Breton Chic!.......... — Steve Chivers Photography

Its hard to believe that we are already mid-way through June. 2024 has been such an exciting year for Madam. C et moi and there was no letting up as we prepared to join Aunty Sarah and Mike on yet another adventure, this time with a nautical bent; yes a weekend trip to Roscoff in glorious Brittany.

As many readers know we live in Plymouth located on the coast in the South West of the U.K. and for us, Brittany has a similar coastline, a not dissimilar climate but with the addition of that wonderful Breton cuisine and of course the most wonderful grape!.

It was to be a short trip, just two nights and we had planned to do much walking, some photography and to combine both with plenty of eating and drinking, with Fruit De Mer firmly at the top of my wish-list. Now I wouldn’t say we were keen but we had already telephoned the restaurant to ensure they would guarantee to have everything ready for us on arrival.

For me every trip involves two key decisions:

(a) Choice of headwear and outfit - I firmly believe that there is a hat for every occasion.

As many of you know I may be semi retired but I am definitely not shy and retiring. So, with my Breton Fishermans hat, salty sea-dog beard and a rather jaunty blue and white neckerchief to accompany my blue and white Deal jacket, I would say that the look was what I would term as “Breton Chic”! The other members of our team used various other non-complimentary adjectives and were not so enthusiastic about my attempt to “blend in” with the locals. I merely informed them that it was called style, that I did not want to look like a tourist and that it is always better to be a leader not a follower. The consensus was that I may be a leader but I might like to follow and remain a few steps behind them, especially when passing through French customs. “Qui s’en soucie”! Indeed, little did they all know that whilst in Roscoff I would be looking for an addition to my burgeoning hat collection, that would raise my Breton outfit to the next level. Hold that thought…….

(b) Choice of photography gear.

From a photography stand-point I was travelling light as we would be foot passengers on the ferry and I also intended to do a great deal of walking. I had decided to give the Leica M Type 246 Monochrom an outing accompanied by the wonderful 50mm Apo Summicron (with 4 stop ND filter to avoid clipping the highlights) and the 90mm Leica Summarit F2.4. I felt that should cover most bases. Both lenses were in silver which accented my beard perfectly (you see, the modern style-conscious man thinks of everything). I had also downloaded the Leica Lux app on to my iPhone as I wanted to see if this would give my iPhone imagery a more complimentary look to my camera images.

As La Tante Sarah (LTS) is an executive of Brittany Ferries, our “mode de passage” for this trip would naturally be the flagship ferry of the Brittany Ferries fleet, the rather luxurious MV Pont-Aven. Indeed LTS had kindly taken care of all arrangements and so we knew that our visit would be planned with a military precision. Eh Bien, all we had to do was to be at Brittany Ferries Millbay Docks by 12.30 p.m. As we only live about a 30 minute walk away we decided to go ”à pied” and stop off for un sandwich au bacon en route. Gosh, I am already slipping in to the “Franglais” and we haven’t even crossed La Manche. As regular readers will know its a Chivers family routine to have at least one portion of pork product every day whilst on holiday so this little stop-off was to maintain the family honour and reputation.

Thanks to LTS’s admin skills our check-in was a breeze and we were soon aboard the rather plush ferry, the MV Port-Aven. Once on board we headed straight for our cabin to deposit our luggage. I digress but a trick for young players is to aways book a cabin; when the weather is stormy one can endure “vomissements et nausées” in the privacy of one’s own stateroom and thereafter have a bed to collapse in to and when the ferry is full it might be the only place available in which to find a seat.

Next stop was to head up to the top deck as I wanted to capture some imagery of Plymouth, but with a maritime perspective.

My first aim was to capture the view across Millbay Docks towards the Hoe. Interestingly this was the view that the survivors from the sinking of the Titanic saw when they first arrived back in Plymouth. A sobering thought as we headed out to sea.

Then in to Plymouth Sound and passing West Hoe with the War Memorial and Smeaton’s Tower in the distance.

As we reached the outer limits of the Plymouth Sound I was determined to capture a view of the breakwater and fort.

The foundation stone of the breakwater was laid on 8th August 1812 and the entire structure completed in 1841. This 1,560 metre breakwater not only protects Plymouth Sound and its shipping from storms but also acted to defend Plymouth and its deep-water port during the wars with Napoleon and subsequently during WWI & WWII. To gain a sense of what it took to build, back in 1841 it cost some £1.5 million, which is today equivalent to £126 million. Imagine what that would do to your council tax bill if such a project was considered today.

