Live like a local in Brittany, France on this revealing road trip

Arriving into the former pirate stronghold of St Malo is all part of the pleasure of discovering the peninsula across the Celtic sea: this no-fly destination is incredibly easy to get to by ferry from the Channel ports of Plymouth and Portsmouth. Hop off the ferry and you'll be moments away from the Rance , which runs from the medieval town of Dinard and finishes at the bottom of Saint-Malo in a ria. Here, salt water mixes with freshwater to create a green and blue estuary of beautiful bays and wooded creeks. But it's not just nature that delights here, with Maritime architecture and traditional villages on both sides of the river. Saint-Suliac, for example, has been labelled as one of the ‘most beautiful villages in France’. 

One of the best ways to discover this pretty maritime pocket of Brittany is on a foodie cycling tour with with local tour operator Kaouann. Your guide will take you through the Rance Valley for memorable encounters with local producers ranging from saffron growers to brewers, all offering tastings of their wares as well as giving you the opportunity to learn about the innovative, sustainable practices employed in the region.

E-bikes are among the hire options available, and the routes are partly on traffic-free voie vertes (green ways) or towpaths – traffic-free, safe and often very flat. As you whizz along the river banks and past headlands, bays and small river ports, you’ll discover a place close to home yet a world away – one where classic French art de vivre comes with a unique Breton twist.

Accommodation is similarly characterful and authentic: the intimate Les Jardins de la Matz in Plouër-sur-Rance is a B&B run by organic market gardeners employing permaculture methods, with breakfasts featuring eggs direct from the resident hen.

Photo credits: Alexandre Lamoureux, Emmanuel Berthier, Les Jardins de La Matz

Today there are more foodie discoveries in store just under an hour’s drive west of the Rance Valley, around the sparkling blue expanse of the Bay of Saint-Brieuc in Hillion.

The quirky Myti’bus  – a kind of tractor-pulled wheeled wagon – takes you out on the sands at low tide to learn about the local bouchot mussel industry – the growing of these tasty little molluscs on ropes made of biodegradable fibre, wound around wooden stakes driven into the sand (a tangible example of locals’ eco-responsible attitude and respect for nature).

You can judge for yourself how delicious they are, served with hot salty chips, at the Cabane de Mytilus, where they’re served on a terrace with direct access to the beach. Mytilus is a family run mussel farm and harvesting these shellfish is a tradition that has gone back for generation here.

Meanwhile, at the Char à Bancs in Plélo 10 minutes from Saint-Brieuc, it’s all about the traditional meat stew with cabbage that is always simmering on the hob. Utterly unique, this farmhouse consists of the Char à Bancs inn and the Maison des Lamour B&B with five rooms, as well as a grocery and curiosity shop within gardens and woods with a river. It is a model of simple hospitality done well, far removed from mass tourism.

Photo credits: Remedios Valls, Emmanuel Berthier, Au Char à Bancs

From your base at La Maison des Lamour, it will take you less than 20 minutes to reach the coast at Plouha, where, in autumn and winter, you can boost your endorphin levels and your immune system by ice-swimming in 8°C water in the open sea. The sessions with locals Marc-Henri and Paul will begin with a warming drink as you get to know each other, a taking of your blood pressure, a warm-up and some relaxation exercises, before you take to the waves for 15 minutes. The result is a clear mind and a fantastic sense of achievement and camaraderie.

If cold water isn’t your bag, or you’re here at a different time of year, you can experience the coast in other ways. The Sentier des Douaniers (Customs Officers’ Path), for instance, runs alongside protected beaches and the rugged shoreline. Among its highlights are the lesser-known little port of Binic with its long stone jetty and harbour beach fringed with green-painted beach huts and pine trees.

It’s part of the long-distance GR34 coast hiking trail that runs along almost the entire coast of the Brittany region and also includes a section around the Pointe du Raz, the dramatic headland extending into the Atlantic from western Brittany.

Photo credits: L’œil de Paco, Thibault Poriel

Only half a hour by road north of Binic and Plouha, the fishing and oyster farming port of Paimpol with its quays, marina and old shipowners’ houses is best discovered in the company of passionate resident Ana. She is one of the many Bretons keen to share their sense of belonging and pride in being from this region. In doing so, they help visitors discover the territory from the inside and get right under its skin.

Ana’s tours take you in search of the maritime heritage of this fascinating town, including, on Tuesday mornings, its famous market featuring regional seafood such as locally farmed oysters and Loguivy-de-la-Mer’s blue lobster. There are also stalls selling other bay produce including Paimpol’s own famous cocos (green beans).

You can learn all about oyster cultivation in this part of the world by heading to the Huîtres Arin -La Ferme Marine Paimpolaise on the tip of Kerarzic, opposite the ruined maritime Abbey of Beauport (which is within walking distance). Here, the Arin family have cultivated three types of oyster (Kerarzic, Saint-Riom and Héaux de Bréhat) over four generations and serve them on-site in their own oyster bar with sunset views. You can also buy them from the shop to take home with you.

The same family welcomes you in Les Petites Maisons Arin: three beautifully renovated former fishermen’s houses right on the water’s edge, with glorious Bay of Paimpol views.

Photo credits: Alexandre Lamoureux, Les Petites Maisons Arin

From Paimpol, it’s around an hour-and-a-half drive to Roscoff  where Algoplus – founded by local sea lovers Monique Poulet and Michel Perzinsky – hosts tasting sessions and guided tours of its artisanal sea-canning factory to learn about the use of algae in its tasty rillettes, soups and mustards. 

As well as having the highest production of seaweed in all Europe, Roscoff was home to France’s first thalassotherapy centre, using sea water for therapeutic purposes. It’s also simply a compelling spot to explore, with a historic centre that evokes the wealth of its maritime trade in cloth, salt and wood, and in onions exported to England. Self-guided heritage walks can take you in search of all the highlights, and you can also discover more maritime history (and local wildlife including seals) by going out in a RIB boat run by Les Vagabonds de la Baie. At low tide, you can see oyster beds, while tours end with a look at crab and lobsters traps and a tasting of local seaweed.

Your base will be Chez Janie, an atmospheric little haven in the historic centre, with its own seafood brasserie. From here it’s just a few minutes to Roscoff’s ferry harbour for your homeward journey.

Photo credits: Loïc Lagarde, Alexandre Lamoureux