Eastern Brittany and the north coast

Walled with the same grey granite stone as Mont St-Michel, the elegant, ancient, and beautifully positioned city of St-Malo was originally a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance, controlling not only the estuary but also the open sea beyond. Now inseparably attached to the mainland, it’s the most visited place in Brittany, thanks partly to its superb old citadelle and partly to its ferry service to England, and the lively streets that lie within the walls – the area known as intra-muros – are packed with restaurants, bars and shops. Yes, the summer crowds can be oppressive, but even then a stroll atop the walls should restore your equilibrium, while the vast, clean beaches beyond are a huge bonus, especially if you’re travelling with kids.

The delightful harbour village of Cancale, across the peninsula less than 15km east of St-Malo, is not so much a one-horse as a one-mollusc town – the whole place is obsessed with the oyster, and with “ostréiculture”. It consists of two distinct halves: the old town up on the hill, and the very pretty and smart port area of La Houle down below. Glass-fronted hotels and restaurants stretch the length of the waterfront, always busy with visitors, while fishing boats bob in the harbour itself. At its northern end, demarcated by a stone jetty, local women sell fresh oysters by the dozen from stalls with bright striped canvas awnings.

The wonderful citadel of Dinan, 30km south of St-Malo just before the river Rance begins to broaden towards the sea, has preserved almost intact its 3km encirclement of protective masonry, along with street upon colourful street of late medieval houses. However, despite its slightly unreal perfection, it’s seldom overrun with tourists. There are no essential museums, the most memorable architecture is vernacular rather than monumental, and time is most easily spent wandering from crêperie to café and down to the pretty port. At the end of July, every other (even-numbered) year, the Fête des Remparts is celebrated with medieval-style jousting, banquets, fairs and processions, culminating in an immense fireworks display.

The splendidly attractive Côte d’Émeraude, east of St-Malo, is one of Brittany’s most traditional family resort areas, with old-fashioned holiday towns, and safe sandy beaches. It also offers wonderful camping, at its best around the heather-backed beaches near Cap Fréhel, a high, warm expanse of heath and cliffs where views can extend as far as Jersey and the Île de Bréhat.

The northernmost stretch of the Breton coast, between Bréhat and Ploumanac’h, has loosely come to be known as the Côte de Granit Rose. Great pink-granite boulders jut from the sea around the island of Bréhat, and are scattered along the various headlands to the west. Perhaps the most memorable stretch of coast lies north of Tréguier, where the pink-granite rocks are eroded into fantastic shapes.

Perhaps the best-known photographic image of Brittany is of a small seafront cottage somehow squeezed between two mighty pink-granite boulders. Surprisingly few visitors, however, see the house in real life. It stands just 2km out from the village of Plougrescant in Eastern Brittany. The precise spot tends to be marked on regional maps as either Le Gouffre or Le Gouffre du Castel-Meuru. Although you can’t visit the cottage itself – which actually faces inland, across a small sheltered bay, with its back to the open sea – the shoreline nearby offers superb short walks, and a summer-only café sells snacks.