About Brittany (Bretagne)
Brittany (population 2.91 million) is the westernmost region of France (and Europe) and comprises the departments of Côtes-d'Armor (22), Finistère (29), Ille-et-Vilaine (35) and Morbihan (56). Brittany has some 3,000km (1,875mi) of Atlantic coast - over 25 per cent of the French coastline. The west coast is characterised by dramatic cliffs and rock formations, the north by attractive coves and tiny harbours, and the south has wide estuaries and long, sandy beaches.
Brittany is popular with sailors, although the sea is not without its dangers - all those who die at sea are supposed to meet in the Baie des Trépassés ('Bay of the Departed') near Douarnenez, from where they're ferried to a mythical island of the blessed! More than a third of French lighthouses are in Brittany - most of them in Finistére. The inland region, known as the Argoat ('land of woods'), is almost flat; only two ridges and a solitary peak rise above 250m (800ft), although the Bretons call them mountains - the Montagnes noires (Black Mountains), the Monts d'Arrée (Arée Mountains) and the Montagne de Locronan. Inland Brittany is also largely agricultural, unspoiled (some would say rather barren) and scenic, with delightful wooded valleys, lakes and moors.
In contrast with Normandy, Brittany is 55 per cent arable land and only 15 per cent grassland. Vegetables and fruit are the two main agricultural products, and the department of Ille-et-Villaine was France's biggest cider producer until the mid 20th century (when there were over 300 varieties of cider apples; today there are fewer than 100). The average Breton is reputed to drink over 300 litres of cider per year! Brittany is also a major producer of pork, poultry, milk and fish, as well as seaweed, which is used in food additives, fertilisers and cosmetics. Cancale is reputed to be a gastronomic Mecca, and the entire region is a paradise for seafood lovers. Local culinary specialities include croes and galettes (different types of pancake used for sweet and savoury fillings respectively), cotriade, a sort of paella without the rice (the Breton equivalent of bouillabaisse) and cervoise, a beer reputed to be the favourite drink of the Gauls (or Vikings, according to which history you read).
Brittany's population is just under 3 million and the regional capital, Rennes, is its largest city, having just over 200,000 inhabitants. The next largest town is Brest with around 155,000. Other main towns include Dinan, Dinard, Lorient, Quimper, Saint Brieuc, Saint-Malo, Vannes and Vitré. The local people (Bretons) are of Celtic origin with a rich maritime tradition and a unique culture (preserved mainly in the more isolated west). Proud and independent (they claim that Brittany is a country apart), they even have their own language which has been revived in recent years. Rennes University is a centre of Breton studies. Like Ireland, Brittany is a land of legend and folklore - the jagged coastline is said to have been carved out by the giant Gargantua, and the Forest of Broceliande is claimed to have been the hide-out of the Arthurian sorcerer Merlin. Traditional Breton costume is still worn on special occasions; one of the most colourful of these is the Fête des Filets bleus ('Festival of the Blue Nets'), which is held in the fishing village of Concarneau in August.
Brittany has long been a popular region for foreign buyers, particularly the British on account of its sea connections (via the ports of Roscoff and Saint-Malo, and the nearby Normandy ports of Caen and Cherbourg-Octeville) and similar climate and countryside, as well as their historical and cultural kinship. Britain in French is 'big Brittany' to distinguish it from the French region, which was founded by Cornish settlers fleeing Anglo-Saxon invaders in the fifth century. They took their language with them (curiously, Breton survives but Cornish doesn't) and remain proudly Celtic. It wasn't until 1532 that Brittany officially became part of France. There are also more recent cultural ties between the region and the UK with twinnings (e.g. Rennes with Exeter) and frequent cross-Channel exchanges. There's even the unlikely hot dog Breton, a sausage in a pancake, and Breton whisky, distilled at Lannion!
In fact, there has been an 'invasion' of British buyers in recent years, which has pushed up property prices but also helped to regenerate many previously moribund rural areas. Property is expensive on the coast, particularly around Quimper and Bénodet (an area known as the Pays Bigouden), and very expensive on the islands (many of which are inhabited by rich Parisians and French celebrities). The triangle of land between Dinan, Dinard and Saint-Malo is also popular, which is reflected in relatively high prices. The interior is quieter and cheaper (nowhere in Brittany is more than an hour's drive from the coast), although the extreme west coast of Finistére is also good value. In a wide-ranging survey of the 100 largest towns in France published in January 2002, Le Point magazine rated two Breton towns - Rennes (35) and Vannes (56) - among the country's twelve best places to live.
©Text by David Hampshire, from Survival Books' Buying a Home in France
