GO ASK JOAN: From walking and swimming spots in Brittany to a family holiday in Cornwall JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions
Brittany for walks and swims
My husband and I, in our late 50s, have booked the ferry to Roscoff for the first two weeks in June. We plan to spend a holiday in northern Brittany. We are keen hill walkers and swimmers and intend walking most days, finishing up with a swim. However, we would also like to do some inland forest walks. We would like to stay in a small town as we enjoy a bit of nightlife and hope to experience the Breton culture. Self-catering would suit our needs best. We would also like to base ourselves in one place, as we do not want to spend our time driving. Can you suggest a place you think would be suitable for us?
CH, Dublin
Roscoff is a lovely seaside port with a pretty old town so you could easily base yourself there. From Roscoff you can access the GR34, Brittany’s coastal path. Heading out west from the town, the path follows the Côte des Légendes which, with its rocky fjord-like inlets, offers great walking and beaches are easily accessible too.
Heading south, a short drive away, are the Monts d’Arrée and the forest around Huelgoat offering contrasting walking.
A day trip to the idyllic Ile de Batz – where you can hire bicycles to get around – would show you yet another side of Brittany.
Alternatively, east of Roscoff is the pink granite coast with its lovely beaches. Perros-Guirec is a good base if you like to watch the world go by.
Early June is still low season in Brittany, as the French schools won’t have finished for the summer, so things won’t be in full swing yet but there should be enough to keep you entertained.
Again, you will be right on the GR34 for excellent walking and still not too far from the forest inland for a change of scenery. A boat trip to the Sept Iles bird reserve would give you fantastic views back over the pink granite rock formations.
You can find self-catering accommodation in Roscoff at gites-finistere.com and in Perros-Guirec at gitesdarmor.com.
Cornwall with the kids
Our family always holidays in Ireland and returns to the same places. We have four children – ranging in age from 10 to 17 – and this year we would like to try something outside Ireland. We like the idea of going to the UK, specifically Cornwall. We have nothing specific in mind and are looking for any advice you can give on ferry travel and any recommendations on where to stay. We would like to stay in a nice hotel with good facilities near to the sea and other attractions including shopping.
NK, Galway
Cornwall is a good choice for a holiday in England and is easy enough to get to. There are daily ferry services from Rosslare to Pembroke with Irish Ferries and to Fishguard with Stena Line.
The Stena Lynx fast ferry service will be back on the route this summer.
Driving to Cornwall will take about five to six hours, depending on where you are going to stay. On the north coast of Cornwall, towns to consider are Padstow, Newquay, Perranporth and St Ives, and on the south coast Penzance, Falmouth and St Austell. Newquay would be the liveliest of these towns for teenagers with an opportunity to surf and shop. Smaller towns, such as Perranporth, are also lively in the summer and good for families.
High season in Cornwall is from the middle of July to the end of August and hotel accommodation is pricier than here. You will find little below €100 per room per night. Most families visiting Cornwall stay
in self-catering accommodation, of which there is a great selection.
The Headland Hotel is on the outskirts of Newquay overlooking Fistral Beach and is a grand old-style hotel, headlandhotel.co.uk. For something more modern try The Hotel at Watergate Bay (watergatebay.co.uk), about five miles from Newquay. It has a water sports academy and a Jamie Oliver restaurant, and self-catering accommodation on-site.
In St Ives, Tregenna Castle Estate (tregenna-castle.co.uk) is just outside the town and has a golf course. It also has holiday homes on site. St Ives is a pretty town, has lots of restaurants and is good for shopping. It gets very busy in the summer.
The Falmouth Hotel (thefalmouth-hotel.co.uk) in Falmouth is an old-style hotel with great views and is well located for exploring this busy town. There are lots of activities for the children. The Premier Inn (premierinn.com) chain of modern hotels has properties around Cornwall and the prices are quite good. See a selection of self-catering properties on bluechipvacations.com and cornishcottages.com.
Things worth seeing and doing in Cornwall include the Eden Project (edenproject.com) where there is a range of activities for the summer, including concerts. You can easily while away a day here. The Minack Theatre (minack.com), an outdoor theatre on the cliffs near Land’s End, is in an unusual setting and has a series of summer plays and events.
Teenagers may like to try surfing or sand-sailing, and Cornwall has great surf clubs and facilities, particularly on the north coast. Walk some of the South West Coast Path (southwestcoastpath.com) for some extraordinary views.
If you like gardens then Cornwall has dozens to visit, the Lost Gardens of Heligan are worth a view. See gardensofcornwall.com. A boat trip to the Isles of Scilly is fun. There are dozens of great attractions in Cornwall and during the summer lots of concerts, events and activities: check out visitcornwall.com.
Self-catering for 15 singles near Dublin
I am looking for self-catering options for up to 15 single people within a two-hour radius of Dublin and close to a town for a dinner out for the weekend of July 23rd. Can you help to provide some websites to search?
MOC, Dublin
Two hours from Dublin will take you to quite a few good towns for a weekend away. Towns for singles fun are Kilkenny, Carlingford, Athlone, and Wexford.
You will probably need a number of properties close to each other as it would be hard to find a 15-bedroom place. Group developments would be a good option. Have a look at: tridentholidayhomes.ie, selfcatering.ie, carlingford.ie, rentacottage.ie.
Just five kilometres from Kilkenny is Wallslough Village (wallsloughvillage.ie), a group of restored farm cottages that could take your group.
Or if you are all good friends and would rather spend money on dinner than accommodation, the range of hostels around the country has really improved in the past few years and many have catering facilities and provide breakfast, for less than €20 per night, see hostelworld.com.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com