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Brittany
Discover the flavour of Breton, between menhirs and Gothic architecture. By Marlene Lucas

Picture yourself hiking along a coastal path and stumbling upon mysterious prehistoric rock formations called menhir, the standing stones Astérix's bulky friend Obélix dragged around. Or arriving on a Sunday at a picture-pretty village and witnessing the annual pardon, pious pilgrimage processions with blaring Breton bagpipes and local women in towering Bigoudène coiffes accompanying the statues of local saints along cobbled streets. Imagine biting into buttery Breton delicacies like the savoury crêpe blé noir or sarassin (buckwheat) with an assortment of fillings, the sweet variety from ordinary wheat called froment, or le kouign amann, (literally, 'cake butter') a rich crusty yeast cake dripping with strongly salted butter. And all these goodies are washed down with chilled cidre fermier (apple cider) or lait ribot (sour milk). And for those wanting something stronger, an alcoholic apple apéritif, pommeau, or lambig, the Breton equivalent of Normandy Calvados. These are some of the moments I relive when I look back on my unforgettable Breton experience.

Choosing where to go in Brittany can be difficult, especially in the high summer where tourists claim much of the Breton coast and the cold blue Atlantic. But one can seek out quieter corners that are relatively less well known and crowded. Wander along coastal paths, or hike on more challenging walking routes. Inland, travel up any of the numerous, winding Breton rivers that course through picturesque historic towns. Say a little prayer in out-of-the way chapels or seek out the magnificent Gothic cathedrals. Historical châteaux (castles) are sprinkled liberally around the countryside. And those curious about neolithic monuments should make a beeline for the monoliths in the Morbihan region.

The département Ille-et-Vilaine possesses a very short stretch of Brittany's expansive shoreline, but it is an awe-inspiring one, running from just west of Mont-St-Michel (the abbey church with its ring of ramparts and magnificent Merveille monastery, named as such for its splendid architecture) to a little way west of St-Malo and its walled city. Although the holy mount officially stands in Normandy, much of the wondrous flat bay lies behind the Breton border.

Brittany's capital Rennes jumps with endless rows of bookshops, bars and bistros, and an estimated 50,000 students and researchers wandering about its wonderful old streets. Place de Lices, the former jousting area in medieval times, has some of the most magnificent high-rise timber frame houses in France. The opulently decorated Parlement de Bretagne was burned down during a fishermen's demonstration that got out of control but has been restored to its original state and is open for guided tours on weekdays.

The lovely towns of Fougères and Vitré retain a couple of the country's mightiest medieval forts and churches. Contemplate the big dragon gargoyles of the Église St-Léonard, a very Gothic structure. Beside it is the Place aux Arbres public garden rambling towards the château, the snaky paths leading to the Bourg Vieil (old town) and its old surviving wooden houses. Château de Fougères is an excellent example of advances in military fortifications during the Middle Ages, its history rife with betrayal and death. Vitré boasts a fantastic turreted triangular castle, but the town's 15th and 16th century houses also leave lasting impressions. The 15th century Église de Notre Dame with its broad facade is an example of the flamboyant Gothic style, one of the multi-gabled churches reflecting the prosperity brought to the region by the cloth trade. The Château de Vitré's main virtue lies in its architecture.

The visitor with a passion for Breton Arthurian legend can soak up the ambiance of Merlin's Forest, the Fôret de Paimpont, more popularly known as Brocéliande (the Breton name meaning ‘empire of the druids’). A quiet stroll under the forest's trees is as bewitching as its landscapes of purple schist, heathery moorlands and woods. Search for the Tombeau de Merlin (Merlin's tomb) where Viviane is supposed to have imprisoned Merlin the enchanter in nine magic but invisible circles, with the nearby Fontaine de Jouvence (fountain of youth) a basic watering hole believed to have rejuvenating powers. Your imagination should run wild to truly appreciate these tales. Discover Château de Comper, home to the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien with its annual exhibitions of old Celtic legends using waxwork tableaux, and the Lac de Comper where Merlin built Viviane's underwater magical palace. Val san Retour (valley of no return) south of the village of Tréhorenteuc and its church that illustrates scenes of the Arthurian legend, is the vale where Arthur's half-sister, Morgane la Fée, supposedly trapped unfaithful knights and turned them into her slaves.

In Essé, the magnificent La-Roche-aux-Fées is one of the most famous and largest neolithic dolmens in Brittany, believed to date back to between 3000 and 2500BC. Breton fairies are credited to have flown the mammoth blocks, weighing between five and forty tonnes, from their original site to their present location. On Wednesday evenings in July and October, one can take part in a memorable guided walk, La Balade des Fées. West from Essé rest the neolithic monuments of St-Just amid heath and moorland. Explore dark toned schist megaliths, small lines of quartz menhirs, a half-restored dolmen dated about five millenia old. Rarely visited by tourists, but definitely worth the trip, these monuments are a must see.

