Pink granite, surf & old cars
It is Saturday, 9 August and my brother has been in the Amazon for a month already. So I decide to make the most of this and stay for a weekend at his apartment in Trebeurden. I am fortunate enough to know a child from this area, a real one, the kind of guy who knows just as much about the youngsters as he knows about the old seamen … In front of a breathtaking panorama and under a warm sun on Tregastel beach, this guy is going to now pass on to me his love for his native land.
Hi Julian, after moving around France, you have come back and chosen to stay in the place where you made your first steps. Why did you choose to do this?
Indeed, after touring France from west to east, I have come back to my “country”.
I made this choice to be with my family.
To date, 100% of my family, including my close friends, is located within a radius of 200km. We feel inseparable within a genuine affective and protective hierarchy, which is marked by great respect and deep admiration for their older, and we live by that.
The second factor is for the love of my region which in my eyes is one of the richest in France; by its human cultural wealth, or, in its natural or built heritage. Here I feel inhabited by the environment, like I have roots coming out of my feet.
This is certainly what has led me to this career, the job I’m doing today and namely landscape for over ten years now.
Nature here is something both surreal & brutal, can you tell us more about these features?
Bretons have managed to preserve the flora and fauna of the region so that today we have the chance to enjoy and savor the rugged dominance of its shores. Brittany is one of the regions in France with the largest linear coastline. All you have to do is travel a few kilometers of the coastal footpath from the Pink Granite Coast in the Côtes d’Armor, to realize it. It’s a beautiful place which is similar to so few places in the world. This site is characterized as the name suggests, by Pink Granite, the rock that it stands on. The granite has been hammered by the wrath of the sea, the tenfold power of storms, sculpted by sea high winds, and softened by the flow of heavy and dense rain. Through this work of nature we can see shapes and silhouettes evoking characters, faces and objects in the rocks …
Amid this rocky chaos we find landscapes that are constantly changing, strengthened by the tides giving way to the surreal and lunar panoramas.
Also when the sky is overcast or the swell makes its appearance, the colour of the sea takes in green and blue tones recalling the surrounding vegetation. A phenomenon that has certainly influenced the direction and style of my creations.
There are an abundance of islands dotted here and there, and villages that have lead to many stories, do you have a good one to tell us?
The cutting of the coast does indeed leave room for many small islands, peninsulas, and bays that shelter small fishing villages.
The site of the seven islands can be found right in front of Perros Guirec which is not only a natural bird sanctuary, but also a marine sanctuary.
The hiking trail that borders our coast is the GR 34 and is called « Chemin des douaniers ». ( path of the border controllers in English). In the history of France and Britain the seashores acted as border. This border was lined with a giant round path, strewn with small cabins and lookouts positions allowing the patrollers to move up and down and prevent a possible invasion, from I guess, the English. This path was later used to fight against smuggling and all illegal trades of any kind.
Nevertheless certain sectors have been feared by law enforcement, so much so that for years the peninsula of « l’ile Grande » (Big Island) connected by a simple bridge was like a small country with its own laws and rules where everyone had a specific role and no one intervened … the police even stopped before the bridge without ever crossing it. Today the situation is a long way from that all of that …
Autumn is lurking around the corner, and I might be coming back there for a few days… what would be the classic weekend plan?
Boat trips with friends, parties of friendly fishing and when the weather permits some wakeboarding sessions.
The coast is full of many surf spots along the entire length of the department which means we can benefit from regular sessions. The best known and most alive spot on the coast of pink granite is the Trestaou beach.
Another one of my pass times is to go and enjoy the fresh air by the sea! Since I was a kid I have never seen a spot the same as the one the day before! I take the time to capture what I see and discover through photography.
And above all things, the Breton that I am, I’m someone who takes to heart that special time for a drink and allow myself to express my sense of interaction and sharing … And to do this I go to “DIGOR KALON ” the Tapas Bar and Restaurant, an anthology near me where life is good in an unusual and surprising atmosphere!
We often see you moving about the region driving old cars, where does this passion come from?
Above all you must know that I have a real passion for retro and vintage culture! But this passion comes from having grown up in a family of mechanics of two generations. I have always been fascinated by the automobile and it’s history, which is transmitted to us, from father to son. One day my father wanted to look back at his life through the vehicles and consequently transmitted the virus to my brother and I. The vehicles owned and lusted after were not necessarily rare and expensive. The most important thing is that we were attached to them. The history, anecdotes and moments of our life can be identified with these vehicles. Our car collection is purely sentimental …
Incidentally today, you have bought a Ford Capri, can you tell us more about its history?
In terms of the history of this car it is a Ford Capri (mk II) 1600 GT 1974, German-made, assembled in a factory in December 1974 in SAARLOUIS. It is equipped with a Ford engine 1600cm3 4 cylinder double-barrel carburetor. It is a rear wheel drive with a 4-speed manual gear box.
It was put on the road on 27 June, 1975 and had had only one owner before its restoration in the family business workshop “Corre automobile Lannion” in 2011. We found this car in the classified section of a local newspaper. The announcement didn’t contain any photos but we decided to go and see the car anyway. Once we were there it was a total surprise! There before us we saw a fully airbrushed paint theme of the sea ; fish scales on the doors, NobbyNaishen windsurfing board on the hood, along with Poseidon and a mermaid. Added to this there was a fair horn emitting a sound that could remind us of “the cucaratcha” and several other kitsch accessories … but all that was just aesthetic! All tastes are in nature. However from a technical point of view it had several symptoms that were testifying to its age and life by the sea. We could see strong corrosion under the wings and at the bottom of the car. We noted that the vehicle hadn’t been used that often anymore, it tended to slow down irregularly and the carburettor seemed very dirty. The brakes were very weak and had an unpredictable steering. But we were there and the challenge was there too so after a little negotiation we left with the car and hit the road for 90 km journey at 70km p/h foot floored giving us our first opportunity to estimate the scope of the work in hand.
The restoration lasted a little less than 1 year. At the end of this renovation the vehicle was entered in a tour of Brittany for old vehicles, which allowed us to judge the quality of the work performed.
You were talking to me earlier about surf, skate etc … What are some of the craziest spots that can be found there?
This is the spot of « la tour cassée » (the broken tower) it’s a big reef covered with mussels that surfs downward and is quite far from the coast! To access it you have to take a boat and once the session and sea well is down it’s a 20 minute paddle … but it’s well worth it especially since it’s an exceptional spot that requires very specific conditions. Regarding its location you need to come and find out from one of the locals over a good cider … For those skate followers, the Lannion basin in the 80s was a great center of research and development for telecommunication which has left its mark … You can find massive satellite dishes of several hundred square meters perfectly oriented towards the sky that making giant skating bowls!
Ok so last question and then I’ll leave you alone, if we went on a road trip abroad together one of these days, where should I buy my ticket for?
Direction Canada, specifically Alberta, it has always been a place of dreams for me … The best thing would be to go on a road trip with a campervan with friends in the rocky mountains, lakes, forests, caribou, glaciers …
– Thanks to Julien Corre –
Only for information Julien, has his own compagny “Vert Océan et Jardins Bleu” is a landscaper, do not hesitate to contact him, he is a real passionate.
/// Interview by Valentin Porcher ///
