Gallic Grapevine Brittany, France

Walking in France

Walks are very mell signposted

Brittany has more waymarked walking trails than any other part of France and provides an extraordinary variety of landscape and history to enjoy en route. The exceptional coastal path is well-known, but walking the wild interior can be just as dramatic, and there are also many interesting towns to explore on foot.

The main footpaths are designated Grandes Randonées (GRs), shown by red on white waymarks (balisage) and these are long linear routes, passing sites of major interest. Shorter and usually circular routes of up to 6 hours walking are Promenades et Randonées (PRs) and the signage is yellow, but other locally marked walks may be shown in green, red or blue. The quality and consistency of the directions is very variable, from excellent to absent, and it might be wise to carry one of the detailed maps (1:25,000) from the IGN Série Bleue, which are readily available and currently being updated.

It is possible to walk fairly freely in the countryside as most tracks are still communal land (having been the old routes of communication for rural outposts) and the private property issues so well-known to walkers in England are rarely a problem here.

Coastal Path walks...

Nowhere in Brittany is too far from the coast, and its earliest name was Ar-mor, the land of the sea. The GR34 is the coastal path going right round the region, a distance of over 1000kms, providing spectacular views of sea, estuaries, islands, lighthouses and sea-going vessels.We have often walked alone small sections of this coastal path around the Gulf of Morbihan with its 365 islands and Neolithic remains.

The interior of Brittany was originally truly a land of the forest (Ar-goat), but much of the ancient woodland has been cleared for ship-building and agriculture over the centuries. Fine forest walking still remains, however, and such routes are usually good choices for family outings, with well-made tracks and clear signage. The forest walks at Monteneuf are fantastic, varying in length from a couple of kilometers to 10km. The fairy walk is magical... particularly for small children..

Forest Walks...always good

Town trails are a good way to actively find out more about the history and architecture of Brittany. This is obviously so in large places like Rennes, Vannes and Quimper, but there is also much of visual interest in, for example, Malestoit, Josselin and Redon.

Saint Congard Coastal Path

This part of Brittany also has a huge network of canal paths and 'voie vertes'... These are disused railway lines that have been resurfaced. Fantastic for getting into the very heart of the country away from cars, noise and everybody else !!.. Also brilliant for children.. they can run and cycle without any concerns of traffic.

Use the Voie vert to get into the heart of Brittany