On our last visit we tried to go down in one day without a proper sleep at night,leaving home at two in the morning,sleeping in the cabin during the day and arriving 17 hours later in the dark.On reflection I will probably not do this again;the final drive in France after you have already been up most of the day was too hard.
Of course you can take the short sea crossing and it is cheaper but weigh up the extra costs,there will be tolls to pay (about £50) from say Boulogne with Speed Ferries,extra petrol (say £50),wear and tear on the car(200 miles) and four hours extra travelling time, if you do it both ways.
If you join Brittany Ferries owners club you can obtain a discount on the fares and get free breakfasts.
PS-Hang onto your boarding card handed to you on the ferry so that you can find your car later.
Perros Guirec
Learning the language
Learning French can be difficult although some people have an ear for it .Podcasts are in at present ;Learn French by Podcast and Daily French Pod,both have a different approach but both work well.Keep listening to French news and discussions on the radio to improve,there are a couple on long wave where you can get decent reception (try France Inter) and it is a way of making that breakthrough.Radio France International on the internet have the news and a transcript in easy French.
Harvest time in Brittany
French Living
Crime is low,children respect their elders .The country is so big that even in August ,jams are rare in Brittany. It's possible to be on the equivalent of a motorway in April with no other cars in sight, these are dual carriage ways but they are good to drive on.There is always space to park(usually free) in towns.
St Caradec
Owning a holiday home in France(1)
The easiest way to own a home in France is to buy already renovated;to try and manage anything else is difficult if you are living and working at home.You can still get far better value than you can in England and with a decent bit of land.
You will probably need several visits to find your property which can be via an estate agent,a notaire who also sells property or privately. Whatever method it can be exciting but be prepared for all weird and wonderful offerings.A survey should be obtained plus the seller has a number of obligatory tests to do.
Lac de Guerledan