The breakwater lighthouse was first operational in 1844 and still provides ships with guidance as they enter Plymouth Sound via the deep-water Chanel.

Having successfully captured the required imagery I looked to find the other members of our merry band of brothers. As I met up with them I heard LTS, who as you know is head of family hydration, mention that key phrase to one of the crew members, “Bonjour Matelot ou-est le bar”! I am sure that even if your colloquial french is a bit rusty, you get the drift.

Determined to maximise our use of the facilities we had a few pints of the on-board grog before finding some seats on the upper deck, to take in some rays and also enjoy a few zzz’s.

LTS having an Audrey Hepburn moment on the top deck.

Thankfully our crossing was very smooth and so no problem with sea sickness. As a rule I don’t suffer with it but when needs must the devil drives and like all good boy-scouts I came fully prepared and was wearing a rather stylish pair of travel sickness bracelets acquired from boots for £6.50 in a 2 for 1 offer (you know it makes sense) which were complimented by a double-dose of Stugeron sea sickness tablets (always go big for maximum results). Do they work….well they certainly didn’t make me sick so that’s all good then!

On arrival in Roscoff I passed through customs (some ten feet behind the others) and I noticed the customs officer could not take his eyes off my hat and jaunty neckerchief. Clearly the French appreciate haute-couture.

As the weather was so lovely (and incredibly there were no taxis…well it was dinner time and we were in France so….) we decided to walk the 15 minute journey in to the centre of Roscoff.

Being a ferry port most people, including me, normally drive off the ferry and head off on holiday without giving Roscoff a second glance. What a mistake we have all been making for as I walked through the streets with my Type 246 at the ready, I was clearly having an epiphany (no that is not a euphemism) at the old-world charm of this lovely town.

We arrived at our hotel mid evening and were checked in to an absolutely delightful room with a sea-front view.

After a quick night cap of the local Calvados (apple brandy) we retired for an early night as we were going to have a very busy day ahead of us.

Now when I say sea-view I mean sea-view. I woke up very early and when I opened the curtains to try and catch the sunrise this was the view from my bedroom window.

After a quick shower it was downstairs for breakfast. The French certainly know how to put on a spread. I took the continental option but with a twist. I had a selection of hams and saucisson with cheese, brie and Tomme and of course beautiful crispy local baked baguette all washed down with a steaming hot coffee. The twist, I added some crispy cooked bacon to a fresh baguette, topped with brie, just to keep up the family tradition.

With the tank full we headed off to the port to find our ferry to the nearby Île-de-Batz. Like any French fishing port the first thing you come across are the local fishing boats so I grabbed the obligatory image.

We then found our ferry to the nearby island and bought return tickets for Euros 11 each. Tip of the day, buy a return ticket as the ferry is the only way you are going to get on and off the island. The journey each way is 15 minutes dependent upon the state of the tide; hold that thought……

MV L’Hermine - our trusty ferry pretty much fully loaded.

Mike Apo Summicroned in Monochrom at F2.

A bit of sightseeing en route to the Island.

Now we chose to spend our day on the Island as it offers a good 3 hour walk, the coast line and beaches are picturesque and there are lots of indigenous birds and with Mike, our resident Twitcher present, we had our quick identification resource available to us.

Now I had my Type 246 with me to capture the bigger scene and was not attempting bird photography. Next visit, and there will be a next visit, I will bring my SL2 and the 100-400mm Zoom for some nature photography.

As we disembarked the ferry I grabbed my first shot along the quay wall. I was already in my happy place and as we wondered through the main town I was able to collate the following images.

First view after disembarking the ferry.

Across the bay with the lighthouse “Phare de Lîle-de-Batz in the background.

Now Mike is also a keen photographer and had brought his Fuji XT3 and 18-50mm zoom. He captured this image of the girls searching for things to go in the “nature pocket” whilst yours truly emerged from the shrubbery, Type 246 in hand. He called this “Gorillas in the Mist”.

Guerillas in the Mist - Courtesy of Mike Williams.

Now we are on an island; how difficult is it to get lost? Well it wasn’t long before there was a “discussion” between the girls as to the route we should take. Fortunately yours truly was there with my mountain goat instincts. As I am an ambi-turner, I suggested we turn right (in case of doubt I always turn right) and keep the light house to our right at all times, (given the lighthouse is located in the centre of the island) and we would never be wrong. Voila! we were back on our way again.

So given my sage-like advice and that whenever I looked to the right I could see the light house, I decided to make a series of images of the same, but with different perspectives.

