New Kermaria copy pdf

How to get to Kermaria
Address for Sat Nav: 29690 Berrien, Finistere, Brittany should find it
12 September 2012 Volume VII
Kermaria is a tiny hamlet situated just outside Berrien
The village of Berrien is in the beautiful Mont d’Arree region of Finistere in
Brittany. It is approximately 45 minutes from the Port of Roscoff, which is served
by Brittany Ferries services from Plymouth.
roundabouts.
From the ferry port
at Roscoff, drive to
the exit and take a
left onto the main
road.
Follow the signs to
Morlaix through a
series of
Eventually you will come to a long stretch of
dual carriageway, at the end of which the road
rises to a roundabout at the top of the hill at St
Martin des Champs outside Morlaix. You will
see a trading estate on your right as you drive
up the hill.
At this roundabout take the first exit. You will
negotiate a couple more roundabouts, all
signposted Centre Hospitalier among other
destinations.
The road descends steeply to a roundabout at
the bottom. You will see the road rising steeply
again beyond this roundabout. When you
reach the roundabout, take the first exit. This
is probably signposted Carhaix and Huelgoat.
Drive along this road for about 25 minutes.
When you see a water tower in the distance,
you are getting close to the turning for Berrien.
Turn right into the village after negotiating the
speed hump on the main road. Drive past a
school set back on the left and, coming into
the village centre, you will see a church on the
right.
Drive to the end of the block of buildings on
your right and turn immediately right. Travel
straight on past the church on your right.
You will go past some houses on the left, one
of which has a
monkey puzzle
tree in the garden.
Take the first
turning left after
this. You will be
confronted with a
long, straight lane
with a barn clearly
visible at the bottom. Drive to the barn and
turn right. You will see our cottage straight in
front of you with a holly tree in front of it. Travel
time from Roscoff: Approximately 45-50
minutes.
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as if you’re locking it!
Park your car on the
gravel at the back of
the property. The lock
on the back door has
been put on the
wrong way round, so
to open it, you will
have to turn the key
If we don’t see you before we go, I will get our
neighbour, Criquette, to leave a set of keys
under the flowerpot or mat at the front of the
cottage. She will have turned on the hot water
prior to your arrival. To turn it off when you
leave, simply pull out the fuse. It’s the first fuse
on the left on the fusebox in the kitchen and
that will turn it off.
The cooker runs on gas. The gas bottle is in
the shed. If it’s not already on, turn the knob on
top of the gas bottle.
The cottage is equipped with all the pots, pans,
cutlery and crockery you will need. We will
make sure there is tea and coffee there and
there should be something you can have as a
quick meal in the freezer section of the fridge.
There are plenty of logs in the shed for the
woodburner, but you will need to find some
kindling sticks. Sometimes, the Intermarche
supermarket in Huelgoat puts out orange boxes
for people to take. You can also buy kindling
sticks and smaller logs from the garden centre
at St Martin des Champs. It is built in the form
of a giant greenhouse, which you can see from
the road from Roscoff. To get there from
Berrien, drive back to the Morlaix roundabout,
take the third exit and drive up the hill to the
next roundabout. Take the second exit and
drive to the next roundabout. Take the third exit
marked Zones du Launay. Drive straight
through tht estate until the road runs parallel
with the Roscoff road. You will see the garden
centre on the left.
In the village of Berrien, there is a very good
boulangerie open from 6.30am each morning
except Monday for bread, baguettes,
croissants, cakes etc, all made on the premises
and very yummy. Don’t forget that most shops
shut between 12noon and 2pm for lunch.
The nearest supermarket is Intermarche five
minutes away in Huelgoat. From our place
drive to the road by the barn, turn left, then
almost immediately right. This takes you up into
the village, where you turn right onto the main
road at the junction. You will see Intermarche
on your right at the entrance to Huelgoat.
For a bigger shop, visit the Geant store at
Morlaix. Drive back to Morlaix on the main road
and take the third exit at the roundabout. Drive
up the hill to the next roundabout and take the
first exit. Drive to the next mini roundabout and
take the third exit. Drive into the car park on the
left which surrounds the Geant store and
parade of shops.
Morlaix itself is well worth a visit, particularly for
its market, which is held on a Saturday
morning.
