After several happy visits to the Western edge of France, Reg Little and his family were pleasantly surprised to find a town with more than a passing likeness to the set of a certain swashbuckling film...

On the narrow bridge that separates the historic maritime centre of Concarneau from the mainland stood a most unwelcoming figure.

It was difficult not to be impressed with the immaculately attired Captain Jack Sparrow, who lacking Johnny Depp's good looks, more than made up for it with a menacing glare.

There was a bit of Rolling Stone Keith Richards in this pirate too, more the Keef who whacked a fan with his guitar for daring to interrupt him on stage rather than the foppish version that Depp offers us.

My eight-year-old son Mark was beside himself with delight. But Captain Sparrow was for once merely the warm up act.

For with its medieval ramparts and sailing boats in the harbour, Concarneau could easily pass for a Pirates of the Caribbean film set - except, of course, it happens to be the real deal.

This walled port is one of the most photographed places in Brittany.

But it has taken me three trips to the western edge of France to discover it, having previously dedicated myself to Brittany's rugged coastline and local specialities - well, all right, beaches and crepe houses.

But then Brittany is one of those places which should not be rushed, to always leave a lasting impression.

Last time, my three kids developed a surprising love of mussels in white wine and Atlantic breakers.

This summer, we made a point of relishing the harbours and villages - at least when I could drag them away from Siblu's Domaine de Kerlann holiday camp, where we were based for a week.

The park, with an excellent pool complex and offering a long list of activities for children, is sited in attractive shady woodland.

There is football coaching, an indoor pool and tennis courts. But best of all it is on the outskirts of another Brittany gem the village of Pont Aven.

If you have ever dreamed of spending a summer in a French village writing that great novel that was always within you, just waiting to come out, Pont Aven is that village made real.

The hard-living great Post Impressionist artist Gauguin, who was eventually to flee to Tahiti in search of paradise, must have come close to finding it in Pont Aven.

Gauguin painted in this Brittany village off and on between 1886 and 1890 and the pension in which he held forth with Emile Bernard and Paul Serusier is now a news-agency.

Sitting in one of its many cafes - the village watermill in fact featured in a Gauguin painting - overlooking the river that rushes through the middle of the town, you have to wonder how it has maintained such spellbinding tranquillity.

No coaches parked on the edge of village, or close to the quay, and by 9pm the streets are deserted.

I felt obliged to return on three successive nights - the second night to taste the highly recommended crepes at the fabulous Le Moulin du Grand Poulguin at the far end of the village - just to satisfy myself that we hadn't somehow passed through a time zone to pre-First World War France.

If Brittany, with its rocky coastline, fishing harbours and majestic Mont St Michel, often brings to mind Cornwall, comparisons certainly end when it comes to the numbers of tourists and caravans.

Sailing from Portsmouth to Saint Malo with Brittany Ferries (enjoying a comfortable night's sleep and reasonably priced dinner) there seemed to be no shortage of holidaymakers Brittany bound.

But perhaps the key is the sheer size of the coastline, with just about every one of the caravan parcs able to boast beaches and attractions that are easily accessible and unique.

It might be France's version of Stonehenge at Carnac, the castle among a maze of cobbled streets at Dinan or Breton's answer to the Virgin Islands, the wonderfully remote Les Glenans.

The beaches are all as splendidly varied as the weather can sadly be in Brittany, a fact we were reminded of during four hours of continuous rain on the drive from Saint Malo to Domaine de Kerlann.

Within six miles of this camp there are at least four beaches, most offering that magical mixture of giant rocks and crabs that younger children find irresistible. At Port Manec'h, my favourite, there is even a natural mini island to swim out to.

Again no risk of over crowding on any of these clean, sandy and unspoilt beaches.

Pointe de Trevignon offers a small working fishing harbour, while lighthouses, fish markets and large numbers of sailing boats will tempt many to the call of the sea.

We were to arrange a boys' fishing trip on board the good vessel Santa Maria, which departs twice daily from Concarneau.

The massive bearded first mate, extensively tattooed, head wrapped in bandana, could easily pass for one of Captain Sparrow's crew.

The sea was like a mill pond and everyone caught something on another of those Brittany days when the sun refuses to show.

With our catches under our arms, to provide the main course for the evening's barbecue at the camp, what better time to take in Concarneau's Musee de La Peche.

For me as a former docks correspondent on the Fleetwood Chronicle, a museum tracing the history of sea fishing was always going to be an interesting proposition.

But the quality displays including a tour of the trawler l'Hemerica, conveniently moored alongside the museum, bring this most lethal of industries alive to children and adults.

It turns out sardine fishing brought wealth to this area along with the invention of tin cans in the 19th century. But the golden age came after the Second World War when deep sea trawlers ruled the waves.

Brittany is right to take a pride in deep sea fishing, an industry that has died in this country unmourned and unnoticed.

Walking along the harbour there are dozens of boat trips on offer.

But the one to the Glenan Islands, in fact made up of 12 tiny islands surrounded by emerald green waters, is one not to missed.

The glass bottomed boat tour confirms that when it comes to the world's largest and best aquarium, the sea wins hands down.

The trips along the River Odet also offers the chance to discover stunning scenery, along what Bretons claims to be France's prettiest river.

Concarneau is itself a tiny islet at the head of wide bay.

It was an early fortified site and what remains today is a majestic wall surrounding a magical miniature town.

It was of course once the haunt of pirates - and with Jack Sparrow there to greet visitors, clearly still is.

Never mind the Disneyland ride in Paris, for one eight-year-old at least this place will always be the real pirate city, where they just happen to serve the best crepes in France.