Property Brittany - Buy, Rent & Stay in Brittany, France

Brittany (Bretagne)

Brittany is made up of three Départements, which are the French equivalents of English counties. Côtes d'Armor (22), Finistère (29), Ille-et-Vilaine (35), Morbihan (56)

The Region::

Brittany (Bretagne), occupies the rugged western tip of France and is surrounded on three sides by 1110kms of varied coastline. There are rugged cliffs dotted with lighthouses, wide estuaries, islands and islets where bird life is protected and picturesque harbours with strong maritime traditions. There are many white sandy beaches and pretty coves, ideal for bathing. Sailing and windsurfing are popular and some of the best scuba-diving in France can be found.. The climate is mild because of the Gulf Stream but its Atlantic exposure means that winters can be wet, very windy and bitterly cold.

Ferry links at Roscoff, St Malo and the nearby ports in Normandy have made this an area very popular with UK holiday-makers and second home owners. It's also very popular with French holiday makers and in the summer months the beaches and attractive seaside towns such as Dinard, Vannes and Dinan are teeming with tourists.

The region is described as two lands - Armor meaning "land of the sea" and Argoat, at the interior, meaning "land of the woods". While the coastline gets plenty of visitors, much of the inland is unexplored with some parts surprisingly remote and depopulated. For those venturing inland there are plenty of lovely areas to be found, such as around Heulgoat, known for its enchanting forests, which is becoming more and more popular with second-home buyers.

An ideal way to explore inland Brittany is along its waterways. The Canal network of Brittany can carry you far through the area and it is possible to travel down into France through the canals. Pleasant trips are between St Malo and Dinan and Rennes and Redon, the latter having a museum devoted to the inland waterways at the Quai Jean-Bart. 

Stone has always dominated the region's landscape. All over Brittany stone circles and mysterious megaliths can be found. Houses in Brittany are built in the traditional pink, grey and black stones with slate roofs. The Côte de Granit Rose is particularly known as a land of pink stone and the pink granite rocks along the coast have been eroded into fantastic shapes.

For many years the people of Brittany, Bretons, have seen themselves as inhabiting a country separate from France and some still speak the Breton language. Traditional Breton customs are most evident in the far western half of the peninsular, particularly in Cornouaille on the south-western tip. Breton costume is often still worn on special occasions. The eastern half (around St. Malo) has retained little in the traditional way of life.

Brittany is considered France's number one agricultural and fishing region, accounting for 10% of national production. Typical Breton produce includes:

• "Camus" Artichokes
• Cauliflower
• Coco de Paimpol - white haricot type bean
• Plougastel strawberries
• Shalots
• Redon chestnuts
• Reinette apples - sweet rosy red variety
• Roscoff Onions - these were the variety sold by "Onion Johnies" who travelled around England selling strings of onions from their bicycles
• Vraic potatoes - potatoes fertilized with sea weed
• Shell Fish - winkles (bigorneaux) whelks (bulots), oysters - in particular from Cancale although Belon and Paimpol also farm these, "langoustine" (large fresh water prawn - sweet tasting delicate meat),
• Lobsters
• Crabs-  spider (araignée in France) and Common crab - chancre in Jersey and tourteau in France)

Breton Specialities:

• Cider and drinks made from cider such as Pommeau which is sweet drink a little like an apple sherry
• Chouchen - "hydromel" which is made from honey.
• Crepes Dentelles - very light crispy biscuit - a variety of which has been marketed extensively under  the brand name "Gavotte".
• Far Breton - a flan filled with egg custard and prunes -
• Galettes -   buck wheat pancakes (black flour used for these savoury galletes) and crepes, pancakes made from white flour.  The former are always filled with savoury filings and the latter are both desserts or have savoury filling.  Galette Sausice are sold from vans or produced at fetes frequently and are barbecued sausages with a galette wrapped round them.  You can purchase a "double" which is a double galette not sausage.  Mustard and tomato sauce are available to be added.
• Guémené Andouille (peppery pork sausage)
• Kouign-amann  - a buttery cake made from bead dough which can be plain or with almonds
• "Lait Ribot" is a sour full cream milk and frequently drunk when eating galettes or crepes
• Seawater beer
• Traou Mad - a flat biscuit

There's also a good deal of industrial activity in Brittany and local authorities have embarked on a campaign to promote the development of advanced technologies. The capital, Rennes, (see below) is an international centre for telecommunications research. Tourism is, of course, extremely important to the region's economy.

Population

Population: 2,906,197 Pop.density (people per km2): 107

Three principal towns:

Rennes (272,263)

The ancient capital of Brittany, Rennes, is full of neo-classical and rather pompous major buildings. Enthusiasts of medieval architecture will find little to excite them here as much of Rennes was destroyed in 1720 by a major fire. It is, however, a good place to seek employment as a great deal of development is happening in the fields of information technology, telecommunications, agro-industries, biotechnology, nutrition and the environment.

Brest (210,055)

Set in a magnificent natural harbour, Brest has an important role in war times and, during peace it's a place of trade. The French Atlantic Fleet is based here as its dry dock accommodates ships of up to 50,000 tonnes. During World War II it was constantly bombed to prevent Germany using it as a submarine base. When it was liberated in 1944 the Americans arrived to find it destroyed beyond recognition. The postwar architecture is bleak and the town has little to offer tourists.

St-Brieuc (85,849)

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