August/September 2024 – GR34 St Brieuc to Treguier, Brittany

Having completed the section St Brieuc to Mont St Michel in 2012 and Morlaix to Treguier in 2017 it was time to complete the middle section from St Brieuc to Treguier.  Why that way round? The new guidebook did it that way.

Richard W and I from the previous two trips, were joined for this one by David K.  Richard W and David K did all but one of the accommodation bookings – this was a challenge – and I just did St Malo YH.  My fears of us having to share a double bed proved unfounded although in one place the TV sofa had to be converted into a bed – well done Richard W.

Slightly more of a problem was finding somewhere or something to eat.  For three nights in self-catering accommodation, we had our own provisions supplemented by some items supplied by our hosts and we also got fresh croissants from the boulangerie. One dinner in Pleubian came from the equivalent of a local chip and burger place and in L’Armor we had to return to a mobile creperie and galette van in Quebo. One night, we had dinner en route to our accommodation at Rosaires beach but on two nights we had to walk over a mile back to places to eat.

Plenty of sea food featured on the menus which included a couple of SE Asian themed meals when we were in St Quay-Portrieux.  Here some of the streets in the old town were closed to traffic in the evenings to enable restaurants to put out tables – the same in Paimpol.

We covered about 150km over the 13 days of the trip, staying in a variety of accommodation from Yurts to ensuite rooms for one. In Paimpol and Binic the hotels overlooked the harbours.

Richard and David swam most days in rivers, the sea or salt water pools filled by the tide and weatherwise the first week was generally warm and dry, around 20C, but the second week was cooler and wetter with most rain falling overnight.

Our French was tested to its limits at times – particularly in more rural areas.

The walking was varied – alongside river estuaries, sandy beaches or coastline, sometimes up to 100m above the water, with one day involving about 900m of ups and downs, some quite steep, some scrambling over rocks and also out on a long shingle spit, the Sillon de Tarbet. The scenery on the coast was superb. The French markets were full of wares and fresh produce.  The cliff part was part of the Route de Falaises.

Local buses - €2.50 or €2.00 proved useful and we caught trains from St Malo to St Brieuc and from Paimpol back to St Malo.  Not cheap because we did not book until the day. And finally, the ferry, MV Bretagne, which has just been retired from service took us from Portsmouth to St Malo and back. It was a complex trip to plan, but well worth the hard work.

Michael Merritt

Trip leader