Holidays in Brittany: Ile aux Moines and Finistère with my dogs!
Are you a fan of holidays in Brittany? For my part, it’s my favorite region! Learn more about hikes, beaches, restaurants and dog-friendly accommodation on Île au Moines and Finistère in Brittany! You will be guided by the testimony of Odelys and her two dogs Freya and Olympe, who went on vacation to Île aux Moines and Finistère!
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Hello Wouafers! I am delighted to meet you today, especially since it is to talk to you about Brittany, so dear to my heart. This time, it's not me who's going to tell you about my vacation in Brittany with my dog, but Odelys, one of the Dog-Reporters. Having left with her two dogs, Freya and Olympe, I invite you to follow the journey of Odelys in northern Brittany between Morbihan and Finistère. Go ahead Odelys, make us dream a little!
Hello Wouafer's, it's Odelys. This summer we went to Olympe, Freyja and I in Brittany, and more precisely in Finistère and we have a lot of activities to recommend to you!
We went in June to avoid the heat and the crowd. It was the first time Freyja had seen the ocean.
There are a lot of things to see on this side of Brittany: capes, villages, beaches and more… I had a great time in Brittany with my dogs.
Northern Brittany: hiking ideas to do with your dog
How to roam in Finistère without going on the Crozon peninsula and its dream landscapes. We did a very nice cani-hike on part of the GR34, but beware this part is very difficult, so you have to have training, good shoes and be able to carry your dog if it's too complicated. For our malamute duo – samoyed it was great.
We left the town of Morgat towards Cap Chèvre, it is the southern part of the peninsula which offers a view of the Bay of Douarnenez. Frankly we recommend because there are magnificent views. This was one of our most beautiful hikes to date, about 10.5km one way, for the return you can take the flat path above the coastal path which is very easy. We had planned to eat on the beach of Île Vierge which is very well known, except that for safety and health reasons, the beaches and coves are prohibited under penalty of a fine. And it was during this meal break that we discovered that Freyja was protecting our sandwiches from other hikers, you never know that someone would steal my st-morêt/leerdamer sandwich. Be careful hiking to do with a dog attached, because it is quite dangerous on this part of the GR34.
Musher and Sophie: “Oh yes, I confirm! This corner is sublime. I know this hike very well, having done it a couple of times! What happiness. Indeed the island of the Virgin is no longer accessible because it is a victim of its own success. In good weather, it's a postcard setting. Be careful, no beach on the peninsula is dog-friendly in high season.”
Opposite the Crozon peninsula, towards Douarnenez, I recommend another hike in a little corner of paradise near the magnificent Baie des Trépassés. This bay is located between the Pointe du Van and the Pointe du Raz, which apparently is a great surf spot. We had the chance to see a horse and its rider galloping on the beach, as you can imagine, the beach is accessible to dogs. We did a bit of GR34 with the dogs between these two points and walked on the beach. We discovered the two points by car. For the beach we always had our leads on us and when we were not alone, Olympe and Freyja were on 10 meter leads to avoid any inconvenience but also because their recall is not always perfect.
I share with you a third great hike to do with your dog in Brittany! Change of scenery with this hike in the forest of Huelgoat. Between Celtic legends and the history of the Gallic Wars, one has the impression of having traveled back in time. The landscape is atypical: river, oaks and huge blocks of granite. The start of the walk is in the center of the village of Huelgoat, and precisely between the Moulin du Chaos (unmissable) and a restaurant. Time travel begins directly. Huge blocks of granite are present here and there on the silver river, we advance between these huge stones, sometimes below, it's really magnificent. It is possible to stop and descend into the Devil's cave, but without a dog because the descent is via a very steep ladder. So we kept the dogs in turn to admire this cave. For the rest, everything is possible with the wolves, it's even very easy, there is not really any particular path since the forest is very vast, but several spots are to be seen: the boar pond, the Tremblant Rock , the Cave of Artus, the household of the Virgin, the Camp of Artus where Olympe and Freyja tried their hand at archeology and more. We picnicked at the edge of the Silver River while the wags waded through the water.
