at the Tal ar Pont bar which overlooks the river. We can thoroughly recommend them!

We took a stroll over the old stone bridge which was built in 1638, when Louis XVIII was king of France. It is known as the "Old King's Bridge". We discovered a leisure area beside the river where games of pétanque were in progress. There was also a cafe where you could hire out all types of river craft including canoes, pedalos and electric boats. An indoor heated swimming pool formed part of the complex which is called Aulne Loisirs Plaisance.

The main town lies high above the river where you will find lots of shops and restaurants and the weekly market on Wednesdays in the main square. We indulged in some yummy crepes at Le Petit Rozell where they had a remarkable table made out of an old cider press.

A wonderful discovery during our latest trip to Brittany was "le belvédères" or places with a beautiful view. A great thing about staying in one area is being able to explore without any particular agenda or time constraints. One day we headed west to the Crozon Peninsular. The peninsular is known in French as Presqu'île de Crozon - presqu'île meaning 'almost an island' which I find a much more romantic description than peninsular - maybe that's why they say French is the language of love! Anyway I digress, as we neared the foot of the peninsular we saw a sign marked 'Belvédère' indicating a viewpoint so I quickly swung off in the direction indicated. After a few doubtful minutes we were rewarded with a panoramic view over a wide sweeping bend of the River Aulne. Time for a morning coffee break! The weather was a little overcast and Menez-Hom was swathed in cloud on the distant horizon, but it was warm and dry so we happily sat there for half an hour drinking in the view. We noticed an 18km walk called 'Circuit des deux rivières' signposted from the viewpoint - we will definitely be returning to do that one day!

We drove on to our destination for the morning which was Landévennec Abbey, after a brief diversion when we spied a young bird of prey, attempting and failing to photograph is successfully - it wouldn't sit still for us, how thoughtless!  

Abbaye de Landévennec was founded by one of Brittany's greatest saints, Guénolé. It is located on the Aulne where it enters the Bay of Brest. Now only ruins remain of the abbey which was founded in the 5th century. It has been attacked and destroyed many times, first by Vikings and finally ruined as a result of the French Revolution. 

There is an interesting museum which displays artefacts found on the site as well as models of the abbey as it was in different periods of time. A new abbey was built further up the hill in 1958 and the re-installed Benedictine monks make pâtés de fruits (fruit jellies) which are on sale in the gift shop. It is also supposedly the last resting place of King Gradlon, the legendary 5th century king of Cornouaille. For most of our visit we had the site to ourselves which allowed us to soak up the peaceful atmostphere.

On our way into the village we had spotted a signpost indicating another belvédère - we were getting good at this! After an obligatory stop in the Abbey's gift shop we headed up the hill until we found the viewpoint. It was an ideal place for our picnic lunch as there was a perfectly placed bench handily awaiting us. The wooded viewpoint overlooked a ship graveyard which was tucked away in a bend of the Aulne. It is used by the French Navy (Marine Nationale) for storing decommissioned or mothballed ships. The abandoned ships looked lost and lonely in their picturesque graveyard.

After lunch we headed to the other side of the peninsular to Pointe de Lostmarc'h which overlooks Douarnenez Bay. Our target were the Lostmarc'h alignements which sit above the headland. There are not many of the original standing stones left but there is one rather large one on its own which lent itself to a very picturesque photo, with hopeful surfers forming tiny dots in the background.  

On the headland itself you can see the traces of an Iron Age fort. Looking to the left of the point you have a wonderful view of the Tas de Pois (pile of peas) rock formation which can be found at the end of the peninsular near Camaret. This time we had afternoon tea whilst watching the waves crashing at the foot of the vertiginous cliffs, undisturbed except for a couple of elderly walkers who wished us a cheery 'bonjour'.

It was time to head back east as we were due to meet up with some friends who have purchased a "project" not far from the beautiful town of Locronan which is famous for its Pardon. We went for a quick stroll on the lovely wide beach at Morgat which was originally a fishing village famous for its sardines. It was turned into a holiday resort by the Peugeot family in the early 20th century and still a very popular holiday destination. The colourful houses and shops of the village provided an attractive contrast to the white sandy beach.

