Emerald Coast

This curve of coast west of St Malo alternates between pleasant enough traditional family resorts (good, safe beaches etc) and some stretches of rugged, beautiful, genuinely remote (by Brittany’s standards) coastal landscape of cliffs, gorse and heather and even moorland.

Cap d’Erquy: North of the resort town of Erquy lies a protected plateau of mixed vegetation – pine to heather to gorse. To its west are proper cliffs, with the GR34 teetering along their top. Round on the north coast, the path winds above a long, superb sandy beach before dropping to a carpark by another beach. Gorgeous views and very blue seas on a good day. You can make a circuit from the town in 10km or so, 2.5hrs-ish.  Not to be missed if in the area.

Cap Fréhel/Fort de la Latte: Between the stunning point-end restored castle of Fort de la Latte and the high, heathery, cliff-girt Cap Fréhel is a 3km or so coastal path (on the GR34), which makes for a superb leg-stretcher; continue on round to the west of the Cap for bit, although, after a while, a road joins the clifftop.

Headwater do an excellent-looking circuit: 9 day/ 4 days walking.

See our Brittany page for more general and practical information and photos.

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