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| The Loire at Saumur, May 2015 |
The first week was in the Loire valley, based in a cottage near Saumur (2nd - 8th May). This was an area I'd been wanting to return to for a long time. As well as looking around Saumur, we visited the Châteaux at Chinon, Montsoreau and the L’Abbaye Royale at Fontevraud, taking in the rivers Loire and Vienne. After a largely dry spring in southern England, the weather this week was mixed and, on our arrival, very wet. The week flew by too quickly, particularly with the extra disorientation of being abroad, driving on the wrong side of the road for the car etc. By the end of it, we were sorry to leave, though looked forward to being nearer the coast.
See the La Loire Vivante entries
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| Pointe du Raz, South Finisterre, May 2015 |
We then moved on to to a very comfortable, spacious cottage near Quimper in south Finisterre. This was our base for the fortnight 9-23rd May. From there we were well placed to explore the southernmost of the three peninsulas of Brittany. The area is also known as Cornouaille: in English that’s Cornwall and Finisterre translates as Lands End. Indeed these areas are very similar: hard rock coastline with lots of granite making for attractive cliff walks and beaches; full on exposure to the powerful north Atlantic waves; a mild maritime climate. There are also cultural similarities between the Cornish and Bretons. We enjoyed a mix of cliff walks, lighthouses, various kinds of harbours and estuaries, attractive old towns.
Notes from Finisterre Part 1 - Coast / cliffs / waves / weather
Notes from Finisterre Part 2 - Estuaries, harbours and towns
Here, the weather was generally drier and more settled than it had been during our first
week, with predominantly high pressure, though there was some rain towards the
end of the second week. Though we enjoyed plenty of sunshine, the coast was
prone to sea mists and drizzle during some of the calmer periods, particularly
during the mornings. As we both feel the heat, we were glad of the relatively
cool, fresh weather. Air quality way better than it can be back home.
I filled two softback A4 sketchbooks in Finisterre and nearly one more in the Loire valley, working mainly with a mix of
pens, water-soluble pencils and pastels. Though these were very portable during
our walks along the coast, visits to the old towns etc., this wasn't always
ideal. The coloured pencils (Derwent Inktense) lived up to their name,
producing plenty of colour, they weren't so good for filling in large areas of
colour (such as the sea) on coastal walks. Having to sharpen them almost
constantly was annoying, too. By the end of three weeks away and many more
sketching closer to home beforehand, some of my brush pens were running out as
well.
I came home, then, with plenty of material for future paintings. I'll show some of them here or on my Water and Art blog in due course.
For now, my sketches from the holiday can be viewed at:
