Getting from "down under"to the "ends of the earth"

Now that the Covid nuisance seems to have subsided, we're getting a lot more Australians wanting to visit us here in Finistere (from the Latin Finis Terre - the end of the earth)

That's understandable because Huelgoat is one of the most visited villages in France - and because we're such nice people, of course. So, we're frequently asked how to get here.

Rome2 Rio offers many helpful suggestions, and is hands down the best travel planning tool. But we've narrowed it down some...

Fly

Fly to Brussels - or somewhere cheap in Europe. Paris and London are where everyone flies to, but they are expensive because of that. By contrast, Brussels is only an hour from Paris on the Eurostar, and still only three hours from London by train. If you book train tickets early enough, you can get very good deals.

But any destination city is a good starting point, as long as it's connected to the excellent network of fast trains that criss-crosses Europe. France is in the process of upgrading it's train service, as part of the mandated phase out of short haul flights - so increasingly this is a better option for travellers - plus it cuts a few hours off your flying time!

Milan, Berlin, Strasbourg, Geneva and many other places have flights to Australia and fast train links - so don't get trapped by convention.

Railway map of Europe - I've highlighted the three stations discussed.

Train from Paris

If you are not coming here from the South by train, you will need to stage through Paris. We always recommend spending a couple of days in Paris, because it's one of the great cities of the world.

There are some bijou hotels in the Montparnasse area, as well as easy access to the metro and public transport, and an excellent variety of restaurants and bars, especially if you get away from the tourist traps. You can walk to the Ile de Cite from Montparnasse in about an hour. We recommend the Hotel Montparnasse Saint-Germain which is not super expensive, cosy and close to the station, as well as the number 69 bus which goes past all the sights.

Your train to Brittany will depart from the Gare de Montparnasse. This is a massive station/shopping centre, but it's well sign posted. The TGV takes about three hours to get to Morlaix, which is our nearest TGV station.

Train from the South or East

If you're coming from Italy or the south of France, you will need to change trains at Rennes. Again, Rennes is a beautiful city, with lots of mediaeval buildings and a stunning canal areas - we'd recommend spending a day there to sightsee. From Rennes, you can get to Morlaix by train in about an hour.

Morlaix

Morlaix is also our nearest medium sized city - think Goulburn, but with massively better scenery and half timbered buildings. We like to go there for the market and lunch on Saturday, and to walk around the basin. You can hire cars in Morlaix from about fifty Euros a day, and if you are planning to spend more than a couple of days visiting us, you should definitely consider this.

By Road

If you're planning to drive, then that's also a good option for flexibility.

Coming from the UK, the best ferry route is probably Plymouth - St Malo (3 hours driving time to us) or Portsmouth - Roscoff (45 mins drive). There is a large network of toll roads that covers France - some cheap and others very expensive. So getting here is quite easy, if not the cheapest option.

But, there are no toll roads in Brittany!

Because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, fuel is not particularly cheap, but is subsidised by the government to the tune of 0.14 Euro per litre. The map below will give you some idea of the current cost in our department. There are two petrol stations in the village, as well as electric vehicle charging.

Other ways to arrive

If you're creative, you can probably think of other ways to get here, We've had some people come to us on pushbikes, but no hikers yet. There is a bus service from Morlaix but honestly, we've never used it.

If you want to bring your helicopter, give

us 24 hours notice to clear the sheep off the top paddock.

There's space for a Chinook but watch for power lines if coming in from the South - also we're in a low flying area, so watch out for Jet fighters at low level - as well as ultralights...

Last thoughts

Why won't you hang out with us? We love having visitors, and want to spend time with you, but you need to know that we have a business to run, and may not be able to spend all day showing you around, especially in the summertime. The other problem is often that everyone wants to do the same things, so we really suggest you pick things you want to do and we will join in if we have time. We love telling people where to go and can make recommendations for you.

Staying in other people's houses is often annoying, and our current house is tiny and full of cats. Because we don't want to be in your face the whole time, we'll happily lend you a gite if there's one available. But we might have to charge you for it in peak season.

Eating Out. There are lots of restaurants in the village - but they aren't open all the time. Things you'd think are obvious are not here... so all our cottages have a full kitchen - and it's worth planning to enjoy local delicacies at home in the evenings rather than eating out every night. there is honestly nothing better than sitting outside with a drink in the evening and enjoying the beautiful Breton weather. On the plus side, it will probably be the cheapest part of your trip!

If you are out for the day, plan ahead and book lunch somewhere. Most places are not all-day service (service continu) and because everyone stops for lunch here, if you turn up at 130 without a booking, you'll go away hungry. But you can always get a baguette and some charcuterie to snack on, and a decent bottle of vin rouge is two Euros, so there's that.

Except when it's raining. If you're not here in the summer, plan for rain. If you can see the hills, it's going to rain. If you can't see them, it's raining, or foggy. There's a reason it's so green here most of the time. A solid raincoat is a must, as well as waterproof shoes. There's plenty to do when it is raining, and most of the time it's a light drizzle or showery. But be prepared.