Circuit around the coast of Brittany by The Sentier des Douaniers

It's got the lot: a unique current, an incredible soundtrack and intoxicating aromas. The wind blows off the sea, you go down without ever seeing the beach. First of all, you smell the sea, then hear it, and then, finally, you see it. The beach opens up like the doors of a cathedral. It is incredibly beautiful. This is also the site, at Rozven, of Colette's house. This is where she wrote Le blé en herbein 1923.

Crossing the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel is quite an experience! You need to come at low tide or during the spring tides in order to explore these (moving) sandy moors and get closer to scenery like no other in the world. Crossing with a guide allows you to avoid the dangers and discover the special history of the bay's fishermen, hunters, monks, plants, and even birds, which sometimes arrive from as far away as Siberia. 

île Milliau is a small island which seems to float in the sea, a stone's throw away from Trébeurden. It can be reached at low tide via the Passage du Gois (watch out for the tides!). With a little luck, you might find some wild orchids on the island.

The Sentier des Douaniers is a gigantic herbarium: campion, wild sorrel, burnet, wild fennel, anise, glasswort, saltbush and sea purslane. You can find all kinds of smells and flavours. On the shore you can also collect seaweed, from laver to dulse and sea lettuce. This marine garden is incredibly rich, but most people are unaware of it…

A few kilometres from Morlaix, take a brief detour from the Sentier des Douaniers to discover the magnificent parish close of Saint-Thégonnec. Completed in 1610, its impressive calvary illustrates the Passion and the Resurrection of Christ. The sculpture was made possible by donations from villagers who had made their fortunes in horse breeding and fabric production.

Morlaix is the only town in Brittany where you can still find these half-timbered houses, which were built in the 16th century by rich linen merchants. The Maison à Pondalez at number 9 Grand rue, with its street-facing corbelled facade, is a rare surviving illustration of the golden age of the town.

At the western end of Cornouaille, you'll discover a jagged coastline beaten by currents and sea foam. Facing the fearsome Raz de Sein, these high cliffs covered with moors are classified as a Grand Site of France. Here, you'll abandon yourselves to the elements, staggering against the winds. Even the herring gulls seem hesitant. Only the silhouettes of the lighthouses of La Vieille and Sein Island stand out in this completely rugged stony landscape.

Sein is much more than a tiny piece of land off the Pointe du Raz... it's one of the most enchanting islands on the Atlantic coast! With no water source, no trees or cultivated fields, the island will charm you nevertheless with its colorful houses and moorland landscapes. Entirely turned towards the sea, its islanders are fishermen or rescuers watching over the treacherous currents. Here, you'll become intensely aware of the scent of the sea spray, the special light that loses itself between the sea and the horizon, and the waves as they roll over the smooth beach stones...

Audierne is one of the fifteen ports in Brittany which still have a fish auction. No one knows how much longer it will continue. The fishermen are now a minority compared with the armada of recreational boaters. However, there are about twenty vessels which still practise line-fishing, one of the most beautiful and most dangerous types of fishing.

Through model ships, old maps, prints and porcelain, this museum describes the splendid history of the trading companies which unloaded their wares, direct from Africa and Asia, onto the docks of Lorient in the 17th and 18th centuries. A visit to the museum is also a voyage into the world of spices...