During our holidays with the dogs, we took short walks in these different places: the tips of Van, Castelmur, Dinan, Tavelle and Pen-Hir. The town of Roscoff, the town of Douarnenez, the thatched village of Kérascoaët, the Chapel of Mont St Michel and the Monts d'Arrée.
Musher and Sophie: “ The tip of Dinan? Ohoh Musher knows this one well since it was there that she was born! “
Dog-friendly beaches in Finistère
As its name suggests, Finistère is the end of the earth, which means beaches! We were able to test several beaches with dogs, honestly I didn't see one with the prohibition of dogs on the beach, and almost no sign with the obligation of the leash.
We took a walk on the beach of Treguennec (South Finistère) it is a large expanse of fine sand, I do not know if it is authorized for dogs, in any case we met several. It was quite early in the morning but it was very nice because there was no one there. Olympe and Freyja discovered fishing for mussels and various crustaceans. There are dunes that are protected so you still have to watch that your dog does not go there to protect and respect the birds' nests. At the end of Treguennec beach, there is the Trunvel-Tréogat biological reserve. Be careful because Olympe obviously got stuck in the marshy area… We had to rinse him in the pond… Ah yes, for your information, Treguennec beach is naturist.
Musher and Sophie: “ What a pleasure to enjoy the beach with your dog. Musher loves walking on the beach. Seaweed, mussels, crustaceans… It's paradise for her. But be careful, there are dangers! I advise you to read or reread the article Taking your dog to the beach: some precautions to take to avoid unpleasant surprises. ”
Change of atmosphere with the pretty beaches near Kerlouan (North Finistère), the water is crystal clear and turquoise. It's a really nice landscape with white sand and various rocks. Honestly, it's magical!!! Not far there is the small hamlet of MeneHam to visit, watch out for slips because by dint of walking in the same places, the rocks are filed and are very slippery, and I slipped along a rock, like a pancake.
Dogs are allowed, we came across several. The beaches are all very pretty on the north coast of Finistère, and these are laid out like a series of coves thanks to the rocks but also to the shape of the coast. These beaches are in my Top 5 of my favorite beaches in France, and you can go there with wolves without any problem. The water is not deep right away, it is possible to swim with your dog, and there are no waves, which is reassuring. Olympe therefore took a dip and Freyja her lengths.
Musher and Sophie: “Oh yes, what a treat these Breton beaches are. For my part, even if my dog is a good swimmer, I always put on his life jacket for more safety and comfort. If you don't know what it is or you don't know which one to choose for your dog, I advise you to read the comparison of dog life jackets. You will find lots of good advice on choosing the right gear for your dog.”
For the beach, and like everywhere else, we always have the dogs' leads with us. We reattach them when we meet other dogs or when we feel that people near us are not comfortable with our dogs. Obviously, we always had water on us, but especially for the beach because my wolves tend to drink salt water and transit level is really not the best.
The addresses Trop W'ouf that we were given but that we were not able to visit: the forest of Fouesnant, the descent of the Odet, Concarneau, beach of the island Tudy, Menez Hom, the island of Batz and Pont-Aven.
The dog-friendly restaurants of our holidays
If you often go to restaurant with your dog, take advantage of the summer holidays to have lunch or dinner on the terrace, it's super nice. We were able to test two great addresses. We advise you:
In the town of Roscoff, the restaurant "L'Estcacade". He accepts dogs, especially since that day we had an Instagram meeting and we had 4 big dogs. So we made a restaurant with the 4 wolves on the terrace. The dishes are almost all homemade, the waiters are super friendly and the manager had samomos (Samoyeds for the uninitiated) so don't worry if your guinea fowl chuckles a little.
On Penmarch, it is "Chez Marie-Cath" that we were able to eat delicious homemade pancakes. It's a kind of hut next to the beach and they also accept doggies. Besides, let yourself be tempted by a Kouign, frankly it's not known but then it's ultra good, it's similar to a huge pancake, but it's delicious! Besides, Freyja and Olympe licked their chops!
