A revitalising hike with friends along the ‘Coast of Legends’ in Brittany

Welcome to Morlaix, an iconic port town nestled between two valleys and guarded by a 19th century viaduct. Before you embark on an adventure along the GR34 hiking trail, take the time to explore Morlaix. Take a stroll along the docks and then lose yourselves in the narrow streets of the old town, where the cobbled streets are lined with half-timbered houses and Romanesque and Gothic-style buildings.

The Tourist Office has plenty of suggestions for walking tours to discover the architectural treasures of the town, including the famous houses in Pondalez, which are local treasures from the 16th century. Don’t miss the main pedestrian street lined with shops. This is the perfect place to pick up a nautical jumper and some specialities of Brittany for your picnics over the next few days: mackerel rillettes (sort of pâté), scallops, salted butter, cider and freshly made crêpes. 

End your day at one of the crêperies (pancake houses) in the town, unless you would prefer the welcoming atmosphere of the Grand Café de la Terrasse, a real institution at the Place des Otages, decorated in the style of the ‘Belle Epoque’ with oversized gilded mirrors and red bench seats. 

Where to stay? At the Hôtel du Port, near the viaduct and the cultural venue at the former tobacco factory. This is also the best location to start your hike the following morning.

Your hike can finally begin! It’s time to head to the oh so chic seaside resort of Carentec along the headland. You’ll enjoy following the winding Morlaix river which widens as it approaches the sea. This is the land of the seaweed gatherers, oyster farmers and farmer-sailors, with a typical mix of forests and cattle fields, small harbours and villages with slate-roof houses that are so characteristic of Brittany. 

Halfway, you’ll come to the beautiful little town of Locquénolé where the houses have been built on a wooded slope between the pebble beach and the knotted trunk of a several hundred year old ‘Tree of Liberty’. Take the time to wander around, visit the 17th century church and why not stop for a picnic at Dourduff marina, overlooking the sea?

After walking around the headland and having taken the time to admire the views of Morlaix Bay and the mouth of the river with the posts from the oyster farms laid out in rows here and there, you’ll arrive in Carantec, one of the prettiest and most elegant seaside resorts in northern Finistère. 

The customs officer’s trail (coastal path) runs all the way around the peninsula, with some unforgettable views of the Château du Taureau (a fortress-island designed by Vauban), Louët island (with white lighthouse and little lighthouse keeper’s house available to book for weekend breaks), the Pointe de la Chaise du Curé, Callot island and the marina that can be reached at low tide (make sure you don’t get stuck on the island when the tide comes back in. The timetable for passage times is on display at the entrance to the road over to the island). 

By this time, you’ll be feeling peckish… In Carantec, enjoy a meal at one of the many restaurants, such as Ty Pot, a welcoming bistro serving delicious dishes in a friendly atmosphere. 

Where to stay? There are plenty of cosy bed & breakfasts and hotels in Carantec, such as the Hôtel de la Baie de Morlaix, a three-star hotel in the town centre with modern decoration and touches of bright colours, where you are guaranteed a relaxing and comfortable stay.

From Carantec to the harbour in Roscoff, the scenery opens out onto the leading vegetable producing region in France, with tomato greenhouses, fields of onions, potatoes and cauliflowers all around. The coast dips into a hollow once again where the Penzé river passes through, and this is a popular place to moor sailing boats in stormy weather. The light here is constantly changing, and the shore is revealed momentarily as the tide goes out and then comes back in again. 

After crossing the Pont de la Corde and having admired the houses with blue shutters in the village down below, you’ll be walking along the coast to Saint-Pol-de-Léon, a picturesque bishopric town with beautiful stately homes made from granite. If you’re brave enough to walk up to the town centre, you can admire the stunning 13th century cathedral there (recently restored), as well as the chapel with 80-metre-high bell tower overlooking the fields. 

Enjoy a picnic on one of the beaches of the Sainte-Anne islet and admire the beautiful views of  Carantec and Callot island, or go for lunch at one of the restaurants in the town such as Quai Ouest where you can expect tasty dishes, and a superb sea view at this restaurant on the water’s edge. This restaurant has a partnership with a local cooperative to avoid food waste and a set menu made using fresh products (starter-main course-dessert) costs less than €12. Pretty good, don’t you think?

A brisk walk after lunch and you’ll arrive in Roscoff. This ancient corsair town is a seaside resort, fishing port, marina and commercial port all rolled into one, with a pretty seafront and cobbled streets lined with elegant granite houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s a great place to go for a leisurely stroll with the sea air on your face, as you visit the stunning and very colourful Gothic-style church, admire the little statues sculpted onto the façades, browse around the shops selling nautical items, and drool over the mouthwatering displays at the crêperies. 

Where to stay? The Mercure hotel is an elegant, granite building with cosy rooms, most of which have a view of the sea, the Isle of Batz and the famous boom of the corsair town. 

It’s time to make your way to the Isle of Batz, just 3 km from Roscoff. The Isle of Batz can be reached all day round in just ten minutes by boat, and it is so close to the Brittany coast that it is like a miniature version of the entire region, a nautical land bordered by beaches that are linked to one another by bars of granite and polished pebbles. This island-vegetable garden is criss-crossed with sandy fields growing carrots, cauliflowers and potatoes that flourish thanks to ‘goémon’ seaweed, and the gardens filled with agave, yucca and cacti reflect the island’s mild microclimate. 

It is possible to walk around the island or you can choose to hire bikes which will make it easier for you to explore this typical island of Brittany, which is 3.5 km long. 

