Minutes earlier we had been tucking into baguettes bursting with local cheeses and salad, washed down with bottles of Breton beer chilled in a handy rock pool.

Our little bit of heaven was on the Ile Callot, a tiny island just off the coast near the pretty town of Carantec.

The rocky island, reached by a causeway and cut off twice a day by the tide, is under two miles long and is dotted with hidden coves perfect for picnics.

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We were staying just a couple of miles down the road at the Camping Village les Mouettes and had cycled up, French-style, with baguettes poking out of our saddlebags.

The campsite was a cracker – small enough to retain that family-friendly feel, yet big enough to have all mod- cons like indoor and outdoor pools, restaurants, a small supermarket and a fabulous new playground.

There’s even a beach just outside the camp gates. Our kids loved it.

But it would be such a waste not to explore this part of Brittany.

The landscape is a lot like northern Cornwall, with a mix of rugged, rocky coves and sandy beaches along the coast.

Some of the best ones we found were right in Carantec itself,looking out over the rocky islets offshore.

You can wander along a sign-posted coastal walk, taking in the spectacular views across to Ile Callot, little Ile Louet with its lighthouse and the imposing Chateau du Taureau.

Recently renovated, the chateau was built as an offshore fortress to defend against raids by English pirates. Book a boat trip and you can spend a few hours exploring it on a guided tour.

Inland there are plenty of quiet lanes ideal for cycling that wind among woodlands and fields full of local specialities like artichokes and cauliflowers.

But it’s another vegetable which made this part of Brittany famous – onions...especially the ones sold by the beret-wearing, stripy-jumpered “Johnnies”.

These enterprising farmers, with their bikes laden with strings of onions, were a familiar sight on British streets up until the 1930s.

They would travel from town to town selling their pink onions for higher prices than they could get back home, picking up British habits such as tea-drinking along the way.

You can find out more about their exploits 20 minutes up the road from Carantec in Roscoff, where there is a museum telling their story.

It’s not just the Johnnies who like their stripy jumpers – stripes seem to be everywhere in Brittany. Blue and white, red and white, black andwhite – you can’t miss them and they are worn like a badge of honour by the locals.

They say stripes are slimming, so maybe that’s why there are so many about, given the amazing food on offer in these parts.

From the giant pans of paella simmering away on local market stalls to the amazing cake creations in the bakeries, Breton cooking is a mouthwatering feast of flavours.

And make sure you try the local crepes – sweet, freshly-cooked pancakes with a huge selection of toppings.

They make the perfect mid-afternoon treat, especially when washed down with a local cider served in a traditional Breton bowl.

Our favourite creperies were in Morlaix, once one of the biggest and busiest ports on the English Channel and just a short drive from Carantec.

The docks used to be heaving with ships taking wine, cloth and even lead around Europe.

Nowadays the only vessels are the yachts, tied up while their well-heeled French owners tour the restaurants and shops.

Morlaix is dominated by a huge viaduct carrying the Paris to Brest railway high above the pretty squares and churches below.

We steered clear of the tourist-trap cafes and hunted out the more authentic, family-run creperies down the side streets. And we weren’t disappointed.

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In fact, I enjoyed them so much I had to invest in a Breton jumper – and I’d certainly earned my stripes.

FACTFILE

Camping and mobile home operator Venue Holidays features a wide choice of campsites in France, Italy and Spain.

A seven-night holiday in an Espace tent at Camping Village les Mouettes at Carantec in North Brittany, left, costs £150 in mid-May, rising to £566 at the end of July.

This price is the total for two adults and up to four children and includes midweek saver return on Dover-Calais ferry for car and passengers plus accommodation in an Espace tent.

The same holiday – but in a two-bedroom mobile home with decking – costs from £238 to £837 per family.

To book call 01233 629950 or visit venueholidays.co.uk.

Brittany Ferries also operates routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to Western France, saving miles of driving.

You can travel overnight by luxury cruise ferry in the comfort of your own cabin with en-suite facilities or be whisked across the Channel in as little as three hours.

We travelled from Plymouth to Roscoff and back, with fares starting at £102pp return, based on a car plus two.

Book online at brittanyferries. com or call 0871 244 1400.