Knowing we all tend to plan too much for our travel days, I'm checking to see if this is at all feasible. Also, maybe what order to put these towns in.
This is just a segment of a 14-18 day trip. I probably can only allot 2 nights to this area.
I would be driving from south of St. Malo or somewhere near Dinan. I would like to go via Morlaix (if that is the most scenic) to Douarnenez. After seeing Ger's pictures, I would like to drop off luggage at La Plage and go wander through Locronan, yet have time to enjoy the evening at what looks like a somewhat (for me) expensive hotel.
The next day I would like to see Pointe du Raz. Instead of a second night at La Plage, should I opt for a cheaper spot in Plogoff? I've read the area is full of kids and campers. Anybody familiar with this stretch?
I do want to see Quimper--maybe even the faience works. Should I do that the same day, then return to hotel? The morning I leave the area I plan to see Carnac and probably drive to a bit south of Vannes. Would that day include time to see Quimper?

The Brittany part of the report might be useful:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34444403

Michael, thank you. Actually the whole report was interesting. I haven't seen that many other posters who seek out gardens. Plus, I usually give up when I read 'by appointment only'.

When you drove to Morlaix, were you able to see the coast or is that road too far inland? It sounds like Locronan wouldn't take too long to see. Was all the boat museum at D. outside? I think my husband would love that.

We drove inland, partly because we are more interested in the cultural artifacts and partly because with limited time we did not need to see the coast as we live on the California coast . We were along the coast mainly between Mont St. Michel and Cancale (flat) and then near the fishing village (the boat yard) south of Quimper (flat and one resort trown after another). For the most part, except for the towns with ports, villages are not overlooking the water, so neither is the road. But there are exceptions. The Michelin map with its scenic road markings might help in planning to see the coast. However, if you are planing on only two nights in the area, driving along coastal roads wil take up too much of your time. I found the museum interesting, both inside with a history of small boats from all over the world as well as visiting the fishing boats that are moored in that part of the port.

So would you recommend taking a more direct route to Douarmenez from St. Malo rather than trying to go through Morlaix?

Also forgot to ask if the driving was congested and if it was easy to get lost. We drove through Provence, the Dordogne, and part of the Loire Valley but got hopelessly lost in Nice.

My husband has a small boat to fish the Kenai River in AK and used to drift boat the rivers in Oregon, so I'll definitely put the boat museum on my list!

Oops. Studied the map again. It does look like the route through Morlaix wouldn't make any sense.

We did not use the main road so it was a long drive from Cancale/St. Malo to Morlaix. The main road is a limited access highway that does not force you to take local streets in the towns it crosses. But it was a relatively easy touring day to Quimper, passing by several calvaries and Douarnenez, although the stay there was too short. We had reservations in Quimper but not near Morlaix, but we had the phone numbers of several B&Bs.

Hi hopingtotravel!

I certainly think your itinerary is “doable”, but, as you well know, advice from me about driving itineraries should be taken with caution!

Please send me a note to [email protected] as I might be able to send you something that will help with the driving route between St. Malo and Hotel du Plage.

Don’t forget what I said about Lochronan – it is a tourist destination, so likely to get very crowded in the afternoon. I would strongly recommend that you visit the town bright and early on the following morning, as I did, rather than in the afternoon.

Regarding where to stay after the drive to Pointe du Raz, I’d suggest you stay at Le Goyen in Audierne:

http://www.chateauxethotels.com/publ...ex.php?id=2343

I considered this for my trip, decided on the more expensive Hotel du Plage instead, but was equally seduced by this property. It was recommended to me by “flygirl”, and I trust her recommendations (check out her Brittany trip report). Its much cheaper than Hotel du Plage, has a good restaurant and great views over the harbour, and while I loved the Hotel du Plage, it IS a tad expensive, isn’t it? Also, you would be retracing your steps, which I think is a bad idea given your limited time.

I checked out several hotels in the region before deciding, so if you want me to post the links, let me know.

Regards Ger

Ger, thanks for such a comprehensive response. I sent you an e-mail and will look up Flygirl's posts.
I've been reading a book on driving tours of Brittany and Normandy, but of course they are all circle tours not open-ended.
My interest in seeing this area started when a chat buddy expat vacationed from Paris in Plogoff for a week. Unfortunately, in last May's computer crash I lost the info I had saved from them.