Introduction

In the summer of 2025, we had already spent a week camping in Finistère with Victor and Glasgow.

For the second part of the holiday, we stayed in Brittany but deliberately chose a completely different landscape.

Instead of looking for somewhere directly on the coast, we stayed in Quistinic, in the Blavet Valley.

A week in the Blavet Valley

Our home for the week was an old stone house dating from 1739, with a small garden that Glasgow immediately adopted.

Inside, the thick walls kept the house cool, and Victor practically had an entire floor to himself.

Over the week, we alternated between inland Brittany and several better-known parts of the Morbihan.

The historic village of Poul-Fetan, the standing stones at Carnac, Saint-Goustan harbour in Auray, the wild coastline of Quiberon and, of course, walks along the River Blavet.

But the map focuses on our final big day: the Gulf of Morbihan.

A boat trip on the Gulf of Morbihan

We started in Vannes with a boat trip lasting about two hours.

And travelling by boat is probably one of the best ways to understand the geography of the gulf.

On a map, you see a complicated coastline scattered with islands.

From the water, it becomes much easier to understand why the area feels like an inland sea.

The boat passed Île-aux-Moines, the Pointe de Kerpenhir and then the small island of Er Lannic.

This was one of the most interesting parts of the journey.

Er Lannic contains two prehistoric stone circles. One is still clearly visible, while part of the other now lies beneath the water.

In the background, you can also see the famous Cairn de Gavrinis.

A day on Île d’Arz

After the cruise, the four of us got off at Île d’Arz.

The island is quieter than neighbouring Île-aux-Moines, and the pace changes almost immediately.

After lunch, we crossed part of the island on foot towards Brouhel beach.

There were wild blackberries growing beside the paths, and Glasgow seemed to enjoy the walk at least as much as the rest of us.

It wasn’t the most spectacular hike of our travels.

And it certainly wasn’t the hardest.

But that was exactly the point.

After Carnac, Quiberon, sightseeing, beaches and plenty of driving, the week ended with something very simple: a few hours on the water, an island, a walking trail, a beach and the boat home at the end of the afternoon.

The Gulf of Morbihan allowed us to finish our trip beside the sea, without losing the slower pace that had made us choose the Blavet Valley in the first place.