The Telegraph has a great article about the Beaches of Brittany plus some of the other delights of Brittany. All you need is some good weather! Fortunately, there are other places to visit if the rain falls or the winds blow ....
If there’s one word that British visitors indelibly associate with Brittany, it’s beaches. Great beaches are everywhere you look, from the posh north-coast watering hole of Dinard, beloved by nineteenth-century British aristocrats, to any number of humbler family resorts strung along the entire, endlessly intricate and gloriously unpredictable coastline.
Some of the region’s abundant strands of sand bustle with life and energy, lined with hotels and restaurants to suit all budgets; others lie tucked away at the end of unpromising little rural lanes, rewarding those who take the trouble to find them with splendid, unspoiled isolation.
There’s much more to Brittany than beaches, though. For many centuries this was a proudly independent realm, with closer connections to Britain than France; Brittany was after all “petit Bretagne”, as opposed to “Grand Bretagne” across the Channel.
The pan-Celtic traditions of that era are still going strong; the Breton language remains proudly spoken, while cultural festivals celebrate Celtic music and dance. And local history stretches back even further than the Celts, as evidenced by the ancient standing stones and mysterious burial mounds of places like Carnac, Locmariaquer and Camaret.
Brittany’s most striking towns are the walled medieval citadelles that once guarded its borders with France – places like Dinan, Vitré and the ports of St-Malo in the north and Vannes in the south. The further west you go, into the Celtic heartland, you’re in wilder territory, where vestiges of ancient forests survive around villages such as Huelgoat.
Brittany is one of those destinations where the longer you spend in one place, the more there seems to be to discover. You don’t have to tour the entire region to find variety and stimulation; base yourself in one small resort, and you’ll find plenty to engage you nearby. Recommendations include, say, Ploumanac’h on the northern “pink granite coast”; Camaret, on the Crozon Peninsula in the far west; or Carnac in the south.
Full article and photos: Brittany travel guide
Video Tour of Brittany:
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