Enjoying life’s little pleasures in the Brittany countryside

Enjoy the pleasures of the Brittany countryside through all your senses! Experience new flavours in gardens peppered with edible flowers. Spend an authentic day on a working farm or travel to the heart of the salt marshes in search of wild birds. Want to re-energise yourself? Surrounded by waters or among a lush green backdrop, the choice is all yours! Here are some ideas on how to transport yourself into a bucolic setting to simply enjoy the moment.

In the blink of an eye

1. Taste edible flowers in Ploërmel

A Ploërmel

Hélène and Daniel Deniaud Powell spend hours outdoors working in their taste garden in Ploërmel. A delightful mixture of vegetables, fruits, herbs and edible flowers are grown here, surrounded by ancient oaks, cherry trees, hazel bushes and chestnuts, bordered by hedges. From March to October, “Floral Treats” themed walks give you a chance to try some unusual varieties of seeds, leaves and flowers. There are also regular practical gardening workshops, based on permaculture.

Des heures dehors

2. Sample cheeses on the farm in Suscinio

A Suscinio

If you want to see the cows, head for the Suscinio cheese farm on the Rhuys Peninsula. At the end of the afternoon you can watch the Breton Pie Noire cows being milked, and in the mornings you can see how the cheeses are made. The delicious Tome de Rhuys is among the cheeses made by Isabelle and Gurvan Bourvellec. Since spring 2018 is has been available to taste ‘on the farm’ on the big wooden tables at the “Pie Noir Café”. On the menu: cheese boards, rarebits and main dishes based on farm produce. A real taste of Brittany in a friendly atmosphere!

Ferme fromagère de Suscino

Ideas

The inratables of the summer, the place to be to treat yourself to a seafood platter, the best views on the GR®34, the best spots to start surfing… in short, all the good...

3. Take time out in the Lamour Valley

A Plélo

Overlooking the Leff valley at Piélo, 10 minutes from Saint-Brieuc, the Maison des Lamour makes you want to slow down. These former farm buildings are surrounded by 30 hectares of garden, woods and river and offer five charming B&B rooms and three cottages, all designed as « guest rooms ». The overall style is vintage French, with lots of nice little details: bird-cages, zinc watering-cans, old family portraits, a chemist’s weighing-scales transformed into a bedside table, etc. The Maison des Lamour is a farmhouse inn with the “Char à Banc” label, where a traditional meat stew with cabbage is always simmering on the hob. It’s also a grocery and curiosity shop.

La Maison des Lamour

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4. Sail a traditional barge on the Canal du Blavet

Canal du Blavet

For a really retro experience, sail the Canal du Blavet on a “cahotier”, a traditional boat found on Brittany’s canals. The boat is moored at the Boutique de l’Écluse, a restored lock-keeper’s cottage at Saint-Nicolas-des-eaux. Cast off for a peaceful cruise or stay at the quayside for a holiday with a difference. The Boutique de l’Écluse also rents out boats and electric bikes and has a charming grocer’s shop, where the counters are full of local produce, bread, sandwiches, etc.

Cahotier price: from €150 for a weekend (staying at the quayside) or €1,475 per week (cruising)

Aventure fluviale

5. Bird-watching in the Brière marshes

En marais de Brière

White plumage, black wing-tips, red legs and beak… you can’t miss the white stork in the Brière marshes, the second largest marshland in France. From the top of the pylons where it makes its nest, the stork has unrivalled views over the water meadows, its favourite haunt. Bluethroat, black tern, Savi’s warbler and spoonbill are other typical species that breed in this Regional Natural Park. There are eight signposted routes that allow you to see them close up.

Parc naturel régional de Brière