Still standing

ALL along the decks, eyes shielded against the sun by hands, the English try to see what's going on. Slowly, they bring their hands down to rest on their hips while they let out sighs and reach for their crosswords. The French, meanwhile, lower their hands to make it easier for them to shrug their shoulders.

A slow Mexican wave of Gallic resignation makes its way along the side of the ferry.

"It's the Irish Ferries they're blockading," says one passenger.

"...worried about people from the new EU countries taking their..."

"...stuck there since 11am..."

"Raised spot: B, something, something, S, something, E, R?"

"..they haven't got an argument with us, have they. Why don't they let us in?"

"Blister?"

"...ought to get some compensation for this, we've got a five-hour drive ahead of us..."

"Blister. That makes eight down 'return'."

Still, there are worse places to be stranded during a port blockade (by both English and French workers, it should be pointed out) than on a Brittany Ferries vessel with a swimming pool, bars, restaurants, shops and a fabulous view. And cabins in case negotiations at the port become protracted.

Happily for the travellers, the Irish Ferries bosses secure a court order, unload their weary passengers and the ship leaves, allowing the Brittany Ferries vessel to take its turn in dock after a short delay.

All along the ferry, crosswords are stowed ready for holidays to start in earnest.

Three hours south of the port of Roscoff lies the Morbihan region of South Brittany. Facing the Atlantic, it offers a mix of the ancient and modern, appealing to holidaymakers from across Europe and from other parts of France.

La Trinite-sur-Mer, near the peninsula of Quiberon, highlights the diversity of the region. A traditional fishing village, it has been turned into a thriving modern marina town with 16 jetties filled with about 1,000 yachts, catamarans and fishing boats, masts filling the sky from shore to shore in the sheltered bay area.

On the shore, dozens of boats have been brought out of the water and are being renovated, repaired and readied for a return to the sea. Owners labour in the boiling sun, carefully sanding the hulls ready for repainting.

On boats tied up to the jetties, families and friends enjoy lunch as they wait for the wind to pick up so they can spend the afternoon sailing along the coast. Behind the sunglasses lurk the green eyes of jealousy. The owners of the sailing boats eye the yachts enviously; the owners of the yachts eye the catamarans enviously; while the owners of the catamarans eye their wives' credit cards nervously.

There's a smell of seaweed and a faint whiff of mid-life crisis in the air.

Along the shore, the glass and chrome of the modern boating shops and art shops encroach on the pitted plaster and peeling paintwork of the older buildings. An uneasy truce has formed between the old and the new; and it would only take one Starbucks coffee shop or a week-long exhibition of French new-wave art to tip the balance forever.

For all its peculiar brand of charm, La Trinite-sur-Mer proves an ideal central base to tour the region.

The Kervilor campsite is five minutes' walk from the town. Run by a family who created the site 20 years ago from farmland, its well-laid out design and neatly clipped hedges are home to 230 statics, touring caravans and tent pitches. Many of the caravans are owned by French families, resulting in a well-run site offering peace and quiet for those seeking a pleasant break.

The site, although small, has heated swimming pools with waterslides for youngsters and a paddling pool for toddlers; a bar, washing and drying facilities, a small supermarket and a small takeaway where, presumably, French fries are just called fries. The site also offers bike hire, tennis courts, play areas and night-time entertainment.

Each static caravan is bright and modern. The smallest are 7.5m by 3.7m, with two bedrooms, a flushing toilet, shower and kitchen with gas oven. Outside, those clipped hedges surround grassed areas the same size as the caravans, with a table, chairs, parasol and barbecue provided. The larger caravans have three bedrooms, catering comfortably for two adults and four children.

Most of those holidaying there are families with young children or older couples, and the Morbihan area has much to attract both kinds of visitors.

One of the most well-known attractions are the neolithic standing stones, many of which are only a five-minute drive from the campsite towards the nearest big town of Carnac, although there are stones dotted throughout the area - as many as 5,000 some estimates suggest.

At Carnac, there are two main collections of stones known as menhirs. At one, there are about 1,000 granite blocks arranged in 11 loose rows stretching for a kilometre. The smallest stones are two or three feet high, while others rise to 13ft.

Viewed from the wrong angle, they appear a collected jumble of rocks, but viewed along the rows, they are an impressive sight. Impressive, that is, to adults. Some of the children who had been dragged there by their parents are less than impressed; one scuffs a shoe backwards and forwards in the dust as he watches a bug crawl out of the grass and scuttle past him. It seems the beetles are more popular than the stones.

As well as menhirs, the Morbihan region is littered with other stone features - dolmens and cromlechs, all created from 2,000 to 1,500BC. At places there are half a dozen together - some forming the boundaries of people's gardens - while elsewhere the stones stand on their own. Until 15 years ago, you could walk freely among them, but access has been restricted to preserve them, with viewing platforms created to give people a better look. There is also a museum detailing the stones and their history, although no definitive answer has been given as to why they were created. Among the more popular theories is that they were built for religious or astronomical purposes, and one myth is that they were Roman soldiers who were turned to stone towards the end of the Roman occupation of France.

Staying in the past, there is a popular prehistoric park nearby, with 30 life-sized models of dinosaurs and neolithic scenes dotted about a woodland.

A half-hour's drive to the south is the 100sq mile Gulf of Morbihan, a maze of 175 islands, some only a few square metres, others inhabited. During the summer, the inlets and waterways are crowded with pleasure boats taking tourists on day trips around the gulf. Trips vary from two hours to all-day excursions, and prices are from £2.50 for young children to £20 for adults, depending on the length of trip.

A few of the islands are home to the ubiquitous menhirs, some of which are half submerged at high tide. There are also trips to Belle Ile, an inhabited island 45 minutes from the mainland. The west of the island faces the Atlantic and gives a barren impression, but the sheltered east side, where most of the island's inhabitants live, is home to the island's main town, Le Palais, a bustling centre with shops, restaurants, cafes and a museum.

Morbihan's principal towns of Auray and Vannes are also within a half-hour's drive of La Trinite-sur-Mer, and are worth day trips to wander around the towns and savour the Breton architecture and culture, to stop for a coffee and for shopping.

Naturally, the region is famed for its seafood, shellfish particularly, and there are hundreds of restaurants to choose from. And around every corner is a creperie, serving coffee and Brittany's sweet and savoury pancakes.

The whole region has a laid-back feel, with miles of beaches to laze on. For anyone wanting more action and nightlife the options are limited, but there are one or two places nearby offering canoeing, surfing, water skiing and windsurfing.

TRAVELFACTS

* Venue Holidays offers static caravans and family-sized tents at four sites in Brittany, including the Kervilor campsite, as well as 12 other sites in France, two in Spain and nine in Italy. Prices at Kervilor start at £249 for 12 nights' camping and £460 for 12 nights in a caravan in low season. Prices include a mid-week Channel crossing to Calais for a car and five people. Other channel crossings are available, but supplements are payable. For a brochure, call (01233) 629950 or go to www.venueholidays.co.uk

* Brittany Ferries offers return crossings from Plymouth, Poole and Portsmouth to North-West France and Spain. For information, call (08705) 360 360 or go to www.brittany-ferries.co.uk