On a recent trip to Brittany I visited the fishing port of Concarneau.

Concarneau (click for larger image)

On a recent trip to Brittany I visited the fishing port of Concarneau one of the most important fishing ports in France. The picture is of the entrance the the Ville Close, the old walled town. This is built on a small irregular rocky island in the bay just a few metres off the coast and connected these days by a bridge, although general traffic is not allowed on the island. There is a car park opposite the entrance however and the old town is small so easily visited on foot. There are several good restaurants in the old town and also a fishing museum which tells the history of the town and its importance as a fish canning centre as well as the usual tourist shops

The towns ramparts were completed by Vauban in the seventeenth century. The island itself, however, had been inhabited for at least a thousand years before that, and is first recorded as the site of a priory founded by King Gradlon of Quimper.

On either side of the old walls, sprawl the fishing port and marina and strolling along the seafront leads to creeks and fine sandy beaches. The early morning fish auction, la criée, is a great experience.