Britanny

I love Britanny for many reasons. 

Firstly, the region is the birthplace of the crêpe! This is where you will find the best crêpes in the universe.

Secondly, the people are surprisingly friendly and hospitable. Maybe it’s because their culture is so tied to the sea… I found that the Breton people are generally very hardy people, a bit rough on the exterior but very warm inside. 

And then, there is the formidable nature…! The seas are rough, with tsunami waves, creating a very dramatic landscape along the coast. With the capricious oceanic weather, which can go from tropical sunny to arctic windy in a few minutes, the colours of the sea, the skies and everything in between are constantly changing. Even if looking at the same landscape, one never gets bored. You could go for hours by bike without crossing a single human being, never mind cars, and all you would hear is the sound of birds and ocean waves. 

Saint-Brieuc

I started my cycling journey in Saint-Brieuc under grey skies. A mid-sized city and an important railway stop along the line between Rennes and Brest, Saint-Brieuc is an excellent place to experience life in Britanny. The things I loved about Saint-Brieuc include its proximity to some beautiful beaches, an active artistic life, an abundance of street art in complete harmony with the traditional Breton architecture, the beautiful cathedral and the outdoor market that takes place on Saturday mornings.

Binic and Étables-sur-Mer

The first towns after leaving Saint-Brieuc, Binic boasts a lively marina with private boats and nice restaurants, while Étables-sur-Mer is a more discreet village with a unique church. 

Cliffs of Plouha

Like on the other side of the “pond,” on the southern English coast, Britanny’s northern coast has impressive cliffs that plunge into the sea. The cliffs in Tréveneuc was my favourite spot in this part of the trip.

Paimpol

I love Paimpol and its lovely atmosphere: a picture-perfect resort town. The old port has been transformed into a marina for privately-owned boats and yachts. 

Every year, in the first weekend of August, Paimpol hosts a big music festival, called Le Festival du Chant de Marin de Paimpol, which attracts a significant number of people. 

The areas around Paimpol are famous for the production of apples, which are used to produce another of Britanny’s symbol: the Apple Cider. 

Tréguier

Tréguier is probably the prettiest town that I visited on this trip to Britanny. The landscape is dominated by meandering waterways and gently rolling hills. And in between, one finds houses with white-washed walls and well-tended gardens. The old town of Tréguier boasts an impressive cathedral surrounded by traditional half-timbered buildings. 

Perros-Guirec and the Côte de Granite Rose

These parts are a bit like the Riviera of Britanny, with its beautiful beaches of so many different styles: white-sand beaches, rocky beaches and pinkish granite beaches, just to name a few. Every one of them is so pretty, and their beauty is enhanced by the constantly-changing weather of Britanny. The colours of the sky, the sea and everything in between changes with time. People say it gets sunny 10 times a day in Britanny — it’s so true!

In the end of April, it was still a bit too cold for a dip in the icy Atlantic Ocean. But I enjoyed sitting in these beaches and slowly taking in the scenery. 

Lannion

By the time one reaches Lannion from further east, one notices that the place-names no longer sound French. And the scenery strangely feels British. For some reason, when I arrived in Lannion, I could not help but compare it with the pretty towns of the Cotswolds…

Lannion was the second biggest town that I visited in this trip to Britanny and boasts a fairly large old town that is lovely to explore. I found some quirky shops and cosy restaurants. Among these establishments, my favourite is La Théière Panachée, a salon de thé with a large selection of elaborate and tasty cakes.

Lannion was also my final destination of this cycling trip in Britanny. Though I enormously enjoyed discovering Britanny by bike, I could no longer feel my legs after a few days of cycling the hilly coastal landscape. And so, I bid farewell to Lannion, and the rest of Britanny, and boarded on the train heading back to Paris.