Huelgoat is famous for its boulders and forest
as well as the lake in front of the village. The
Hotel du Lac serves good food!
You will also find on this part of the estate an
interesting Troc or secondhand shop and a
Chinese restaurant where you can eat as much
as you like from the buffet for about £10.
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Looking around Berrien
Berrien and the villages around it are credited with being the cradle of the
French resistance movement during the Second World War. German troops
were billeted in the village, including some in the big farmhouse at Kermaria.
Today, Berrien is s quiet village with a population of some 1,000 people, including
a fair number of English and Irish residents, either full time or holiday home
owners.
(where the white van is in the picture.) Carry on
and you will pass a house on the left with a
monkey puzzle tree in the garden (see below)
The Mairie and church
Turn left at the next junction and drive straight
down the lane to the barn at the bottom where you
turn right. Our house with its half-demolished holly
tree is straight in front of you. Back in the village,
the boulangerie (see below) is open Tuesday to
Sunday. The Juke Box restaurant just down the
road serves good meals and great takeaway pizzas.
Turn sharp right at the white
van for Kermaria
Coming into Berrien, you will pass the Mairie on
the right. Drive straight on past the next two blocks
of buildings on the right and turn sharp right
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Miscellaneous information and things to do
When you arrive at the house, don’t forget that the
double lock on the back door has been put on the
wrong way around. Once inside, there is a double
light switch on the right of the door. Unfortunately,
one of the switches, which work the light over the
table has broken. This light can be switched on at
the double switch in the lounge just by the
archway.
the supermarket. It’s called lait frais entier. (fresh
milk complete).The village boulangerie sells only
semi-skimmed.
Rubbish is taken to the poo-belle just up the road.
Black sacks for ordinary rubbish in the container
and yellow sacks for recyclables in the wire basket.
You will find a supply of sacks under the sink
Sorry about that, but it only happened on our last
visit. I did buy a replacement switch unit which is
on top of the fridge freezer, but it looks too small
to me. I’m waiting for our builder friends to visit
next to fit it. I’m no good at electrics.
The dehumidifier in the lounge is on all the time,
but feel free to turn it off if it bothers you. Don’t
forget to put it back on before you leave.
The woodburner is capable of throwing out 14kw
of heat. It also heats upstairs through a vent in the
second bedroom wall, so keep the doors open.
We have left you kindling sticks, firelighters, eco
logs and a bag of small logs to start you off. Get a
nice fire going before putting on larger logs which
you will find in the shed. The key to the shed will
be on the bunch Criquette will leave for you under
a flowerpot or mat at the front of the house. There
are electric radiators in the kitchen and bedrooms,
but they are not very powerful. There’s also a
heated towel rail in the bathroom. There is plenty
of tea and coffee, plus some tins in the cupboard
and stuff in the freezer. If you like pasteurised milk
as opposed to semi-skimmed. look for red tops in
Places to visit
Berrien is well placed for visiting numerous
interesting places during your stay. Quimper,
Finistere’s county town, is about an hour’s drive
and has tree-lined streets alongside a river,
beautiful medieval buildings and the magnificent
Cathedral of St Corentin.
Not far from here are seaside resorts like Benodet
and Fousenant, but the piece de resistance is the
walled city of Concarneau, one of Brittany’s major
fishing ports.
You will find beautiful beaches to the west and east
of Morlaix (Carantec and St Efflam, for example).
and the Pink Granite Coast with its impressive rock
formations is also easily accessible, as is the naval
port of Brest.
Closer to home, check out the awesome boulders
strewn around the forest at Huelgoat and admire
the beauty of its man-made lake. The main square
is tucked away behind the lake, but is well worth
finding. It is a hive of activity on a Thursday
morning, which is market day. Every town and
village worth the name has a market day. You will
find a list of them on the internet -
www.gitesandmore.co.uk/marketdays.htm The
market at Morlaix is one of the larger ones and is
held on a Saturday morning. Stalls can be found
around the Hotel de Ville in the centre and in the
car park on the other side of the road. All manner
of fish, meat, breads, vegetables and fruit are sold
here and business is brisk.
If you want to bring back some wine or cider, the
Wine Seller at the Roscoff port has an excellent
selection from smaller producers.
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