Ma Bretagne

We leap over La Manche to learn from Finistère resident Annaliza Davis about the culture, cuisine and simple pleasures of life in Brittany. Read her guide to curio markets, up-and-coming restaurants, night music, coastal walks and sunsets in beautiful bays. 

Brittany local –
Annaliza Davis

I moved to Finistère on the northwest coast of Brittany with my husband in November 2004. I’d come on school exchanges when I was 12 and fell in love with the focus on family life as much as the language and the pâtisseries. I love the wild landscapes, the seemingly endless sky (you get to see so much of it here), the crashing waves, the free and complete access to coastal paths where I am endlessly inspired for stories and paintings… and I love the genuine sense of community: neighbours know each other’s names, and people still say ‘Bonjour’ as you pass in the street.

Do

  • Walk the coastal paths. One of my favourite stretches is from Plage Le Loc’h in Primelin, up past the tiny refuge on the clifftop and heading towards Pors Loubous. There’s a little climb at the start but the rewards are worth it, there are incredible views, crashing waves and the occasional seal. Or, in Douarnenez, from Tréboul Marina following the coastal path to the beach, Plage des Sables Blancs. This is flatter, with lots of locals walking dogs, and you pass creeks, mini beaches, shady woods, a little chapel, and cafés at either end
  • Find a local craft market or Christmas market if it’s that time of year. My favourites are the local ones organised by local schools or clubs, as they’re so authentic. I took a stand to sell my paintings at the Christmas market in Cléden Cap Sizun last year, which was one of the friendliest events I’ve been to. Look for posters about Vide-Grenier or Troc & Puces, which are the local equivalent of a car-boot sale, although usually indoors. They’re great for browsing
  • France really values art and music, so there are regular gigs, exhibitions, art markets and concerts to enjoy, and a speciality here is a Fest Noz, a Breton night party that typically involves eating grilled sardines or sausages in huge chunks of baguette, everyone seated at trestle tables under fairy lights, listening to bands and joining in a bit of Breton dancing as the night wears on (and the cider bottles accumulate). 

Eat

  • In Audierne you have Le Café du Marché, in one of the oldest buildings in town. It specialises in homemade cakes and vegetarian dishes, their vegetarian croque monsieur and flavour-packed mixed salads are fabulous. There’s also La Gamelle, tucked away on a side street, with a really small range of excellent dishes. They’re a hot tip for a Michelin star
  • Head to any café, preferably with outdoor tables or a good view of passers by, and ask for un crème allongé et tartines: a large, white coffee served with a chunk of baguette and usually some butter and jam
  • The new restaurant called GLAZ in the market square in Pont-Croix, run by a young team – Eméline and Tanios.  It’s amazing and great value. 

See

  • Summer sunsets at the Baie des Trépassés, right in the far west of Brittany looking over towards Île de Sein and beyond all the way to Canada. It’s one of the last places it sets, melting into the sea
  • The esplanade and huge marina in Bénodet, with the inlet and beaches and the boats bobbing in the water, is a wonderful place to idle for an hour or two
  • Vannes famously has a collection of colourful timbered houses and cobbled streets, as well as an enormous cathedral that looks like it has been crammed in amongst all the other buildings. You can keep walking the coastline all the way to the ‘almost island’ of Conleau, which has an island atmosphere that’s completely different from Vannes centre, especially off season. I love La Yamouna bookshop, which is a heaven for book addicts and a cluttered nightmare for anyone with claustrophobia. The owner, Stéphane Roussel, spent a while living in the Midlands, so he can even help you in English to track down a tome or two! I also love the quirky, independent boutiques in Vannes, like the art collective on the harbourside, called Les Pipelettes.

Featured places to stay in Brittany

Villa Germiny - Gallery

Villa Germiny

Locquirec, Finistère

Getting around

The peak season here is mid-July to mid-August, there’s more traffic on the roads then, especially near the coast and key sites. Any of the big cities will be busier on a rainy day in summer, because people don’t know what to do except head to the shops! Brittany is great for exploring as roads are well maintained and there aren’t any toll roads to worry about. Trains are excellent, as well, and although most overseas visitors don’t use them, trains and buses are a great option for getting from town to town.  

Oh, and for some reason 4pm is the time that the French traditionally go out for a walk on a Sunday or Bank Holiday, probably to walk off a big lunch, which you’ll notice if you spend a lot of time here! 

 

Getting there

By train:

Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord (2h 15), TGV from Montparnasse to Rennes (2h approx)

By ferry:

Ferries sail from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to (from west to east) Roscoff, St Malo, Cherbourg, Caen and Le Havre. They can take anywhere from 5 hours to 10-hour overnight trips, so which you choose will depend on a number of things.

By plane:

Gatwick and Edinburgh both fly direct into Rennes, which is in the centre of Brittany, so landing there can still leave you quite a drive.

Annaliza’s top tip!

Even in tourist destinations, many shops will close between 12 and 2pm, also on a Sunday and often on a Monday, too. Supermarkets close on Sunday afternoons and around 7.30pm even in summer. Open-air markets only run in the mornings, which often surprises visitors. Restaurants still generally respect actual mealtimes, opening from 12 to 2pm and from 7 to 11pm, with few options if you want a meal around 3pm … because why would you? What were you doing at lunchtime? 

A few days in… Brittany

Combining ideas from Annaliza, our team and the owners of our places in Brittany, we’ve put together a suggestion for a five-day itinerary that’ll have you sipping salt caramel hot chocolate after a day at the beach and visiting underground gothic art galleries after wandering through medieval towns. 

Read more >

Foodie guide to Northern France by Carolyn Boyd

In her new book, Amuse Bouche, writer and fervent Francophile, Carolyn Boyd explores the specialties and peculiarities of the many and varied regions of France. In the north, she discusses apples in Normandy, the best baguette in Paris and how onion sellers in Brittany gave us our stereotypical image of the stripe-shirted Frenchman. 

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