If you follow the coast towards the east, you’ll come to the stunning Jardin George Delaselle, an oasis of greenery sheltered from the wind by a halo of dunes. This place is a bucolic masterpiece where more than 2,500 species from all five continents (the majority of which are from the southern hemisphere) flourish. In this landscaped garden, the exotic plants, palm trees, cacti and ocean of cordyline are all a beautiful, colourful invitation to lose yourself in a daydream. 

After exploring along the north coast where the horses peacefully graze in the fields of salty grass, you’ll reach the west of the island, which is wilder and more granite-based. Take a seat out on the terrace of the Crêperie du Phare and treat yourselves to some specialities of Brittany with a view of the sea. 

Where to stay? We absolutely recommend staying at Herbes Folles, a hotel-restaurant bursting with charm near the jetty.

Back in Roscoff, you’ll be back walking along the GR34, on the customs officer’s trail once again that was built in the 18th century to stop smugglers. The customs officers who would once walk these paths would have been able to monitor any illegal arrivals of goods on the coast of Brittany, and this is why today, you’ll see former guard houses camouflaged in the rocks along these paths. 

After walking around Perharidy peninsula in the shade of the maritime pines, and having explored the seaside resort of Santec-sur-Mer, you'll come to the huge Dossen beach. 

Dossen is heaven-on-earth for horse riders and for sand yachting at low tide, and is also a popular location for windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing. It’s a fantastic sight watching all the sportsmen and women bravely taking to the cool waters. Does that sound tempting? 

After that, it’s time to head into the dunes for a picnic. If you don’t fancy a sandwich, make your way to Beach Break, a very welcoming place that serves pancakes, tapas and a selection of homemade dishes with a view out to sea, of the waves and Sieck island. 

Then, go back and walk along the dunes, past the Horn and Guillec rivers, where you might catch a glimpse of sea birds including oystercatchers, egrets and Kentish plovers. 

As you walk towards Moguériec, take a short detour via the Château de Kerouzéré, a 15th century treasure listed as a Historic Monument. This is the only fortress from this period to visit in Finistère. This castle is in excellent condition, with three round towers with crenellations, machicolations and conical roof, cut stone walls and curtain walls with arrow slits.  

Just a short walk from there and you’ll arrive in Moguériec, a typical little fishing harbour. In stormy weather, the sight of the waves crashing up against the seawall that protects the fishing boats is spectacular. This section of the coast is particularly battered by the elements as it is not sheltered by the islands. The swell pummels the coastline, turning it into an area of jagged granite rock.  

Where to stay? At La Marine because it is the only hotel here! Luckily it’s a great place to stay as it is on the seafront, is very comfortable and also provides authentic cuisine made using local products. What more can you ask for? 

Around Moguériec, there are less houses along the coastline as you enter a part of Brittany that is much wilder and untouched. This is what gives this section of the coast its charm and beauty, and explains the nickname, the ‘Coast of Legends’. Each time you turn a corner, you half expect to see a korrigan (mythical creature from Brittany folklore). But you’re more likely to come across surfers, with a smile on their faces and a surfboard under their arms!

As you continue west, you’ll also come to some beautiful sandy beaches that look like they’ve been transported straight from the Maldives! We’d quite happily laze on Amiets beach all day long, and this is a great place to stop off for a break, unless you’d prefer to carry on to the stunning sandy Kerfissien beach. 

After this break surrounded by the grasses in the dunes, make your way to the classified seaside resort of Plouescat. You’ll enjoy taking a moment to admire the seafront that stretches for almost 13 km, dotted with dunes and blocks of granite shaped into strange, poetic forms that arouse the imagination. In a region that is well-known for its extensive vegetable production, this beautiful town will take you by surprise with its stunning 16th century indoor market halls with wooden framework. 

Where to stay? We recommend the Hôtel Spa Côte des Sables that has so much to offer, including spacious rooms with a view of the superb Kernic bay, a spa to ease any muscle pain and a restaurant with a fantastic atmosphere to taste some of the local specialities.  

After walking around Kernic bay, across the soft sand on Porsmeur and Porsguen beaches, it’s time to embark upon the final section of your hike along the ‘Coast of Legends’. From here, you will be surrounded by rolling dunes and sand blowing here and there in the breeze.

As you walk towards Goulven bay, the vast Keremma dunes go on for more than 6 km, continually shaped by the wind and the currents. This is a magical place set between land and sea, dotted with long white sandy beaches, small lakes and salt marshes with little egrets roaming about. The dunes are owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral (French Coastal Protection Agency) and they work to preserve the biodiversity of this area. 

Would you like to know more about this region and its wildlife? Then stop by ‘La Maison des Dunes et de la Randonnée’, a visitor’s centre that will provide details of an educational trail, guided tours and walking tours. 

To celebrate this final section of your adventure in Brittany, head to the Saint Goulven crêperie. This welcoming restaurant is set in the midst of a flowery farm and surrounded by animals, and serves delicious sweet pancakes (crêpes) and savoury buckwheat pancakes (galettes), as well as a selection of regional dishes including farm veal stew, buckwheat tart with shallots, roast pork with cider and the famous kig ha farz of Brittany (book in advance for the last dish). 

Follow the customs officer’s trail as far as Brignogan-Plages, a charming seaside resort. Take this opportunity to admire the beautiful villas along the seafront, Pontusval lighthouse, Pol chapel and the mystical Men Marz menhir. The perfect way to round off this revitalising hike.

Visit La Bretagne

Further reading : 

• 5 itinéraires pour sillonner la Bretagne à vélo