The passage of the Barre du Belon
Halfway between Concarneau and Lorient, on the Finistère side, are located the mouths of two rivers, side by side: L'Aven and Bélon.
These two rivers have a common characteristic: the current that escapes from them, colliding with the tides, raises a bar at the entrance, which moves in an unpredictable way: the SHOM chart itself indicates "Fonds Variables" at the entrance. If the Barre du Bélon, less known than the Barre d'Etel, is far from being an insurmountable obstacle, it requires rigorous preparation of the navigation to enter it.
To go back, we will make sure to pass from 3 hours before the high tide of Port-Manech. If the passage is possible until two hours after high tide, it is strongly advised to return with the rising tide, to be helped by the current, as well as to get out of the water quickly in case of mishap. There are several techniques used by experts to pass the bar, but the one that consists in sticking to the left side of the mouth to avoid the top of the bar has proven itself: by passing 15-20 meters from the small cliff on the left side, under motor, conscientiously watching the depth sounder, you can serenely enter the mouth, to reach the middle of the river bed, by sailing upstream sticking to the moorings on one side and then on the other for one or two miles, to find the Port du Bélon.
Warning: a strong South-West swell could create a situation where waves break on the Barre and make navigation dangerous, it is therefore a sufficient criterion to postpone your stopover.
A port of character, which knows how to welcome its visitors
On the left before entering the harbor, you can see three big tons with "Visitors" written on them: they can be used for big draughts or if all the places at the visitors' buoys are already taken. These famous buoys are present in the middle of the harbor, just after the few moored fishing boats. The buoys are in pairs by color, and recognizable by their red "V" drawn on them (for Visitors): they are embossed. One is moored to the front, and the other to the back, they allow to fix the boat so that it does not turn over, when the current reverses.
When the season is in full swing, it is common to come across a harbor employee who will warmly help you put your dinghy in the buoys with his RIB. In fact, in the middle of summer, the port has a very interesting advantage over other ports in the area: there is always room! Its reputation being smaller, and its access a little more difficult because of the bar, it is less busy. While the harbors of Groix and Belle-Île are full to bursting at 5 pm, and one struggles to find a place to anchor in Les Glénan among hundreds of summer vacationers, one comes to find a small corner of peace in the middle of July/August in Le Bélon, where there are easily only four or five visiting boats to spend the night. The price is very reasonable, and the sanitary facilities on the left bank are well maintained.
The real wealth of Bélon: its oysters
What makes the fame of Bélon, it is its oyster farming activity. There is a specific variety: the oysters of Bélon, flat and round, have a delicate taste of hazelnut, different from the usual hollow oysters. To taste them, there are two good places: the first one has a certain reputation among the locals, Chez Jacky. This restaurant will allow you to taste the flat oysters of Bélon as well as a large collection of seafood at the edge of the fish tanks, while admiring the sumptuous landscape of Bélon.
Just a few steps away, the second address, just as famous, the Oyster Shops of the Château de Bélon: the domain of the Château overlooking the harbor is a real oyster farm, where it is possible to buy oysters, white wine, and buttered bread toasts, which can be tasted in front of the sunset on wooden tables overlooking the mouth of the Bélon.
The terraces of the two brands represent a sumptuous viewpoint that alone is worth the detour to Bélon, so add to that a little seafood tasting...
After this warm aperitif, and before going to sleep, we will think of having an eye on the schedules of tides of the following day, to leave well, again, just before the high tide, to avoid the Barre at the entrance and to keep an immaculate memory of the stopover in Bélon...
