Rail route of the month: Nantes to Quimper, France – a Breton basic

Many rail travellers simply sprint via France. The quick TGV trains gobble up the miles to make certain, however high-speed strains typically defy the warp and weft of the panorama. But even on high-speed strains, there are some magic moments. I really like the fleeting glimpses of Champagne vineyards between Paris and Strasbourg. On the high-speed line from Paris to Lyon, now over 40 years previous, there are dramatic views of the Morvan massif because the railway climbs to nearly 500 metres above sea degree to skirt the putting granite landscapes of a area nicely off the common vacationer trails.

The high-speed strains are good for getting someplace quick, however it’s essential department off on to secondary routes to find a really totally different France. The nation is blessed with a effective community of rural railways. Final yr the tourism authorities in Occitanie within the south of France received a Rail Tourism Award for his or her daring promotion of department strains, nudging guests out of their automobiles and on to trains to discover the attractive number of landscapes which sweep from the Cévennes all the way down to the Pyrenees.

I can think about nothing higher than having every week wandering via Occitanie or one other French area, avoiding TGVs and sticking fully to regional trains – generally called TERs in France, however at all times with sturdy regional branding. In Provence, the trains are branded ZOU!, a reputation which oozes Riviera aptitude. Whereas in Burgundy you journey with the very practical MobiGo and in Brittany with BreizhGo.

Nantes to Quimper

My associate and I replicate that BreizhGo has a properly Breton ring as we stroll to the railway station in Nantes for a journey into deepest Brittany. Our stroll takes us previous the ramparts of the Palace of the Dukes of Brittany; it was from this monumental bastion that France’s north-west was dominated for hundreds of years. Lately Nantes appears extra a spot of the Loire than an important Breton metropolis, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a very good jumping-off level for trains to France’s Atlantic extremity. “Let’s go to the tip of the Earth at the moment,” says my associate. “To Finistère.”

Any of the regional rail routes to Finistère are pretty. Prior to now I’ve taken the northern path to Brest the place the trains run over a spectacular granite viaduct which is a defining characteristic of the Morlaix streetscape. As we speak we go for the southern line which runs to Quimper, the capital metropolis of the westernmost département in metropolitan France. It’s known as Finistère, and for many Parisians distant Finistère looks like the tip of the earth, a distant maritime outpost with its personal distinctive language and tradition.

Our TER prepare, emblazoned with BreizhGo branding, slips out of Nantes with a last glimpse of the ducal palace to the best and distant views of shipyards to the left. Earlier than lengthy, we’re freed from town, cruising throughout the water meadows which flank the best financial institution of the River Loire. TER trains in France are very variable in fashion and high quality. This contemporary prepare to Quimper is likely one of the finest with artistic seating preparations, heaps of house for bikes and prams, quick access for travellers with mobility challenges and large home windows to benefit from the altering Breton landscapes. I discover this significantly better than seeing France from a TGV the place sightlines are sometimes restricted by smaller home windows. However taking a TER doesn’t essentially imply gradual. Many will sprint alongside at 70mph, and a few could solely cease each 20 to half-hour. Our prepare to Quimper takes slightly below three hours for a journey of 160 miles with 10 intermediate stops alongside the best way.

The very best of Brittany

Our journey takes in 4 totally different départements, beginning with Loire-Atlantique, briefly clipping the nook of Ille-et-Vilaine, then traversing Morbihan to achieve Finistère. It’s a good transect, one which maps dramatic modifications in surroundings as we journey west from the light landscapes of the Loire to rough-hewn Brittany the place the traditional Armorican Massif has a wilder edge, with deep, wooded valleys, dramatic coastlines and at increased elevations an actual sense of wilderness.

Some could mourn that the journey to Quimper doesn’t really skim the area’s celebrated shoreline, however that comes with compensations: glorious views of the higher reaches of tidal estuaries and textured stone villages with exceptional gabled homes, and a way of travelling into an historical panorama.

Quimper shouldn’t be the tip of the road. From right here a minor railway meanders north to Landerneau, 15 miles east of Brest. It’s a single-track railway and, as a result of the overhead wires don’t lengthen past Quimper, it’s served by diesel railcars. However for us Quimper, with its interesting tangle of slender streets, makes an ideal place to cease. It’s an opportunity for such Brittany staples as crêpes and cider.

Whereas not fairly the tip of the earth, Quimper has that remote sense of being a spot aside. Typical, in reality, of most of the communities featured over greater than two years on this column. For longer than you’ll maybe bear in mind, this month-to-month column has escorted you alongside effective rural railways throughout Europe. We’ve travelled collectively via Portugal and Finland, throughout Swiss Alps and Dutch polders, capturing the spirit of panorama and stopping off at some exceptional small cities alongside the best way. Our journey to Quimper at the moment marks the tip of the road for this column. Because of all who’ve come alongside for the journey. Our paths will certainly cross once more on a gradual prepare someplace in Europe.

Journey information

There are usually 4 direct TER providers every day from Nantes to Quimper. Tickets could be bought on the day of journey. For those who choose to purchase prematurely, take a look at Rail Europe the place no charges are levied on sterling purchases. Rail Europe expenses £36 for a second class ticket, and £50 top notch, for the journey. On this route, as certainly extra extensively when utilizing TER trains throughout France, Interrail makes the right ticketing answer. Seat reservations will not be typically accessible on TER providers, so with Interrail you’ll be able to roam freely throughout France on regional trains. One-country Interrail passes legitimate solely in France are priced from €144, whereas world flexi-passes (to be used throughout 33 nations) begin at €212.

Nicky Gardner lives in Berlin. She is co-author of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Information (Hidden Europe, £18.99). To help the Guardian and Observer, order your copy of the seventeenth version from guardianbookshop.com. Supply expenses could apply