Down memory lane

After St Malo I was keen to visit the far North West of Brittany where I spent all of my childhood Augusts and John was happy to indulge my nostalgia. We stopped at St Pol de Leon for some lunch and a look round the market. Home to Brittany's vegetable growing region it was a family tradition to buy artichokes which then travelled round in the back of the car - sometimes flowering rather than being cooked when we got them home! However, we resisted the temptation.
We then went to Brignogan which was where we used to stay for many years. True to form the rain was sweeping in so we didn't spend much time walking around. It hadn't changed much though it seemed much more sleepy and without any of the more upmarket restaurants which I remember. The tide hadn't yet completely gone out of the bay though it was on its way. We drove round to the Plage du Phare which was where we always used to go to enjoy the beach and swim in the very cold and clear sea. Despite the rain it was absolutely beautiful. In the intervening years I have seen many lovely beaches, all over the world but I still don't think there's one to beat the this one for loveliness, a tiny cove, with light grey rocks on both sides and the tiny lighthouse and white sand. The weather is never going to be in its favour but then no doubt adds to its charm. It seems strange to go back to a place for the first time in 28 years - the last time I was in Brignogan I was waiting for my A level results and think that my entire adult life so far has passed since I last saw it and yet it looked exactly the same!
The Sat Nav took us by the most direct route to the Pointe St Mathieu which allowed us to enjoy a very scenic drive through some tiny villages. We couldn't get into to the Hostellerie de Pointe St Mathieu but they've recently opened a little two star hotel right behind the main hotel which was lovely. Our room had huge picture windows looking out over the fields to the Isles d'Ouessant and Molene and the lighthouse at Le Conquet. At this far western, rocky edge of France where the Atlantic meets the Channel the many light houses made a laser light show once it got dark. We had a fabulouse dinner with local langoustines, oysters and fish and retired to our cosy room with the amazing view. Still an unchanged and beautiful place but since the cloud was so low and it was raining I didn't bother to climb the 162 steps to the lighthouse this time and J has never been keen on heights!