I had announced my trip to Brittany.
Unfortunately, the planned 20 summits turned out to be only 18. FL/NO-038 is inaccessible… and on the way back, the car developed a slow puncture, so I had to keep topping up the air and was just glad to make it home. So, no summit on the way back.
Let me start by saying I made a mistake: I didn’t bring a camping chair. The vast majority of summits are drive-up, so I could have simply taken one out of the trunk .
It is wonderful that the activation zones are now marked on sotl.as - Thanks for that! They are large enough that you can almost always activate from somewhere along the roadside. This is also evident in many photos.
However, you can also create wonderful combinations of summits and the highlights of Brittany… here is my list:
Sept. 4. - Lörrach to Orleans - Both drive-up FL/NO-046 (Gravelroad) and FL/JU-113
Sept. 5. - Orleans to Le Faouet - Both drive-up FL/NO-082 and FL/NO-110 (A visit to Bécherel is highly recommended.)
Sept. 6. - No summit - Visiting Carnac !
Sept. 7. - FL/NO-067 (drive-up) and Cap Fréhel cliffs
Sept. 8. - A rainy day—no summit—stroll through Quimper—a lovely city!
Sept. 9. - FL/NO-097 (drive-up) and the pink granite coast
Sept. 10. - Beautiful FL/NO-087 (drive-up), Locronan (very touristy), and Pointe du Raz (the western tip of France).
Sept. 11. - A driving tour through the countryside visiting three summits: FL/NO-022 (drive-up), FL/NO-009… a short hike to the summit (though one could also activate right next to the parking area at the Col de Trédudon, as it is within the Activation Zone)—and a drive-up to FL/NO-021, a hotspot for model glider enthusiasts. – In Le Faou, at 48.2942, -4.17964, there is a very good bakery with great fresh sandwiches… and the bridge at 48.26915, -4.26339 is very beautiful.
Sept. 12. - Rest day and walk to Saint Barbe
Sept. 13. - Transfer from Le Faouët to Bourgneuf-la-Forêt – en route: FL/NO-024 (drive-up) and Roche des Fées. It is incredibly impressive what they achieved back then.
Sept. 14. - 3 drive-ups: FL/NO-074, FL/NO-084, and FL/NO-035… and a visit to Laval… though there are certainly much nicer cities.
Sept. 15. - Not a SOTA activation, but a visit to Vitré.
Sept. 16. - 3 summits – FL/NO-030 and FL/NO-031 are drive-up. The nice FL/NO-062 is the only summit where hiking boots are actually worth it. @G4OBK – Phil your engravings have since fallen victim to lichen.
Sept. 17. - Visit to Rennes
Sept. 18. - FL/NO-092 (drive-up) and a visit to Fougères that is well worth it.
Brittany is quite vast, so you shouldn’t mind driving… but the roads weren’t busy, and there is so much to see along the way that you won’t get bored. We also discovered a love for galettes made of buckwheat… highly recommended.
73 Armin