I forgot to mention that as a good boy-scout I had come prepared and en-route to the ferry I had purchased a couple of baguettes of Jambon Beurre as sustenance. After a couple of hours of walking my tummy was rumbling and so we found a quiet beach to consume our picnic and explore.

We then headed off to town for a coffee. We had delicious “Noisettes” which are very similar to macchiatos and really hit the spot when energy levels begin to flag.

As we arrived back to the ferry the words “Huston we have a problem” came to mind. We didn’t appear to have any water!

Oh bugger - where has all the water gone?

However the locals had thought of everything and had build a special concrete jetty out in to the bay, which you don’t normally see when the tide is in. On the Roscoff side we were equally devoid of de L’eau. Then I realised why there was that enormous jetty that was seemingly built in to the sea for no apparent reason. This was our dropping off point when the tide was out.

Crikey what can possibly go wrong, especially after the 2nd bottle of red.

Lobster Pots - already thinking about our dinner and the impending Fruits de Mer.

We now had a real thirst and so we did what most of the locals seemed to be doing, we stopped off at one of the local bars, enjoyed the sun and order a few glasses of the local grog.

A perfect combination - Hydration by Saint Erwann, imagery bt Leica.

It was then back to the hotel (whilst we could still walk in a straight line) for an afternoon siesta and a freshen-up. We agreed to meet downstairs in the bar before dinner for an apero.

When we arrived at the bar LTS was already interrogating Lucas, our young Grog Wallah, as to what was available. In the end Mike and I being easy to please had a couple of beers whilst the girls had two large kir Royals. I have never liked a cheap date and good job as when our Grog Wallah gave me the bill lets just say they weren’t giving them away! Anyway we were on holiday and the girls said it didn’t matter………so it didn’t matter!

Lucas - Our resident Grog Wallah. Image captured with Leica Lux App

A five minute walk away was Le Restaurant Surcouf and Madam was waiting for us. Already primed she served us a most excellent Fruits De Mer sans Nobbly Bits (the nobbly bits being whelks and cockles which no-one wanted).

We were presented with our lobster, who we shall call Francoise. Only problem was Francoise was still twitching. Its a bit like ordering a sirloin steak and trotting in Daisy the cow for approval. However, having crossed that particular ethical rubicon we decided that Francoise would do very nicely grilled and covered in local butter, accompanied by Spider Crab, langoustines and large prawns, backed up by a lovely green salad and a steaming bowl of French fries. All this, on the recommendation of LTS, was to be washed down with a cinq deci of the local chilled white wine.

Now I must digress but a tip from someone who loves lobster. Always order a female of the species as there is more meat on the breast. I am not sure where I heard this little nugget or whether it is in fact true. However It always seems to turn out ok so what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger….except for Francoise who went straight on to grill.

What is it the French say, “A fish must swim three times, once in water, once in butter and once in white wine”. Well bon appetite to that!

When our feast was presented it came along with various implements to crack, prong and scoop. I noticed a charming women on the next table to seemed to have completely eviscerated her crab in to a neat pile of crab meat whilst I seemed to be completely covered in mine. Not to worry Fruit De Mer is a participative dinner and lets say it was absolutely delicious and I fully participated.

Spider Crab - Now where to start with this bad boy? Image captured with Leica Lux App

Job Done! Image captured with Leica Lux App

Its fair to say that after a couple of pre-bed Calvados’s and a couple of Omeprazole I slept like a baby.

Again I woke up early, opened the windows in time to see that whilst the tide had gone out, the MV Amourique, our ride home, was just coming in.

The tide has gone out but the MV Amourique was coming in.

We had a couple of hours to kill before heading off to the port so LTS said they knew of a little beach nearby with great views and an excellent coffee.

Never a good sign - Out with the analogue sat-nav. Image captured with Leica Lux App

There must be something here for La Poche Nature. Image captured with Leica Lux App

A perfect end to a perfect weekend. Image captured with Leica Lux App

They always say that “better a good weekend than a poor fortnight”. I second that and thanks to LTS for organising a fantastic getaway. As we pulled out of Roscoff it was definitely à bientôt.

Ah yes, for those of you still reading you remember I mentioned that I would be looking to upgrade my Breton Chic look. Well I found this wonderful Breton Fishermans cap in the same material as my stylelish hat. What is the difference you may ask? Well it has no peak and as a result it is so much easier to use a camera, especially in portrait aspect. You see, once again I am mixing style with practicality. It is fair to say that our team were a tad harsh when commenting on my new look. I love it but what do you think?