Dolmen

The Traveller's Guide To: Brittany

By Laura Swan and Simon Calder

Published: 14 January 2006

I LOVE FRANCE. BUT WILL I LIKE BRITTANY?

Look at the map of France, and it looks as though Bretagne might break off and drift away at any moment. Indeed, for most of its history the peninsula on the far north-west has been politically independent from the rest of France. Being at an extreme of the mainland, and surrounded on three sides by water, means Brittany is a region apart. You will encounter differences in everything from language to liquor. Happily, the key elements of a great French journey - such as cuisine, culture, countryside and coast - are all excellent.

The range of land- and sea-scapes is remarkable. You can visit the magnificent rose-coloured granite cliffs along the middle of Brittany's north coast; the stunning bay of Morbihan in the south; the eerie swamps of La Briere in the centre. All along the coast, there are dozens of tiny fishing villages and a good number of handsome ports; and inland you can find beautiful towns that are at their most colourful on market day.

WHO HAS BEEN THIS WAY BEFORE?

Proximity to the sea meant that communities in Brittany developed faster than those in most of France. Dramatic evidence of early civilisation can be seen at Carnac on the south coast, where field after field is filled with megaliths (literally, "big stones"), that date back seven millennia. There are around 2,000 standing stones (menhirs in Breton), and about as many theories about the purpose of them: cosmology, ceremony or plain showing off?

To form your own opinion, take the Route des Megaliths that runs north-east from the outskirts of Carnac. This is a pretty country lane that runs alongside the key sites. While you are in the area, seek out the more modern creations at the Bar de Mont-Salut, on the main Auray-Carnac road; the garden is filled with entertainingly sculpted trees.

MORE RECENT HISTORY?

All manner of people have been drawn to Brittany. The artist Gauguin painted in Pont-Aven, a pretty village between Quimper and Lorient. And Vladimir Ilyitch Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union, took his first holiday after three years' hard labour in the small fishing village of Loguivy-sur-Mer in 1902.

Evidence of the Second World War is all too visible in the naval port of Brest, which was virtually demolished by Allied bombers. But some great towns and cities have survived more or less intact. You can walk around the ramparts of St-Malo, then head inland to another walled city, Dinan.

The south coast has more than its fair share. Vannes is a splendid small city, its cobbled medieval heart sliding gently down to the port at the foot of the hill. Its slightly larger rival is Quimper, further north-west, with a beautiful old town.

For a superb, unadultered Breton village, you need to go just 20km north of Quimper to Locranon. So picturesque did Roman Polanski find it that he used it as a Dorset village in his 1979 film, Tess. Today, its main problem is popularity; cars are kept on the edge of the village (in expensive car parks), but it is manageable as a day trip by bus from Quimper (and the fares will probably amount to less than the parking fees).

The closest you will find to big-city life in Brittany is the modern capital of the region: Rennes. It is big enough to have Brittany's only Métro (a modest one-line affair), plus the impressive Breton parliament and half-timbered houses on Place St-Anne.

Curiously, to find the heart of Breton history, you must cross the border from the official region. The city of Nantes is the historic capital of Brittany, but as a result of local government reorganisation about 40 years ago the regional boundary was moved north, leaving Nantes stranded in Loire-Atlantique. Nevertheless, the chateau of the Breton dukes still dominates the city; it opens 10am-6pm daily, admission free, though a big programme of renovation makes access to some parts difficult.

THE CHILDREN ARE GETTING RESTLESS

To the beach, then. As you might imagine, there are hundreds of them - many of them gently shelving sandy beaches, with the added bonus of nearby adjacent rock pools for young marine investigators.

On most popular beaches in summer, you will find a supervised children's play area with the curious name of "Mickie". A small fee will keep them occupied for hours here, which is actually a supervised area. For a list of beach clubs, see www.fncp.fr.

You need not venture far from the adjacent access points of St-Malo (by ship) or Dinard (by air) to find some excellent stretches of sand; highlights of the Cote d'Emeraude, as this part of the coast is known, are concentrated around Dinard, which has been a favourite of the French for years - particularly the chic Grand Plage. And even St Malo has some small beaches.

Quieter alternatives nearby include the pretty resorts of St-Briac-sur-mer (tourist office, 00 33 2 99 88 32 47) and St-Lunaire (tourist office, 00 33 2 99 46 01 70) with secluded, sandy beaches.

Further east on the rose-granite coast is the fine resort of Perros-Guirec (00 33 2 96 23 21 15; www.perros-guirec.com). Some swear, though, that the water that washes the south of Brittany is warmer. An excellent base is Carnac Plage, just south of the megalithic sites, where you can combine bathing with pre-history. You could camp at the four-star site offered by Keycamp (0870 700 0123; www.keycamp.co.uk), about 500m from the beach. From here you are close to Quiberon, from where you could take a 40-minute ferry ride (00 33 2 97 46 60 00; www.smn-navigation.fr) to Port Maria on the island of Houat (fare €12.84/£9 each way), for some magnificent golden beaches.

CAN I GET ACTIVE ON THE WATER?

Once you take the islands and corrugated coastline into account, Brittany has 3,500km of coastline, making it ideal for watersports. The activities on offer include surfing, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking.

Point Passion Plage (00 33 2 98 02 49 67; www.pointplage.fr) is a group of around 40 aquatic centres throughout Brittany which have banded together to observe minimum standards and common tariffs. A novel option allows you to buy a carnet of tickets ("Pass sensations", €83/£60 for 25 tickets), which you can use at any of the members and get a discount of up to 30 per cent on hire rates. To hire a windsurfer for one hour, for example, costs €15 (£11) or four tickets.

