· One of the few channel ports which merits a longer stay is Roscoff - reached by regular Brittany Ferries sailings from Plymouth. There are bus and train connections to other attractive destinations close by - St Pol de Leon and the town of Morlaix. Roscoff has two campsites within 2km of the port. The Brittany Ferries gites brochure offers a range of self-catering accommodation in the area.

It's also worth consulting the Chez Nous brochure (or website) for very reasonably priced accommodation booked directly with the owners.
Jonathan Cross

· Most departements on the Gites de France website (http://www.gites-de-france.fr/eng/index.htm) give distance from the local station in their gite details. Prices, in my experience, tend to be cheaper than Chez Nous and you're typically dealing with locals rather than ex-pats - there's a vast number of properties available through this site and you can book online. The site is in English, although you may well need rudimentary French to communicate with the owner.

Rob McManus