Why do we fall in love with Brittany as soon as we set foot (or wheel) there? To those who jokingly reply with Breton drizzle and “4 seasons in a day”: Breton (and Norman) weather gives the region tremendous character, with sculpted skies taking the place of mountains, extraordinary light and ever-changing landscapes… On my hikes in Brittany, I’ve had sunburn more often than a soaking. Or perhaps I’ve forgotten the soakings. Or they’ve become wonderful memories.
Houat Island © Yannick Le Gal
Brittany’s irresistible charm lies in the variety of its landscapes and their unique beauty, which never grows old… While the coastline is the most spectacular, with its 1772km of coast, the wild moors, secluded valleys and vast forests are equally rewarding. Brittany has a soul; the legends of Morgan le Fay and King Arthur come to life here. Chapels, crosses and wayside calvaries punctuate paths leading to medieval towns with austere granite houses or more cheerful half-timbered homes. Our taste buds delight in simple, delicious treats: oysters, shellfish, buckwheat galettes… Finally, Bretons always welcome anyone who admires and respects their homeland: hikers and cyclists receive a warm welcome here.
Convinced? Join us for a little tour on foot or by bike along Brittany’s evocatively named coasts: the Emerald Coast, the Pink Granite Coast, the Coast of Legends, the Coast of Love…
Shall we start in Normandy?
The two regions are cousins, or “rival sisters”! But how can you separate them? One flows naturally into the other. Normandy offers vast beaches of fine sand and white cliffs bordered by vivid green meadows, which you can follow along the Alabaster Coast or the Cotentin Peninsula, or link together by cycling from Utah Beach to Mont-Saint-Michel, the natural boundary between the two regions.
The cliffs of Étretat
Mont-Saint-Michel Bay © Marc Lerouge
The Emerald Coast
The coastline is still gentle and open at the start of the Emerald Coast: Cancale and Mont-Saint-Michel Bay, the privateer city of Saint-Malo, the charming seaside resort of Dinard with its nostalgic atmosphere… Then the coast becomes more rugged; the shale and pink sandstone cliffs of Cap Fréhel mark the end of the Emerald Coast.
Fort-la-Latte on the Emerald Coast © Adobe Stock
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The Pink Granite Coast
La Vélomaritime continues along the Penthièvre Coast to Saint-Brieuc Bay, with superb beaches such as those at Sables-d’Or. Next comes the Goëlo Coast, stretching to Perros-Guirec: Brittany in miniature, with its beaches, cliffs and harbours. You’ll love Paimpol harbour, the medieval houses of Tréguier and Bréhat Island. From Perros-Guirec to Trébeurden lies the extraordinary Pink Granite Coast; the granite here is pink, and erosion has sculpted it into strange jumbles of rock. Just offshore lies the archipelago of 7 islands, a bird sanctuary.
Men Ruz lighthouse on the Pink Granite Coast © Emmanuel Berthier
The Coast of Legends
We enter the Golden Belt, across Trégor and Léon: a distinctive region with a mild climate and rich soils. After the monumental cathedral of Saint-Pol-de-Léon, continue to the headland and the beautiful medieval town of Roscoff: the ideal place to restore your wellbeing! At Plouescat, we reach the Coast of Legends, which extends to the westernmost tip of Finistère. It is also known as the Coast of the Abers, or the Wreckers' Coast. Here, the sea cuts deep into the coastline; an aber or a fjord? It depends on the country. And then there’s Ouessant… Here is the Atlantic Ocean… Everything here is wild… and breathtakingly beautiful!
The Aber Benoît seen from the village of Saint-Pabu
The Iroise Sea and the Cornouaille Coast
The Iroise Coast is the western coastline of Finistère, steep and rugged, with paths overlooking the cliffs. The superb Crozon Peninsula spreads its two arms into a cross between the magnificent bays of Brest and Douarnenez. We then move onto the southern shoreline and the Cornouaille Coast, one of Brittany’s most beautiful, from Penmarc’h to Pont-Aven, passing through Bénodet and the Pointe du Raz.
Crozon Peninsula © Daniel Michel
Megaliths and Love
The Megalith Coast encompasses southern Brittany and the Gulf of Morbihan. Here, the climate becomes milder; this is the land of megalithic stone alignments such as those at Carnac, but also of islands, including Belle-Île-en-Mer. What better finale than the Coast of Love? It follows the Loire-Atlantique coastline to the mouth of the Loire, taking you to the Guérande Peninsula and its salt workers, then the immense bay of La Baule.
Belle-Île-en-Mer, Brittany
The salt pans of Guérande
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