Fun activities
For the not so daring, cookery (and eating !) workshops, digging for shellfish and rockpool fishing are a great way to discover sea life, without getting (too !) wet.
Museums, discovery centres, treasures hunts, creative workshops, guided walks and bike rides also offer activities where children can have fun and learn at the same time.
Our four-legged friends
Animal lovers are not forgotten ! Horse-riding centres offer rides through the countryside and by the sea ; guided wildlife walks for families ; farms and small wildlife parks invite families to meet the animals and even bottle feed kids (baby goats, not children…!). A little further afield, take a boat trip to the islands in a glass-bottomed boat or visit water parks and aquariums which have fish from all over the world !
Learn to sail...
Sailing Schools and Surf Schools offer training courses for all ages and levels of experience. ‘Les Jardins des Mers’ run residential courses for young children to discover life in and on the sea. For children aged 6 and over, there is an amazing range of activities including sailing and canoeing, which can be done individually or in a group.
Go sand-yachting along the long beaches of the Bay of Audierne ! Children aged 5 and over can go with an adult in a double craft and those aged 10 and over can go alone.
Have fun, make friends and have a great time at our water sports centres !
Rockpool fishing and digging for shellfish
High and low tide
The rise and fall of the tide is an incredible spectacle ! As the moon passes over the Atlantic Ocean, it draws the sea away with it – this is low tide. When it comes back towards the land, the sea comes back too – this is high tide.
When the tide is out, it’s time to the explore the seashore and rock pools and spend a day or half-day gathering shellfish – a great adventure !
The right equipment
A shrimp net, a basket, a ruler (to measure the shellfish size) and a special rake which you can find in harbour supply shops (co-opérative maritime). You can dig for clams, pick winkles, collect seaweed and fish for shrimps and velvet crabs, but remember that beaches are part of an eco-system which it is important to conserve, so please follow the rules. Also eat your catch, either raw or cooked, while it is still fresh !
Helpful hints
- Check the times of high and low tide to make sure you go fishing at low tide.
- Choose a day when the tidal coefficient is more than 70 so you can go a little further.
- Wear sun cream as the sun is reflected off the sea onto your face in summer.
- Wear warm clothes and boots in spring and autumn : it’s easy to catch cold when standing in water.
- Don’t take more than the permitted amount of each species of shellfish and check the size is correct ; details are given on tide tables.
- Make sure that fishing is allowed as sometimes it is banned for health reasons. Call in at any Office de Tourisme to check.
A giant box of games !
La Maison des Jeux Bretons is not a museum, it is somewhere to discover and play traditional Breton games with friends and family.
There are fifteen indoor games to try including quoits, Breton boules, boultenn, birinig and many others, suitable for both adults and children, there’s no age limit ! During the summer, there are outdoor games too, like tug of war, Bigouden galoche and sack races.
Information and bookings
Bourg de St-Jean-Trolimon
02 98 82 13 45 / jeuxbretons.stjeantrolimon@orange.fr
www.maisondesjeuxbretons.fr/
Here comes the rain !
No need to panic ! Although Pays Bigouden is a very sunny spot in summer, it can be subject to the odd shower and when this happens, we have a Plan B ! There are swimming pools, indoor play centres, child-friendly museums and family activities to visit while you wait for the sun to come back out... which never takes long. In Brittany the weather is fine several times a day !
Click on the link for rainy day activities
