Heading out to Kerlouan

Day 1/2, 5th &6th Oct 2025

Plymouth to Roscoff on the overnight ferry.

Friday’s ferry was cancelled due to storm Amy, so we plumbed for an overnight crossing on Sunday.

Everything went as smooth as it should, the ferry came in full but left quite empty, so we had no delays.

We had clear and concise instructions from the staff regarding Meg and dog etiquette while onboard. Dogs had to wear a muzzle in the lift, though she didn’t like it, it was actually the best idea, as we were in the lift with about 5 other dogs.

They were so distracted by their muzzles that no notice was taken of each other.

After we had settled Meg in, we popped to the canteen for a late supper and a glass of wine, then took Meg up for her last walk before going to bed.


The crossing was swelly but rhythmic. That was until about 2.35am when we started to rock and roll a bit. This broke the pattern and ended any promise of further sleep for me.

And, the pillows were flipping hard.

Gareth was having similar pillow problems and woke up at about 5.15am, so we had showers and slowly got ready, waiting for our call to the lift to take the dogs down to the car deck.

We’ve not done this before but now realise what a good idea it is, especially if you have a camper. Due to dock at 7am, we were allowed down to the van at 6.20am. This meant we were able to make a lovely cuppa before the linkspan was deployed.

Disembarkation was very swift and we had no issues at customs. So there we were, back in France with no set direction or route 😃.


Looking for a stop for breakfast and some grass for Meg, we headed to St Pol de Leon, just down the road from Roscoff.

Coming into the centre of the town, I realised we had been there before. A great little spot for people watching while we waited for the baker to cook the next batch of baguettes 😀.

Passing through town to the seaside we parked up opposite the water, had breakfast in the van looking out at the bright but cloudy sky.

It was still early and all we saw were walkers setting off to walk across the Ilot Saine-Anne, a cute promontory.


Looking at the new tourist map book we had bought on the ferry, we chose a name of a town along the coast towards Brest. It was a town called Kerlouan, then googled it and found an interesting spot on the coast called Site de Meneham.

It was just under an hour’s drive, including a supermarket shop enroute. There is an Aire du Camping Car just off the beach with lots of grass pitches, all services and some showers and toilets if you need them all for €14.30/night!

Our pitch for the night

After we pitched up and had lunch, we wandered over the dunes to view the beach. What a pleasant surprise. Lots of lovely sand and clear water.

Lovely (quiet) beach

We decided to walk the beach on the way back so Meg could run off any spare energy.

Just along from the Aire is an old fishing village called Meneham. The inhabitants were poor and the main income was earned raking and cutting seaweed (wrack) which they burned slowly in sand ovens made on the beach,and then compressed to get iodine – which was sold to factories. They also lived off of the spoils of shipwrecks.

The little houses left have been turned into museums and artisan shops. One is a very nice bar and creperie with in and outdoor seating.

As it was a lovely day we sat outside and had a drink before exploring the other buildings. There are some huge boulders in this area, I’m assuming they have been exposed and left after the sand has been whipped away by the weather.

The terrace of houses was once used as barracks for soldiers of the Brittany Watch, later accommodating customs officers. One building, The Guard House was built among some of the boulders on the beach! Amazing!

The Guard House

Another terrace of houses has been turned into Gites which you can book to stay in. Cute.


Walking back to the Aire along the beach I couldn’t help but see faces in the rocks. I’m sure that one day they are going to start talking to me! 😂

Meg had an absolute fab time off lead chasing flies and eating as much seaweed as she could fit in before being told off.

She’s also been very relaxed on this site, wanting to play with her ball. She had another walk just before tea so hopefully she’ll sleep well tonight, as will Gareth and I, finally.


Trip summary

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