Brittany Sailing (00 33 2 98 17 01 31; www.brittanysail.co.uk) offers an easy introduction to sailing with a combined holiday of seven days on-shore, staying in a cottage, followed by a five-day cruise on a skippered yacht for £550 - not including travel from Britain. The company also offers training courses leading to Royal Yachting Association qualifications from £420 for a five-day course.

Under the surface, there are many wrecks off the coast of Brittany that can be explored on a diving course. The Club Leo-Lagrange Camaret (00 33 2 98 27 90 49; www.club-leo-camaret.net) in Camaret offers dives for qualified people from €79 (£56).

AND ON LAND?

There is plenty on offer, whether you are on two legs, two wheels or four legs. While Brittany has nothing to match the scope or scale of the South West Coast Path around Devon and Cornwall, there are some good and testing hikes - especially along the "Sentiers des Douanniers", a throwback from the days when the paths were patrolled by customs officers on the look-out for smugglers. You could take two or three days to follow the 50km trail from Vannes to Port Navalo, or simply enjoy a 5km stroll from Plage de Trestraou to Ploumanac'h.

The region's main long-distance walking trail, stretching 200km from Mont St-Michel on the border with Normandy to Port Navalo is the Grand Randonnee (GR) 34. To follow this path, buy a topoguide (route guide) from the ramblers' governing body (00 33 1 44 89 93 90; www.ffrp.ass.fr), price €13.95 (£10).

Cyclists will find facilities uneven. Between Dinard and Dinan, for example, the old railway line has been converted into a track for hiking and biking - this is ideal for anyone arriving with their bike by ferry in St-Malo, just across the bay from Dinard. In most parts of Brittany, though, special facilities are rare and you are likely to find yourself on main roads trusting to the average French motorist's considerate attitude to les vélos. Breton Bikes (00 33 2 96 24 86 72; www.bretonbikes.com) provides independent and guided cycling holidays with both hotel and camping accommodation from £190 per week for camping and £375 per week to stay in a hotel.

Plenty of centres d'equitation offer short horse rides or longer holidays. To book in advance, you could try Brittany Best Breaks (0800 085 7739; www.brittany-best-breaks.com), which has a two-day trip through the Finistère countryside from €153 (£110). Formules Bretagne (00 33 01 53 63 11 53; www.formulesbretagne.com) offers a one-week, accompanied coastal trek from St-Brieuc to Mont St-Michel from €670 (£480), including full-board accommodation but not travel from the UK.

GOSH, I'M HUNGRY

Providing you enjoy seafood and/or pancakes, your luck is in. For millennia, fruits de mer has been the staple of the Bretons - both fish caught by the deep-sea fleets, and shellfish found along the coast.

The humble pancake - known either as a crêpe or a galette - is elevated to an art form in Brittany. You can eat a three-course pancake meal: something savoury to start, then a main-course crêpe, followed by dessert - flambé if you like.

As with south-west England and north-west Spain, Brittany has taken to cider. It is stronger and tastier than the typical British brew, and is often treated as reverentially as fine wine. Beer drinkers have a good choice, of which the tastiest is the Duchesse Anne, named for the last ruler of an independent Brittany.

IS THERE SOMEWHERE CLASSY TO STAY?

As anywhere in France, there are some superb, individual places to stay. Starting in Dinard, consider the Didier Méril Restaurant-Hôtel on Place du Général de Gaulle (00 33 2 99 46 95 74; didiermeril@wanadoo.fr), in an excellent location overlooking the bay - and with dinner provided by one of Brittany's top chefs.

About 50km north-west of St-Brieuc, close to the rose-granite coast, the Château de Brélidy is a country-house hotel created from a 16th-century château amid extensive grounds. You can book through VFB (01242 240330; www.vfbholidays.co.uk).

On the south coast, the location of choice is the Hostellerie Le Clos de Vallombreuse (00 33 2 98 92 63 64), an amazing early 20th-century villa with one of the region's grandest restaurants - plus well-appointed, indulgent public rooms and comfortable bedrooms. The hotel is located in the middle of the port of Douarnenez, close to the historic village of Locranon.

FERRY OR FLY?

The main contenders are Brittany Ferries (08705 360 360; www.brittanyferries.com), Ryanair (0906 270 5656; www.ryanair.com) and FlyBE (0871 700 0123; www.flybe.com).

For a self-drive trip, Brittany Ferries offers services from Portsmouth to St-Malo and Plymouth to Roscoff. And, going beyond its name, the shipping company will also take you from Portsmouth or Poole to Cherbourg in Normandy. These crossings are much shorter, and, if you take one of the fast ferries, you can be in France in three hours or less, and on the excellent N13 road south to Brittany.

Alternatively, Ryanair will fly you from Stansted to Dinard, to Nantes (just outside Brittany but a very useful gateway for the south of the region) and, from this March, from Luton to Brest. FlyBE flies from Exeter to Brest and from March will also fly from Southampton and Norwich airports.

British Airways (0870 850 9 850; www.ba.com) flies from Gatwick to Nantes, while from 26 March the Irish airline Aer Arann (0800 587 23 24; www.aerarann.com) is launching flights from Luton to Lorient on the south coast of Brittany.

In addition, you can get there by train; last month, the final part of the line from Paris to St-Malo was electrified, allowing TGVs to make the run from the capital's Gare Montparnasse in three hours. The main gateway, though, is Rennes, about six hours from London via Lille or Paris; £99 return on Eurostar (08705 186 186, www.eurostar.com).

AND GETTING AROUND?

The roads can get horribly congested in summer, making rail an attractive alternative. The main centres have good links, though some of the branch lines see only a few services every day. Where the railways don't reach, buses are good and reliable.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE AREA?

The Brittany Regional Tourist Board website is www.tourismebretagne.com.

Additional research by Johann le Calvez, Tom Hindle and Melissa Brandon.

by Independent.co.uk

 

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