Walking on the Granite Coast of Brittany, France

With its own language and the highly Celtic aspects of its culture, Brittany can often feel like a separate country, which is not surprising given its relative geographical isolation and several centuries of independent rule in the Middle Ages. The coast is defined by its diversity of landscapes, from peaceful, wooded estuaries to craggy bays with their pink granite rocks weathered into weird and wonderful shapes. You will pass through pretty villages like Pleubian and Trequier, walk along rivers and catch breath-taking vistas of Sept Iles. This week long walking holiday will take you on tracks, coastal paths and quiet country lanes in this distinctive and beautiful scenery. It mainly follows the well-waymarked GR long-distance path, and though you cover up to 15 kilometres a day (about four hours' walking), the going is gentle and mostly flat. You can kick back and enjoy the delicious fish and seafood delicacies at the hotels after a long day's walking.

Accommodation:

Le Troezel Vras, Troezel Vras This delightful 17th-century manor farmhouse offers comfortable rooms and delicious country cooking.

Hotel Aigue Marine, Tréguier This is a modern hotel overlooking the marina and equipped with a sauna, jacuzzi and outdoor pool.

Manoir du Sphinx, Perros-Guirec Converted from an early 20th-century villa set on a cliff, this very welcoming hotel with an excellent seafood restaurant is located right by the sea, with wonderful views from the garden and many of the rooms of Trestraou Beach and the coastline. The grounds stretch right down to the sea.

Park Hotel Bellevue, Trégastel Set in pleasant gardens and with sea views from many of the bedrooms, this is a fitting place to end this great coastal discovery.

This trip has been reviewed by Catherine Mack:

"No driving, no cooking, no children, no thinking. Lots of walking, sleeping, reading, swimming, good food and fine wine. These were the demands of two working mothers on our first ever week away from our kids. So no pressure, Inntravel , who was organising the independent walking holiday we had chosen, with the post school run train from London to Plymouth and overnight ferry to Roscoff, walking along the Pink Granite Coast of Brittany for five days, being fed and watered the whole way ticking every 'I'm a Mum, get me out of here!' box just perfectly...

"Our last hotel, the Park Hotel Bellevue in Tregastel, was where Katie was seen to post on Facebook, 'Catherine and I have just discovered there is an honesty bar in our hotel. See you in a couple of months!'

"Here we mused over our week, and wondered why it had taken us so long to treat ourselves to take a proper break like this, and vowed to keep walking, even if it was just for an overnight getaway, every term. So, to any other Mums, desperate to get away from it all, just get a great mate, beg and bribe childcare, pack your walking boots and take a long, slow break, letting Inntravel, the Brown Owl of them all, to do the organising and thinking for you.

"It was, quite simply, the best thing both of us have done in years."

>> Read Catherine Mack's full review: review of Inntravel's self-guided walking holiday in Brittany

>> For more reviews of this trip, see: Reviews of Walking on the Granite Coast of Brittany