Voies Vertes around the Manoir

Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think, that’s how the old song goes. On balance, I am minded to agree with its sentiments. With my 65th birthday looming ever closer, the approaching milestone in my life acted as a clarion call for change, something new for Judith and I to embrace, slow down the perception of the ageing process; after all 60 is the new 40, and we are as young as our bodies will let us feel.

While contemplating this dilemma, for some strange reason, based on no real previous experience of mountain-biking, this thought leaped in to my mind: don’t procrastinate. So the following day a charming young salesman, his mind no doubt focused on his monthly bonus, sold us two identical 18-gear mountain bikes together with enough equipment to service a competitor in the Tour de France. All this found its way into the back of my truck. It is said you never forget how to ride a bike; thankfully this proved to be the case for both Judith and me.

We were due to revisit Le Manoir du Hilguy in early September, an old favourite site of ours over the years. Judith suggested we might take the bikes along. I was reticent on this idea – would it be worth all the effort? Needless to say we arrived at Fraganard, which we think of as our own after many happy visits there, complete of course with said bikes. Over the next few weeks the weather was so very kind to us.

During those halcyon days we discovered a new Brittany on two wheels; coastal paths, ancient villages and river valleys passed by. Our perception of the places around us changed with the slowing down of our momentum, and we felt at one with our environment.

Our first serious day’s cycling took us north on the N165 to Châteaulin, a lovely little town that sits easily upon the banks of the river Aulne. That weekend the town was host to a small funfair. With all this activity going on we decided to start the day by cycling downstream to the village of Port-Launey. After coffee in the square we returned to town picking our way through the throngs of people now gathered to enjoy all the fun of the fair.

Leaving the revellers behind we joined the pathway beside the river. Brittany is fortunate to have river, lake, and canal systems interconnected that lead south from Brest, some a legacy of Napoleonic engineering work, still in use today and beautifully looked after. This particular stretch afforded sufficient room to cycle side by side along its picturesque course. Away from the houses and roads, we felt transported back in time to days of horse-drawn military barges plying their way south, free from the Royal Naval blockade of the coast. After some 20 miles, we stopped for lunch at one of the convenient wooden tables that line the river bank. Within a few minutes we were greeted by a cheery “Bonjour” – a French couple set down their bikes next to ours, and it soon transpired that this was their favourite weekend stopping place. Lunch passed quickly by as we shared stories about our respective lives. Bidding our new friends “au revoir” we headed back towards the sea as they made their way back towards Châteauneuf-du-Faou.

Over the next few days we confined ourselves to the local Voies Vertes until we felt ready to take on another full day’s ride. Deciding to go west towards the sea this time, we took the D784 to Audierne. We picked up the trail by the aquarium and followed the path behind this building that led upstream. The sky was blue and the weather warm as we cycled along, taking time as we did so to pause at the lagoons full of wildfowl, watching the shoals of mullet as they drifted idly along the edge of the current. Cormorants can also be seen diving for flatfish, while on a falling tide raised oyster beds appear as though by magic.

We continued on for about two miles; this brought us to Pont-Croix. After leaving the little river Goyan we made our way to the foot of an old cobbled street hemmed in on both sides by ancient buildings. Pont-Croix was at one time the Capital of Brittany. The legacy of its distinguished past can be seen in the wonderful 13th-century medieval church of Notre Dame de Ruscudon, its square overlooked by fine merchants’ homes.

Heading back to Audierne, our return journey was completely changed as the tide, having turned, filled the valley from bank to bank. Gone were the oyster beds, now comfortably under four feet of salt water. Returning to the car park we continued across the road bridge following the quay leading to the lighthouse that guards the entrance to the sea. The reflected blue light from the sky mirrored back to us from the water’s surface was quite stunning. We continued on around the bay to Kachevez. Sitting on the beach together watching the late afternoon sun tracking west, we had a cup of tea – a perfect end to our perfect day.

The decision to buy ourselves bikes has opened up a whole new world of fun, which we have continued to pursue back home. Cycling may not be for you but if you give it a try, like us, it could just be the opening of a door to a healthier and enjoyable lifestyle, now also shared with our friends.