Brest to Presqu'ile de Crozon ferry, Brittany

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AndyK
Posts: 1498
Joined: 17 Aug 2007, 2:08pm
Location: Mid Hampshire

Brest to Presqu'ile de Crozon ferry, Brittany

Post by AndyK »

Has anyone got recent experience of taking bikes on this ferry? It seems the company that used to run regular ferries across the Rade de Brest (Azenor) no longer does so, so older posts on this board no longer apply.

The only regular ferry I can find is run by Le Brestoa twice a day between Brest Port de Commerce and Le Crozon. If anyone's used that this year, what's it like for taking bikes on board?

(What I'm actually looking for is a way to get a group of 12 cyclists from Le Conquet to somewhere near the tip of the Presqu'ile de Crozon, first thing in the morning, so we can then spend the day cycling back around the Rade de Brest to le Conquet. The best option appears to be get up early, cycle into Brest and catch the morning ferry, but if anyone's got any better ideas I'm open to suggestions.)

Thanks

Andy
Bernard
Posts: 52
Joined: 28 Jan 2007, 3:36pm
Location: Somewhere in the Vexin

Re: Brest to Presqu'ile de Crozon ferry, Brittany

Post by Bernard »

To help you I’ve phoned « Le Brestoâ »…fortunately my French is not so bad. They accept bikes for 4 €, but if you are 12, they prefer to have a reservation to reserve the places for the bikes. Bernard
In cyclo veritas
AndyK
Posts: 1498
Joined: 17 Aug 2007, 2:08pm
Location: Mid Hampshire

Re: Brest to Presqu'ile de Crozon ferry, Brittany

Post by AndyK »

Thanks, Bernard, that was very kind of you. I'll be sure to reserve in advance.

If anyone's actually used this ferry I'd still be interested in their experience.
AndyK
Posts: 1498
Joined: 17 Aug 2007, 2:08pm
Location: Mid Hampshire

Re: Brest to Presqu'ile de Crozon ferry, Brittany

Post by AndyK »

Well, we took this ferry last weekend, so for the benefit of anyone else who's thinking of going that way, here's a note of our experiences.

  • I booked in advance for our group of 11. That was probably a good thing: it's not a huge ferry and if more than one group turned up unnanounced they might struggle to get all the bikes on board. A solo cyclist or two should have no problem getting on without booking.
  • They are slow to answer emails. My friend emailed in English and got no reply at all; I emailed in French and got a confirmation of my reservation about a week later.
  • They don't ask for payment in advance.
  • Price for a one-way trip is currently 9 € per person plus 4 € per bike. There's no official discount for groups, but on the day I was given a bit of money off.
  • The Le Brestoa booking office is a portakabin on the Quai du Commerce in Brest - easy to miss, as it's partly hidden by the Azenor office next to it. In theory it opens at 09:00 for the 09:30 ferry. We arrived at 08:55 and had time for a round of coffees in the nearby bar before the office finally opened at 09:20, just after the ferry arrived at the quayside. It turned out this was because the ferry captain was also the ticket seller!
  • The bikes were manhandled onto the ferry with no problem and stacked against the guardrail at the stern of the boat, in the open air.
  • The crossing is about 40 minutes and quite scenic.
Best of all, using it meant we could have a circular day ride, looping round the whole of the Rade de Brest. We started from le Conquet at dawn, rode the 16 miles into Brest, caught the ferry, then rode out to the end of the Presqu'ile de Crozon (well worth the detour for the standing stones and the poignant memorial to the Battle of the Atlantic). After that we rode back around the bay, crossing a couple of spectacular bridges, dipping through fishing villages and tackling rolling hills, then sneaked along cycle routes through Brest close to the waterfront and back to le Conquet again. If anyone wants our routes, send me a PM.
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