The famed Breton weather caught up with us. It was mid-July (until mid-October, the most consistent period for Breton sunshine, also the peak tourist season). We averaged a mild 24°C during the day, but suffered some spells of rain and rather chilly mornings (sometimes down to 10°C). Hoping to catch sunnier days, we broke camp and moved on to the Finistère (Penn ar Bed, or ‘end of the earth’) spanning the western tip of the region. Quimper, the capital of the old Breton county of Cornouaille, has the splendid twin spires of its Cathédral St-Corentin towering over the lively and cheerful old town. Rue Kéréon (Breton for cobblers) displays the poshest boutiques and finest old houses made of timber frame or slate. In southern Finistère, the Pays Bigouden occupies one of the wildest parts of the whole Breton peninsula. Pont-l'Abbé is its capital, where the towering coiffe is traditionally worn and has become something of a powerful symbol for the whole of Brittany to many outsiders.

The coiffe consists of a cylinder of patterned lace, sealed at the top and fastened with a curved comb and a velvet fragment onto the wearer's hair that has been gathered up over a little bonnet. Another patch of lace closes the back of the coiffe, with two wide lace ribbons tied under the left ear, trailing down over the costume. We had an opportunity to watch these coiffed ladies in their traditional black and white costumes parading down the street at a pardon, squired by their menfolk clad in the same sombre shades.

On the western side of the Pays Bigouden, we lingered at the Chapel of Tronoen, the little cathedral of the dunes, with its famous cavalry. The main port of the greater parish of Penmarc'h, St-Guénolé, daunts the visitor with its sinister looking rockscape. Walk above the savage rocks that protect the port, but carefully – the Rocher du Préfet is named after the head of a French département who was swept out to sea with his family. The old-fashioned Musée Préhistorique Finistérien displaying menhirs, dolmens, steles and a gallery chamber at its entrance may tempt you for a visit. From St- Guénolé we hiked northeast along the coast towards the dramatic spit of the Pointe de la Torche, its slashed rock heaps whipped by huge, crashing waves. We passed a smattering of houses, their whitewashed facades a dirty grey, thanks to the salty winds that quickly turn everything dingy. Just inland northwest of Penmarc'h lies the Chapelle de la Madeleine, its stained glass windows enlivened with the fiery semi-abstract religious figures by the contemporary artist Jean Bazaine.

We left the sinister shores and busy fishing ports of the Pays Bigouden and travelled eastward. At Île Raguénez, we clambered over rocks to the tiny island during low tide. Next, we tarried at Pont Aven, a quaint Breton village where virtually every house has been transformed into an art gallery in memory of the painter Paul Gauguin. You'll find one or two of Gauguin's genuine works at the Musée de Pont-Aven. He and Emile Bernard were the frontrunners of the Pont-Aven School of Art (1886-1896) with its painters using shockingly vivid colours that exaggerated or contradicted the more muted natural hues. North of the village is the Chapelle de Trémalo, its 17th century yellow Christ figure inspiring one of Gauguin's most famous works, Le Christ Jaune. The crucified Christ in the Nizon church and calvary northwest of Pont-Aven also inspired a Green Christ by Gauguin, and its collection of wooden statues is interesting. But its most noteworthy figure is found at the fountain outside – the most primitive of stone Virgins in Brittany.

From Finistère, we continued to the Morbihan ('little sea' in Breton), named after the Golfe du Morbihan. We spent a day at the military city of Lorient, one of the biggest fishing ports in France, also host to the great annual gathering of western European Celts, the Festival Inter-Celtique. The haunting sounds of bagpipes fill the air during this much-awaited summer event, as people with Celtic origins celebrate their roots and culture. Stroll along Lorient's quays and its Port de Pêche or fishing harbour, (highly recommended at dawn when it is at its loudest and most bustling). La Thalassa, on the decommissioned Fremer trawler, is one of the espaces découvertes series of museums that present fascinating experiences at sea, making good use of interactive displays.

Jammed into the short stretch of the Morbihan coast is the most famous concentration of megaliths in the western world. The little town of Erdeven (a Breton word derivative meaning dune) is sprinkled with major neolithic monuments along the main highway: the alignments of Kerzehro, containing more than a thousand standing stones. But wait till you reach Carnac, the absolute neolithic capital, teeming with a dense but scattered concentration of tumuli (artificial hillock or mounds over an ancient grave), dolmen (two or more upright stones supporting a horizontal stone slab), and most famously, the four great alignments of menhir – Le Ménec, Kermario, Kerlescan and Le Petit Ménec.

If you won't miss megalithic monuments, spend a day in Vannes visiting its imposing Gothic Cathédrale St-Pierre, museums, magnificent timber frame houses and medieval ramparts. Vannes, with its naturally protected port, lies hidden behind the vast inland sea of the Golfe du Morbihan. This conservative centre stagnated in the 20th century, but in the last 40 years or so merchant ships have been replaced by fleet yachts, the cultural scene is jumping and university students and exclusive shops are injecting fresh blood to Vannes.

Heading for the Loire Atlantique's cosmopolitan Nantes, we inspected the 15th century Cathedral of St-Pierre, its bulky squat exterior looking quite grey, but its insides remarkably pristine white. The superb Musée des Beaux-Arts with its many masterpieces, and the little Musée Jules Verne, dedicated to the town's visionary 19th century science fiction writer of the classic Around the World in Eighty Days, are also worth a trip.

We barely touched many of the Breton sights on our list. But we consoled ourselves with the knowledge that we would surely return to savour all the sounds, smells, myriad tastes and beauty of Brittany á bientôt!