A hidden gem in Brittany: Saint Suliac.

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You won't find much about Saint Suliac in a tourist guide. It's a little fishing village on the north Brittany coast, but it's a real gem.

We stopped off in Saint Suliac today and were utterly charmed by the lovely little village. Cobbled streets, quaint houses and red street lamps make the village positively enchanting. 

I've noticed that most Breton houses are beautiful - pretty stone, classic French shutters and adorned by lots of bright flowers - but in Saint Suliac they're a little different. We'd never seen anything like it before, but a lot of the houses are draped in decorative, old fishing nets. It may sound odd, but it looks really pretty. 

On a sunny Monday afternoon in August, Saint Suliac was delightfully quiet and peaceful. We stumbled upon a shop selling all sorts of old maritime finds, including ships' radios and an amazing captains' coat. The owner was about to close for lunch (warning: pretty much everything closes from 1-3pm), but he kindly let us have a quick look round first.

The boulangerie had just closed (*sob*), but luckily the main village shop was open, so we picked up a few goodies for our picnic lunch later. 

Have you ever seen a prettier village shop? Saint Suliac, like most of the Breton villages we've visited, also has a really impressive church. 

We wandered down a little cobbled street which led down to the sea. Except it's not exactly the sea...

It's where the River Rance meets the sea, but isn't an estuary really. The water is salty and tidal, but it's completely still. Today, it looked beautiful. 

The warm sunshine shone down on the boats and the paddlers. 

I was VERY jealous of these ladies swimming, and would've given anything to have been able to join the kids diving in off the pier. 

Well, I'm not actually sure if I can dive so it probably would've been a less-than-graceful jump but hey. I didn't have any swimming stuff so alas I was stuck on dry land. 

Nevertheless, we strolled along the waterfront, admiring the sea-view houses and envying the inhabitants. They can literally climb down from their gardens into the sea, and at low tide, on to the beach. Anyone else a teeny bit jealous?

There were French families picnicking on the benches, kids splashing around in the water, women sunbathing, men fishing and cute dogs running around. 

We sat on the edge of the old stone wall with our feet dangling over the sea and admired the clear, sparkly water and the pretty view. 

I made an error of judgement in jeans and pumps. 

Mum decided she was utterly enchanted by Saint Suliac. I think she should just pack up life and move there. Sure, easier said than done, but it seems like life would be just so blissful there. 

We strolled back past cherry trees and peeped into the houses and gardens. This family was clearly setting up for a lovely lunch al fresco. It was so cute I just had to take a picture!

With its little boats and pretty stone houses, Saint Suliac actually reminded us all of Burnham Overy Staithe in North Norfolk. Except in France. 

Utterly charming.