In this area, we were also recommended the "Rayon Vert" creperie on the Pointe de la Torche but we did not have time to try it ourselves.
Quick stopover in Morbihan with our dogs
On the way back, we made a few stops in Morbihan. We therefore advise you to take a short tour of the Quiberon peninsula. We quickly visited the city of Quiberon and we strolled on the wild coast, it was very nice and we recommend it! Cliffs with small beaches, landscapes still different from Finistère.
We also soaked our paws and feet in the water on a beach that allowed dogs on a leash, Port Blanc beach. Moreover, as a reminder, choose a place in the shade or a parasol for your dogs and avoid the hours of full dodger. As usual, Olympe tricked us into stealing our beach towel when he has his own.
Not far away, there is the Arche de Port Blanc Roche Percée which is an arch that starts from the cliff and ends in the ocean, for once it was high tide, but at low tide apparently it's worth the detour!
We also went to observe the menhirs over the town of Carnac known for its alignments. The menhirs are enclosed to preserve the history, but there is a nice route to take to go around these alignments.
Minute history: for information a very long time ago the Gulf of Morbihan was only valleys, this is why under the water of the Gulf and on all its islands are menhirs and other Neolithic monuments.
Ile aux Moines with a dog
During our trip, we were lucky enough to be able to set foot on Île aux Moines. We left from the Vannes ferry terminal for embark on a Gulf Company boat with our dogs. Frankly we recommend + + +, the crew is really nice. The boat is spacious which allows the dogs to lie down at our feet without any worries and we know what we are talking about with our big baby Malamute. There is the possibility of being in the cabin or on the top of the boat in the Gulf breeze. We had a 2h30 guided tour which was very interesting on the history of the Gulf and its islands. For us, the round trip went very well! For information, the trip is free for our friends the doggies for any trip with the Compagnie du Golfe, and wearing a muzzle is only compulsory for categorized dogs.
So we spent the day on the island of monks. In the middle of June we were quiet, there were few tourists. Be careful, there are a lot of people on the island in July/August. We were therefore able to visit the town without any problem to leave for the southern tip of the island by the main road. You should know that the island is about 6km long, so there are very few cars but a lot of bikes.
As it was the end of our vacation, we took the time to visit. The island offers a multitude of landscapes very different from each other: a pine forest with the air of small Landes, wild heather on the seabed, megaliths in the open fields and pretty coves. Since the island is not very wide, it is easy to pass from one side to the other which is very interesting since the West face and the East face are different. We then returned by the coastal path on the west side which is very accessible and easy in addition to being splendid. We made one of the stops at different beaches to allow the dogs to run freely in the water and on the sand, but also to land, because we must not forget that Freyja was only 1 year old and like for any dog you have to respect his needs and take breaks. Our holidays were therefore less sporty than usual!
Before embarking for the return trip to Vannes, we took a snack break to taste very good homemade pancakes in a small bar on the port called “Le Cap Horn” where the doggies are welcome and had lots of taste buds.
Where to sleep in Brittany with your dog?
In general, for our holidays, we go either camping or in Airbnb. This time, we opted for Airbnb since we stayed in two different places. On Lopérec we were in a charming little Breton house in the middle of the countryside among sheep, chickens and goats. The three neighbors of this house (including the owners) had dogs which was great, there were a few games.
The second accommodation was an apartment on the tip of Arradon, the beach was not far, it was also very nice.
For all your escapades, you can consult the addresses offered by the EmmèneTonChien.com website, there are some very nice ones!
Musher and Sophie: Do you want to find accommodation that accepts dogs in Brittany? Here is a selection of QUALIDOG-certified accommodation!
I hope you liked our article on Finistère and Morbihan with two dogs and that it will be useful for you to prepare your next vacation with your doggies! In any case, we really liked Brittany and we will return there for sure!
Thanks for reading me 🙂
Odelys
Thank you Odelys for all this valuable information! Another Brittany addict 😉 The magic of Brittany has struck again.