Between Salt and Silence: A Morning Kayak Journey on the Étel Ria
- Carmine Frasca
- Apr 15
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 2
7:15 AM. The mist still lingers over the water—thin, gray, hanging at eye level. The kayak glides forward slowly. No waves, no sound. We’re leaving from Saint-Cado at daybreak. The guide leads the group without haste. A gesture, a direction—that’s enough.
The light is soft, spread evenly across the landscape. With every stroke of the paddle, the water catches a glint of reflection. We speak in hushed tones, as if the place itself demands silence. To the right, oyster shacks begin to take shape. To the left, a flat-bottomed boat drifts slowly, its wings still open. Standing upright on a paddleboard, a lone figure glides forward without a ripple. Nothing moves except the water trailing behind. Too far to make out any features, but close enough that I drift off-course a little without even noticing.
The Étel ria is hard to define. Not quite the sea, not exactly a river. It changes. It slips away. It offers no explanations. It’s a place you have to earn—especially in summer, when crowds stick to the beaches of Carnac and only a few curious souls wander this far, chasing something real. Those who arrive by mistake often leave calmer than when they came.
Around 9 AM, the sun starts to warm the skin. The silence lifts a little. We paddle back up to the old Lorois bridge, then let the current carry us. The banks are low, the reeds thick. A lone house sits at the tip of a small peninsula. The guide tells stories—old tales of eels, storms, and days long gone. But what I remember most is that moment, in the middle, when everything fell quiet. When it felt like the landscape stopped distinguishing between itself and me. Or maybe it was just waiting—for us to stop paddling, so it could breathe too.
Back at Saint-Cado. A coffee in hand, legs heavy and numb. The figure has vanished. Only a faint trace remains, where the water fell still. No words. No glances. Nothing remarkable. Just a morning in a kayak. But here in Brittany, simple things often carry more weight than we realize. Especially when you purposely forget to put the wet gloves back at the bottom of your bag.
Ready for your adventure on the ria ?
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