Hidden gems & discoveries
Take the 15-minute boat trip to the car-free idyll of Ile de Batz – there are plenty of glorious, sandy beaches, and at only two miles long, you can cross its length and breadth (walking or cycling) without breaking too much of a sweat! Or seek out the extraordinary Jardin Georges Delaselle. These gardens house 3,000 species of tropical plants from all five continents, and have unparalleled views back to the mainland. In Roscoff town, Maison des Johnnies is a quaintly eccentric museum dedicated to the men who, from the 1830s to the 1970s, brought the distinctively pink and sweet Roscoff onion to the British doorstep (think beret-sporting Frenchman on a bicycle heavy laden with onions – this is ‘Onion Johnnie’). Roscoff also does great French food – try a moules-frites in one of the atmospheric restaurants overlooking the harbour – and there are crêpe, galette and cider options aplenty. Don’t miss an opportunity to try kouign amann cake either – made of butter, sugar, and… more butter! An unctuously rich, sweet delight.