Camping breaks in Brittany
Going camping is a great way to visit and explore a country, or a part of it at least. You can take the holiday at a pace that suits you and move when you feel like it or if the weather isn’t great where you are. Moving on a couple of hours in the car, you can find yourself in a totally different region with a different climate and different places to explore.
Brittany in the north west corner of France is a great place to go camping, especially if you enjoy being near the coast. In Brittany, you’re never far from the sea, and its coastline makes up a quarter of the total length of France’s coastline. Even though you can travel from one end of the region to the other in a couple of hours, the terrain is varied and beautiful wherever you go. In the middle of the region, you’ll find rolling hills, forests and big freshwater lakes, and a heritage connected to the myths and legends of King Arthur.
To the north, there’s the famous pink granite coastline, with dramatic cliffs that have a Cornish flavour to them. And down to the south, there are the calm bays of the Golfe de Morbihan as well as the cote sauvage of the peninsula Quiberon. Out to the west, the second city of Brittany is Brest and Finistère has a huge number of lighthouses. In fact, Brittany is home to a third of all French lighthouses.
There are plenty of campsites, including big commercial ones near the main seaside resorts like Carnac, catering to tourists from France and further afield. There are also many quiet camping municipals – which are owned and run by each commune. These have more basic facilities, but are well maintained and reasonably priced.
What to take
As Brittany is a coastal region, you really can experience several types of weather in one day – so come prepared for rain as well as sunshine! Of course, camping is one of the great French family traditions, so if you forget any camping equipment, you’ll easily find what you need in the local hypermarché. You’ll need good quality sleeping bags as temperatures drop quickly in the evenings even in mid-summer, and mens fleece jackets are a must for keeping warm while hiking along some of the spectacular coastal paths.
