Brittany: France's cote of many colours

Le Pouliquen, Brittany. Photo / Betty Chetwynd

Think of beaches in France and the stony tourist-traps of Nice, Cannes and St Tropez come to mind. But head for Brittany's unspoiled La Cote D'Amour with its white-sand beaches, quaint villages and fabulous food and you're bound to fall in love, just like the name says.

La Cote D'Amour is three hours west of Paris by TGV, on France's Atlantic coast, near the mouth of the Loire River. The place to head for is the Guerande peninsula and the towns of La Baule, Le Pouliguen and Le Croisic.

The beach at La Baule is said by Europeans to be the best in Europe. And after you've clapped eyes on the 8km-long crescent-shaped bay and its fine white sand, you would have to agree. It's a stunner to equal any of New Zealand's North Island east coast beaches.

But what makes La Baule even more appealing is the juxtaposition of the Bondi-like beach with its quaint old village, markets, boutiques and narrow streets.

La Baule is more of a local's holiday spot, and with few non-French-speaking voices to be heard, you feel, justifiably, that you've discovered something new.

It doesn't appear to have suffered the mass tourist invasions which have blighted the French Riviera.

Our French friends told us that the French are not very sporty, but this did not seem to be the case when we visited, as the locals were staging a frisbee-throwing competition and the beach was a hive of competitive activity.

Nearby Le Pouliguen is an old fishing village. Catches include fresh crabs, oysters and sardines, which are far tastier than the tinned variety we are used to. If you get the chance, try barbecued sardines - c'est magnifique!

Le Pouliguen's scenic, rocky coast is a great place to bike, walk, or just sit. Biking from le Pouliguen to La Baule is easy and well worth the effort. And the gigantic old pine trees planted among the local holiday cottages make you feel right at home.

Then there is Le Croisic. With its salt marshes which, our local friends say, are ancient agricultural systems (around 1000 years old), Le Croisic is a fascinating study. The harvesting of top-quality sea salt from the criss-crossed salt fields with an old-fashioned rake-like tool is fascinating to watch.

Needless to say, you can't leave the Love Coast without sampling the local crepes. In Brittany, this means asking for galette. If you like crepes, you will love galette.

Traditional Breton galette is a savoury crepe made with buckwheat flour and is thin, wide, and brown-coloured. Our friends like it unfilled, with just melted butter to flavour, or they eat it, as we did, with ham, cheese and an egg folded inside. Scrumptious.

And to accompany the galette, locals drink teacups of cider, which we decided may be an acquired taste.

La Cote D'Amour is well worth a detour from traditional French tourist spots.We are still in love. We can't wait to return.

Checklist

Brittany

Getting there

Air New Zealand flies daily to London, with connections to the rest of Europe through its Star Alliance partners. Go to www.airnz.co.nz. TGV fast trains go from Paris Montparnasse to La Baule-Escoublac station in three hours. Or you could hire a car in Paris and drive to La Baule on the A11, which takes approximately 4-5 hours.

Where to stay

You can either stay in Le Pouliguen or La Baule. See www.expedia.co.nz for hotel rates.

Further information

* For sightseeing and accommodation information, take a look at www.labaule.com/tourisme/histoire.php?lang=en