We stopped for a quick hamburger and frites at a little open beach cafe at Pentrez Plage which is the closest beach to Ty Hir. The beach seems to go on for miles and the tide was right out - it took us around five minutes to walk to the water's edge. There is a sand yachting club at the far end of the beach, Club de Char à Voile de Pentrez where they provide lessons. The burgers were excellent and we will happily return to the cafe on our next visit which will hopefully be a bit more leisurely next time.

We joined our friends for a drink at their "project" which consisted of a 3 storey house, a huge stone barn and an even bigger stable block set on 3 acres. They have just started work on the house and are camping in a bedroom which they are also using as a kitchen and living room with no electricity. They are hoping to open as a B&B next year and have a huge amount of work to do, most of which they are doing themselves whilst living in the UK until they sell their house. We will be watching their progress with interest, they are braver souls than us who took on a property that had already been renovated. 

We wished them 'bonne chance' and took our leave with a quick stop in the lovely riverside town of Châteaulin which lies on a loop of the River Aulne. It is renown for its salmon fishing and offers a panorama of white and pastel coloured houses interspersed the hills of the Montagnes Noires forming a delightful backdrop. 

Continuing with our recent holiday in Brittany, we headed north once again from the gites, this time to visit the Cairn de Barnenez, the largest megalithic mausoleum in Europe. It lies at the top of Kernéléhen peninsula overlooking the majestic bay of Morlaix in northern Finistère. The cairn was constructed between 4,500 and 3,900 BC and it is 75m long and 28m wide and features 11 burial chambers.  It lay buried and forgotten for years until it was rediscovered in 1850. In 1954 it was used as a quarry but after concerted campaign by archaeologists it was finally protected in 1959. Since then it has been fully excavated and restored to its original appearance.  We basically had the site to ourselves which is amazing when you think that this site is as important and significant as Stonehenge and that it is older than the pyramids in Egypt! There is a small visitor’s centre which has a model of the cairn and displays of some of the finds from the site. We spent a good hour and a half wandering around, looking at the tombs that had been exposed by the excavations and admiring the beautiful view of the surrounding bay. Whilst you can’t enter the tombs themselves you can walk right up to the cairn and see how it was constructed. It truly is awe inspiring especially when there is no-one else in sight to distract you and  can let you imagination run wild.

After our visit to the cairn we went for a walk around the headland which afforded us spectacular views over the Atlantic. We enjoyed a peaceful picnic lunch on the beach looking out at the imposing Château du Taureau. The fort was built in 1542 to protect the town of Morlaix from English attacks and fortified by Vauban in 1699. It later became a prison for local noblemen. You can still see the cannons and visit the cells where the prisoners slept. Boat trips to the Château can be taken from nearby Carantec.

After lunch we decided to visit the village of Saint-Jean-du-Doigt. This charming small town owes its name to a relic housed in its Gothic church (1513): part of the index finger of St John the Baptist.  

The parish enclosure is accessed through a 16C triumphal arch. To the left of the churchyard is a lovely Renaissance fountain which is dominated by God the Father blessing the baptism of Christ by St John the Baptist. The treasury contains the crystal cylinder reliquary which houses the famous relic.

The following day we visited Les Arbes du Monde au Huelgoat which strangely enough is in the nearby lakeside town of Huelgoat. We have been intending to see these luxuriant gardens on a number of occasions but had never quite made it previously. This garden, previously known as Arboretum du Poërop, is dedicated to plant biodiversity with 3,600 species of trees and shrubs from 4 continents spread over 22 hectares. It is run and maintained by one man on his own and we had it all to ourselves. We spent over two hours travelling across the Himalayan valley, admiring the plants from "Chilli", getting lost in the eucalyptus and shrubs of the Australian bush, this reminding me of "home" or one of them anyway! 

Some of the magnolias were still flowering but sadly we had missed the rhododendrons and azeleas - will will have to go back next spring! There are also lots of different types of oaks, maples, a large orchard and vegetable garden, a pine forest, roses, bamboo recently enriched by the introduction of a new species discovered by the designer of the park. The garden is laid out over a steep hillside in parts but there are plenty of gentle meandering paths to explore. In the valley at the bottom of the garden was a small "etang" or pond which flourished with butterflies and dragonflies. We sat on the conveniently located bench for a will and enjoyed watching the reflections on the water - a very tranquil place indeed - a perfect spot for a picnic. We plan to go back in October as the colours of the maples in particular should be spectacular.