France 2022 – Just a little bit lost, and goodbye to Binic

May 2, 2022 – Distance on the GR – 4 km from Plage Bréhec to Plage Bonaparte (plus 3 more because I got off trail!)

On my last day in Binic I set out to complete a 4 km section of the GR 34 that I had omitted because of the bus schedules, and I had to complete it in the opposite direction of travel, again in order to fit in with the buses. This was the first real morning with rain but it was very light and by the time the bus arrived at Plage Bréhec it had ceased altogether but the skies remained dark and gray. Again, Plage Bréhec was all but deserted as I arrived at 8:10 a.m.

Of course the trail started with stairs up, but it was worth it to rise up above the sea,

with views down to Bréhec.

Somewhere though, after these two sections, I took a wrong turn and got off of my GR and onto another one!

I ended up walking away from the coast along some country roads. The scenery was lovely, but I kept getting further away from the coast.

Each time that I was ready to pull out my guide book I would see another GR marking of the red and white stripes and thought, ”Well, I guess this is the way,” until finally I thought, ”This can’t be the way!” Both GR’s travelled to Plage Bréhec and I had veered off on the wrong one. I had done at least an extra 1.5 km and now had to retrace my steps! Grrr. At least I’d seen some pretty countryside and another ring-necked pheasant! Soon, I corrected my error and was back at the clifftop trail and with more views back to Plage Bréhec.

I felt a little sad as I walked along because this was to be the last of my cliff walking with wonderful views like these.

And, sure enough I arrived almost too quickly at Plage Bonaparte after my 4 km on the trail were done. Here is the view of the parking lot, with the tunnel and ramp down to the beach beyond it, and there was one lonely vehicle in the parking lot.

My pants and boots were soaked from the wet trailside grasses, the wind was blowing quite cold, and I had a good two hours before my bus would arrive 2 km away at Dernier Sou (because I’d missed the earlier bus because I got off trail.) Hmmm, what to do? Go right away to Dernier Sou and wait at the bus stop by the road, or spend some time at the beach? I decided to head down to the beach and as I neared the VW van the owner was arriving at his vehicle. I asked which way he was headed and thankfully he was headed in the right direction and offered to give me a ride as far as central Plouha where there was a bus stop and a wonderful café with croissants and pain au chocolat. Saved! Everyone here that I have met has been so kind!

I returned to Binic and after a little rest in my apartment I decided to to photograph some of the older buildings in the town that I had noticed on a walk the previous evening on my restful Sunday. I headed towards the marina over the pedestrian bridge,

and then visited the large L’Eglise Notre-Dame de Bon Voyage, built between 1821 and 1930 in a neo-classical style.

From the interior it was very obvious that concern for the fate of mariners and fishermen was paramount here. There were statues of Saint-Julien, patron saint of boatmen, and Saint Clément, patron saint of navigators. There was also the boat and the statue of Mary that I had seen at the procession on the beach the day before, as well as a memorial to the captain and 27 men of the ”Maria” who perished in 1901 in the Icelandic fishery.

Exiting the church, I headed up a nearby street that had many older houses along it, all quite distinct and interesting-looking with many different kinds of building stones and bricks used, and lots of evidence of ”patching up” over time.

Here are a few more,

And this is what can happen in the middle of town in Bretagne when the vegetation takes over a house!

I loved my week-long stay in Binic and regretted a bit not having explored the town more. But, there’s only so much time in a day, as we all know. I returned to the beach for my last few photos of the day and said a quiet goodbye to the lovely seaside town of Binic.