Wild west: a stroll on Brittany’s rugged Crozon peninsula

They say strolling is the very best medication and you can spend months strolling off your troubles alongside the sentier des douaniers (customs officers’ path), which winds for greater than 1,240 miles (2,000km) across the bays and headlands of the Breton coast. Nevertheless, me and my perennial strolling companion, an Irishman who lives in Bathtub, settled for a five-day, 55-mile stretch alongside the southern Crozon peninsula.

As we agreed to not fly, he took the prepare to Plymouth, the ferry to Roscoff and buses from there, whereas I took the prepare from Barcelona and, after an evening in Paris, one other prepare to Quimper and a bus to our place to begin at Camaret-sur-Mer.

A lot has been written concerning the bodily and therapeutic advantages of strolling however there’s a giant distinction between going solo and strolling with another person. You must be appropriate bodily, clearly, however simply as necessary is knowing that, to learn from the Zen of strolling, you want intervals of silence.

On our annual walks, the Irishman and I’ve reached an understanding of when to stroll and discuss and when to close it.

Camaret is a fairly fishing village that today lives as a lot off tourism and pleasure boating as fish. There are bars and the ever present crêperies alongside the waterfront, in addition to a wonderful restaurant within the Hotel de France.

On day one we had the choice of a shorter (9 miles) or longer (13 miles) route. We opted for the shorter stroll to Morgat, one other fishing port however with swimming seashores the place there are kayaks and paddleboards for rent.

The primary day takes you thru woodland earlier than you comply with a slender clifftop path throughout moorland brightened by yellow gorse, pink clover and the occasional purple orchid. The trail is accessible for anybody of any age who is fairly match and has an honest pair of strolling boots. A lot of the panorama is scrub, steep cliffs and sandy coves, harking back to Cornwall with a contact of Donegal.

This a part of Decrease Brittany is the place you might be almost definitely to listen to individuals communicate Breton, a Celtic language intently associated to Cornish and Welsh. It was as soon as the language of the rich, then the poor and now primarily older individuals. It’s categorized as “severely endangered” by Unesco.

Some individuals might get a kick out of tramping with a heavy pack on their again however we’re previous all that, so we organised our journey by means of Normandie Rando, a mountaineering and biking specialist who present the itinerary, make lodge bookings and organize baggage transfers. After we arrived at Morgat our luggage had been delivered to the small lodge. On this a part of the world the well being division’s automobiles double as taxis so our luggage typically arrived by ambulance.

There are two first rate fish eating places in Morgat in addition to a pizzeria. This coast is oyster and lobster nation, to not point out moules-frites, whereas vegetarians ought to head to the closest crêperie. They’re additionally keen on butter and there are quite a few biscuiteries the place they make shortbread-like biscuits and the famend Breton cake.

Morgat served as base camp for the primary three nights and the following two days’ walks took the type of loops. On day two we opted for the longer loop (13 miles) as a way to attain the Cap de la Chèvre on the tip of the peninsula. A lot of the primary a part of the stroll is alongside the GR34 by means of wooded nation above the ocean and the primary few miles are most likely the hardest of the 5 days, with fairly steep climbs and descents till you get previous the Pointe de St-Hernot and the Île Vièrge.

Be ready for all weathers because it’s changeable. A 3-minute squall of horizontal rain at Cap de la Chèvre was all it took to present us soaking, however it was price it for the view when the solar got here out. The trail then continues alongside the clifftop as you method La Palue, thought of the very best of Brittany’s browsing seashores. Excessive tide is the very best time to catch good waves.

The seashore is just not very accessible and there aren’t any seashore bars nor a webcam, all of which is a part of its appeal, however you’ll have to deliver your personal boards and different provides. It’s not an excellent seashore for swimming.

Day three was a 10-mile loop of the identical peninsula, however this time reducing throughout inland to the coast at Lostmarc’h the place you as soon as once more choose up the GR34 alongside a pleasant clifftop stroll shiny with wildflowers in direction of the Château de Dinan. The trail then cuts again inland by means of the village of Dinan and again to Morgat. The next day you’ve gotten the choice of a 13-mile stroll from Telgruc-sur-Mer or eight miles from Saint-Nic (Sant Vig in Breton). The taxi (ambulance) dropped us at Saint-Nic earlier than taking our luggage on to the lodge at Trefeuntec.

The late gothic church within the village, with its elegant slender tower, is price a go to earlier than setting off within the course of the ocean. Relying on the tide, you may stroll alongside or above the seashore of La Lieue de Grève till you arrive on the stunning headland of Pointe de Tal ar Grip after which one other lengthy seashore, Sainte-Anne, leads you to Trefeuntec. All in all, a simple day’s strolling.

The fifth and last day takes you on an eight-mile path alongside the cliffs to Douarnenez, the final stretch of which passes by means of the beautiful nature reserve of Les Plomarc’h. Douarnenez is a sizeable city with loads of bars and eating places alongside the banks of the Pouldavid River. It was as soon as a serious sardine cannery, though its heyday is gone. In 1921 it grew to become one of many first cities in France to elect a communist mayor.

And so from Douarnenez it was on to Quimper and our separate methods, west to Roscoff and east to Paris. Till subsequent 12 months.

The journey was supported by Normandie Rando, which affords self-guided mountaineering and biking holidays, and prices €660pp, together with six nights in lodges, breakfast and baggage transfers.