A Holiday Home in Finistere

Life in Lesconil with the Hadleys

Richard and Margaret Hadley bought a holiday home in a small coastal village in the Breton department of Finistere nearly eight years ago, and enjoy holidaying there for two months every summer.

Our village is called Lesconil, says Margaret from her Breton home with seagulls calling in the background. It is a traditional fishing port which used to produce much of Brittany’s supply of langoustine. However, it is now dominated by second homes belonging to Parisians and Brits. Because of that, it tends to be very busy over the summer months and rather quiet and shut-up during the winter.

Lesconil is a wonderful place to holiday and to own a home, she continues. The beach is fabulous miles of white sand with rocky outcliffs for the kids to explore and there’s always a nice breeze blowing so it never gets too hot. If you like that kind of thing, here are also some wonderful walks along the Breton coastline, and in north Finistere where the pastures become hilly and rather English.

Our house, like all the others in the village, is whitewashed with a traditional granite doorway and painted shutters. It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large open-plan kitchen and living area downstairs. It’s wonderful to come back year after year, open the shutters and be able to see the sea right at the bottom of the garden.

According to Margaret, her family never lacks for things to do when they holiday in Brittany. Quimper, with its picturesque town centre and TGV connection to Paris, is quite close, she explains. There is a famous cathedral there, a beautiful canal route running through the city, and lots of entertainment opportunities. When we’re in Brittany we also buy fresh fish off the boat every morning for dinner, go sailing frequently, and explore the surrounding area with our children.

Margaret and Richard have found the people of Brittany to be universally friendly and interested in their wellbeing. There’s a little rhyme in this region which goes Parisian tete de chien, Parigo tete de veau, Margaret laughs. What it means, basically, is that all the animosity towards outsiders is directed towards the Parisians.

As Brits, we always feel very welcome.