Coasting Along

With a dramatic pink granite coastline, historical towns and seaside resorts, Brittany’s Côtes-d’Armor is a beautiful and friendly department, as Janine Marsh discovers

- Janine Marsh

The department of Côtes-d’Armor (known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990), on the north coast of Brittany, has been a favorite with the British since the 19th century when holidaymakers discovered the charms of Dinard’s beaches, Paimpol’s oysters and St-Malo, where the cobbled streets and old buildings take you back to the days when it was popular as a pirates’ den.

It’s a department that’s brimming with fishing villages, seaside resorts and lush countryside peppered with pretty hamlets and historic towns.

It’s an easy area to get to with international airports at Dinard, Rennes (Brittany’s capital) and Nantes in neighbouring Pays de la Loire (but easy to reach); plus there are ferry ports at Roscoff, St-Malo, Cherbourg, Caen, and Le Havre.

RICH HERITAGE

Brittany is often likened to Wales. It’s a cliché but, in some ways, it’s true. The Bretons came from Wales and England in the 5th century and brought their Celtic language with them. Brittany then was a Duchy, an independent kingdom, and remained so until Claude, the daughter of Duchess Anne of Brittany, married the future King of France, Francois I and ceded her rights to him in the 16th century.

To this day, Bretons are fiercely proud of their language and heritage, of their legends and folklore, dance and music. You’ll see road signs in both French and Breton, though you’ll never see a sign for a toll road. The locals will tell you that Duchess Anne insisted that “no toll shall ever be levied on either road or bridge” in Brittany, and they have kept her promise.

The department hosts many festivals that celebrate Breton culture including the annual Festival de la Danse Bretonne et de la Saint-Loup at Guingamp, which brings together 2,500 performers from all over Brittany and the Celtic countries.

STUNNING COASTLINE