What is Brittany? Cornwall in France, the Celts in Gaul.
Maybe this image sums things up a bit too much, but it gives you a good idea of the characteristics of the province.
It is quite true, even if Brittany has been a part of France for so long, that it is, at the same time, one of the most famously distinctive, one might almost say “exotic”, regions of the country. This is due both to its history and its geography.
Situated far from the heart of the kingdom, Brittany was a harsh country and its inhabitants rebellious.
For us, Brittany is a marvellously wild coast, made up mainly of granite rock, many different sorts of granite. This granite has also built megaliths, churches and whole villages.
The Bretons….. are just that: Bretons! They speak and write a language which could be Welsh! They don’t bake their bread with ordinary flour; they make pancakes with buckwheat flour!
We’d like to suggest two utterly different areas.
First the Brittany that is relatively close to the kingdom: that part of Brittany near the Mont St Michel and the Rance valley and estuary; and Dinan, crammed full of history; St Malo and its ramparts.
The other suggestion we’d like to make, concerns the core of Brittany, the Brittany far from the kingdom: the Côtes d’Armor and its coast of pink granite; a rough, wild coast, with so many islands off its coasts and its countless seabirds.
On this itinerary, you’ll discover 2 typically Breton towns, Guingamp and Lannion, as well as Paimpol’s harbour. Paimpol is a reminder of the vital importance of fishing for the Bretons.
In Brittany, there is a legend which says that the sea and the earth made a love pact, and that, since that day, in harmony with the tides, the sea moves as close as possible to the earth, and in this way, the atmosphere seems to be constantly changing.
Maybe this image sums things up a bit too much, but it gives you a good idea of the characteristics of the province.
In Brittany, there is a legend which says that the sea and the earth made a love pact, and that, since that day, in harmony with the tides, the sea moves as close as possible to the earth, and in this way, the atmosphere seems to be constantly changing.
|
Since the 8th century, pilgrims have crossed the bay to get to the abbey. It was host to Carleman, Henry Plantagenet, Louis XI.... The highest tides in Europe are to be found in its bay. They are second highest in the world, coming just after those of the Saint-Lawrence in Canada. 5 nights - from 560 € |
|
This tour of the northern coast of Brittany offers many of the contrasts Brittany has to offer. Starting inland from the beautiful town of Guingamp, the route joins the coast at the Harbour of Tréguier. Then, the itinerary follows the wild coast around a couple of peninsulas before reaching the outstanding pink granite coast at Ploumanach. The distances are fairly short but there are a few small, steep hills. 6 nights - from 595 € |
