Walking & Rambling in Brittany

Brittany is a wonderful area to explore, especially on foot with over 2500km of pathways. It boasts more way-marked paths than any other region in France. This extensive network of paths include the 'Grandes Randonnées' (GR), the long distance routes and the 'Promenades et Randonnées' (PR) which are the shorter ones for strolling and rambling. Circular routes are numerous but there are also linear ones.

Brittany has 1300 kilometres of coastal paths. These footpaths, suitable for both energetic hiking and gentle strolls, cover almost the entire perimeter of the coast, from the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel to Saint-Nazaire. The customs officers pathways were created during the French Revolution by the customs authorities for surveillance of the coast and to combat smuggling and the pillaging of shipwrecks.

The Breton coast, on account of its rugged terrain with thousands of inlets and its sheer length was a favourite site for illegal landings of a vast range of smuggled goods. Thus until the start of the XXth century, hundreds of customs officers walked the coastal paths, day and night in all weathers, seeking to intercept any illegal landing of goods. Today, the pathways once used by the customs officers are protected sites, developed for walkers and hikers.

Brittany's charm lies in its richness of scenery. The walks can take you via beautiful lakes, through forests, along the Nantes/Brest canal with its many locks, by numerous winding rivers with their watermills, through woods, moors and peat bogs, along stunning coastal walks and country paths. The whole of Brittany's interior is a treasure to discover.

Crossing inland Brittany from east to west is a 360 kilometre pathway along the Nantes to Brest canal. Initiated by Napoleon, this project to unite Nantes and Brest by an inland waterway was completed in 1842. The towpath was created so that barges could be towed along by horses. Now it can be used by ramblers.

Marked pathways

GR (Grande Randonnées – national long distance routes) Marked in red and white, GRs are mainly linear routes, such as the coastal route (GR34) which comprises a tour of Brittany.

GR de Pays (local long distance routes) Over the years, a number of loops have been added to the GRs and these are called GR de Pays, and to differentiate them from the national GRs, they are marked in yellow and red. An example is the Tour of the Brocéliande forest.

PR (Promenade et Randonnée, walking and hiking) Routes of from one to 6 hours covering the entire territory.The range of PRs suits all tastes and all levels of ability.These routes are most frequently marked with a yellow line, such as that from the Côte d’Emeraude to Mené.