But first, a note:

Hello everyone! As many of you know, I have been back in Vancouver for some time now and have been busy with friends, family, dance, forest walks, swims, and home and garden duties. On many days I have written ”blog” on my list of things to do, but I just haven’t gotten around to it even though I was as excited about the last week of my France trip as I was about the first six weeks! So, I’m finally going to apply myself today to this post, and then hopefully one or two others before I head off on a BC/Alberta road trip. It is so fun to revisit my trip via photos, and I hope that you enjoy the journey as well. 🙂

May 10, 2022 – 7 km on the GR 34, from Bellevue to near Ker an Trez, plus 1.5 km to my accommodation at Trédarzec

I said goodbye to Ghislaine after my second night in L’Armor, and walked down her driveway to meet Yveline who most graciously had offered to give me a ride from L’Armor to Bellevue where I had left the GR the day before. It was so nice to see her again and we started right in on our chatting and didn’t stop until about two hours later when we parted near Kervengnant. I have almost no photos of this portion of the trail as we were so engaged in our conversation! It was a beautiful morning and the kilometres flew by as we walked on country roads and paths above the long narrow estuary of the Jaudy River, beside farms and fields, and past the Chapelle de St. Votrom at Kerloury.

There were also enticing views ahead of Tréguier, on the opposite side of the river, which would be the terminus of my 116 km walk on the GR 34.

Soon after Yveline and I parted (Merçi encore pour tous Yveline!), the path descended to the banks of the river.

I enjoyed the walk along the rocky and muddy tidal shore, with upstream and downstream views of verdant forest on both sides of the river.

The views of Tréguier became closer and closer, and from here the town was just a bit less than 3 km away on the GR 34,

but I would only finish this trek tomorrow as I had accommodation booked at nearby Trédarzac. Luckily, the kind owners of the Ty-Guen BnB had agreed to an early check-in so I made my way there, settled into my room with its wonderful view of Tréguier in the distance, had lunch in the pretty back yard, and then worked on my blog while I waited for the nearby Kerdalo Gardens to open at 3:00 p.m. It was a very peaceful and restful afternoon.

The Kerdalo Gardens were gorgeous! Created in in 1965 by the painter Peter Wolkonsky, this 18 hectare botanical garden features over 5000 different species of plants. There are formal areas, forested paths, wildflower meadows, ponds and other water features, as well as pavilions and a beautiful old stone house.

On a lower level in front of the house is the ”Four Squares Garden”, an impeccably manicured garden that felt friendly and whimsical rather than cold and unapproachable as some formal French gardens can appear.

I meandered around the lawn, meadow, and forested areas where many species of rhododendron were at the height of their bloom.

Here is the beautiful Chinese pagoda and some of the pond areas and water features.

There was a terraced Mediterranean garden on the hillside above the house,

and an Italian grotto at the far end of a series of cascades that were bordered by gunnera, ferns, bamboo, and other lush vegetation.

Just beyond the grotto, a trail led down to the banks of the River Jaudy, with views of Tréguier across the river. What a surprise! Here are several more images from the very beautiful Kerdalo Gardens.

I returned to my BnB, mellow and happy, to have my dinner in the garden and retire early, ready for the very last (though very short!) section of my long distance walk in beautiful Bretagne.