Driving to France? Let's Go..!!
“And now for something a oui bit different.” ….Fancy driving to France from Ireland? Why Not!
Ireland - England - France, - here we come!
Trévou-Tréguignec beach
As a child, we spent many Easter holidays in France, touring around one of my favourite countries in the world. Exploring the various campsites & gites, we always look back on these holidays with the fondest of memories. It has been over a decade since we went on one of these trips, so this year, I decided to plan a family holiday back to one of our favourite areas in Northern France, near Perros Guirec.
Our trip hit a small snag the weekend prior to leaving, due to some unavoidable issues, our outbound ferry was cancelled last minute. Thankfully, there were no issues with our return one! Due to this, the only other available ferry leaving on time could not accommodate animals. So we were left with a flip of a coin situation, - leave the dogs at home, or drive to France!
Easy choice….
Yes, they had a bath before leaving as hot weather was expected!!
How To
Travel to Brittany, France
Day One
Irish Ferries - Ferry from Dublin, Ireland - Holyhead, England (3 hours roughly and dogs had to stay in the car)
Ferry Travel To Ireland | Book Now | Irish Ferries
Holyhead, England - 5.5 hour drive to Winslow & stay overnight :
The Stables B&B @ Pear Tree Cottage
Address: Pear Tree Cottage 49 Portway North Marston Buckingham, Winslow, MK18 3PL, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 7775 866500
GPS coordinates: N 051° 53.643, W 00° 52.369
Peartree Bed & Breakfast – At Pear Tree Cottage (peartreebandb.co.uk)
We could not recommend this accommodation enough. It was the perfect pet friendly set up with a private entrance and beautiful gardens outside. The dogs, who can be a little gun shy with strangers didn’t have to interact with anyone and we will definitely be back!
Day Two
3 hour drive to Folkestone - Eurotunnel to travel to Calais which took 35 minutes!
LeShuttle: Folkestone To Calais In 35 Minutes. Book Now! (eurotunnel.com)
The entire experience of using the Eurotunnel was very efficient. The only time we had to take our dogs out of the car to check them in was during this portion of the trip. We had to enter a check in office specifically laid out for dogs in order for them to scan their microchips to confirm the details against their passports. We could park right outside and the entire process took about 5 minutes. Absolutely no issues. We were back into the car and ready to go!
Drive from Calais across Northern Brittany to our destination - Trévou-Tréguignec (8 hours with stops!) Shout out to my partner in crime who did all of the France based driving!! ;)
The thought of this journey was daunting before we left (and all prepared in 24 hours). In saying that, we would do it again in a heartbeat! We didn’t lose any time from our trip and got to see some beautiful countryside across both the UK and France that we never would have seen otherwise. We could stop whenever we felt like it with the dogs, and sometimes, the impromptu plans are the best memories made!
Trévou-Tréguignec beach, our home for the week!
The perfect quaint destination for a quiet family get away.
Northern Brittany, - What to do?
Day Trips
Perros Guirec
This is a beautiful scenic waterfront area with hundreds of meters of sandy beaches and serves up the perfect destination for a relaxing day trip. The two main beaches are Plage de Trestraou & Plage de Trestignel and both of their promenades have everything you will need, from shops to restaurants. Similarly to most Brittany towns or villages, Perros Guirec serves as a photographers dream with picturesque villas and perfect scenery at every turn.
A must do is a boat trip from Perros Guirec. The ferry terminal sits at the end of Trestraou beach along a lovely strip of shops, restaurants and bars. It costs around 20 euro and is a great way to spend a few hours, especially if you are a water baby!
We took the “THE ARCHIPELAGO OF THE 7 ISLANDS” tour and we would highly recommend!
“Rouzic, Malban, Les Costans, Bono, Île-aux-Moines, Île Plate and Le Cerf make up the archipelago of the 7 Islands. This set of rocky islets is a natural site protected since 1912 at the initiative of the LPO and classified as a Nature Reserve in 1976 by the Ministry of
the Environment. The archipelago of the 7 Islands is home to 27 species of breeding birds .”Armor Navigation - Sea trip, Guided boat trips (armor-navigation.com)
La Ploumana’c
Just a few kms east of Perros Guirec lies La Ploumana’c. The pink granite coastline continues to be seen in this village with a beautiful beach, harbour and town centre. The Phare de Men Ruz lighthouse is a popular attraction in this area situated at the northern end of the prom.
Tréguier
This city is one my favourite places in all of Brittany. A creatives’ dream setting and you can see why Walt Disney took so much inspiration from France! Tréguier, shrouded in historic, cultural and maritime development throughout the centuries, this city is a story written all by itself. The timber framed housing, tilting along a picturesque hill towards the cathedral inspires a curiosity that you cant help but admire. This city is full of unique character and provides the perfect backdrop for a relaxing day of strolling through the centuries. It is difficult to not photograph every single blue shuttered house you see here. It is like a real life Pinterest board.
Good coffee, crepes, company and views, what more could you ask for…
Trévou-Tréguignec
We picked this destination as our home for the holiday as it was a quiet, quaint beachside area that had lovely walks, perfect dog friendly accommodation and it was central driving distance to everywhere we wanted to go! Everything we wanted for this type of relaxing trip. We rented a fabulous house on the beach and will be returning as soon as we can!Being able to walk outside your door and watch every sunrise & sunset is what it is all about.
Where to Eat?Breizh’ilien
Quai des Iles
Ty Gwen (our personal favourite)
Where else to go?
Penvenan
Louannec
Trelevern
Travelling home overnight with Brittany Ferries, Cherbourg - Rosslare
We had the BEST experience travelling with our dogs with Brittany ferries. There were no delays, no issues with checking in and we were first in and out of our cars. On arrival to the cabin we had a lovely welcome goody bag for the dogs and the pet walking area was just a 2 minute stroll from our room. Apart from a bumpy crossing, we could not fault the experience!
We are already planning the next trip!
Tips for Travelling With Dogs
Talk to your Vet about vaccines, wormer and applying for your pet passport in a timely fashion!
Plan in advance for your return to Ireland, as you must bring your dogs to a French vet within a few days before travelling to administer a medication that must be recorded in your pet passport. We found one easily online near Perros Guirec.
Cooling blankets / cooling neck ties are a must when travelling in the car
Practice travelling in the car
Always account for plenty of water / food / snacks / cooler box to hold them
Always have enough Refuse bags to hand!
Until Next Time
S x
The happiest beach dog in the world #Rusty
Celebrating 4 years since SMK Studio’s opening while in France