Experience a unique holiday away from the masses in Brittany.

Beach or wood, culture or sport, oysters or crêpes? Brittany entices with its manifold choices. The coastline of Brittany is one of the most scenic and varied in the World. The craggy coastal scenery stretches for over 1,200 km and offers, according to the area you are in: long, fine, sandy beaches, dunes, small bathing bays, pink granite beaches, steep fjord–like indentations, hundreds of offshore islands, idyllic harbour towns or elegant spas. The most natural and imposing area is northern Brittany while the south offers almost Mediterranean vegetation. The face of Brittany’s coastline changes amazingly twice daily with the tide’s movement. Surf and waves give way to roomy, ebb-tide beaches inviting exploration.

While the children dig happily for hours in the sand or fly their kites on the steady west wind, you can collect mussels for your evening meal – or just sit in the sun breathing the wonderful iodine air as you gaze out over the sea. Surfers ride with the waves, sailing boots glide by and fishermen compare their catch. Even the weather likes to change during the course of the day although, thanks to the mild climate, there is neither extreme cold nor heat in Brittany. That is why out of season Brittany –outside the French holidays in July and August - is so attractive.

Should the weather be less than perfect for sunbathing or you want a change from beach-life, diving, fishing, sailing or surfing, you can still move inwards to the undulating woodland and choose between hiking, cycling, riding, coach driving or a boating trip on the canals between the north and south coasts. In the untouched, quiet woods of the Argoat you will cross the trail of the mysterious history of Brittany: prehistoric and Celtic monuments as well as the grave of Merlin the wizard. Here, near the main town of Rennes, King Arthur and his knights searched for the Holy Grail and it is said that fairies and druids once lived in the magical Forest of Paimpont.

By Iris Junker