May 19, 2026
Brittany is a peninsula located in northwest France. It is one of the country’s 18 administrative regions. What makes Brittany unique from other places in France is its strong Celtic heritage. Historically it is tied to the historically Celtic nations of Cornwall, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales. Breton, spoken in parts of Brittany, is the only Celtic language still in use on the European mainland.
TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
Brittany also has over 1,650 miles of shoreline. And for our third trek in France, we chose to roam along its Emerald Coast. The Sentier des Douaniers or Customs Officers’ Path was established in 1791 to monitor the Brittany coastline for smugglers who were trying to evade customs collectors. The path ran along every cove, estuary, and bay. But by the end of the 19th century, the trail network fell into disarray.
In 1968 work began to restore the historical path to a long-distance hiking trail. The GR34 now runs over 1,200 miles from Mont-Saint-Michel to the city of Saint-Nazaire. Our trek would take us 50 miles over four stages, beginning from the walled city of Saint-Malo and ending at the island of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Bundling up for the First Stage on a Cold and Rainy Day
Saint-Malo is a port city that prospered in the 16th and 17th centuries as one of Europe’s greatest ports. It was the home of French privateers and sometimes even pirates. After arriving from the Loire Valley, we had a rest day to explore the historic center, surrounded by tall granite walls.
During our visit, we walked over a mile on the ramparts around the city. We also enjoyed exploring the maze of cobblestone streets. However, it was wet, windy, and cold, with a wind chill in the low 40s F. Our hope was that the forecast would improve for the long first stage of trekking that we had planned.
Exploring Saint-Malo
The next morning the weather had slightly improved. It was in the mid 40s F with less wind, but a chance of rain. I decided to wear an extra t-shirt under my hiking hoodie to stay warm. And I never took it off during the entire day.
We began a 16.2-mile stage by walking on the ramparts for a short distance before stopping at a bakery for breakfast.
Beginning the trek walking on the ramparts; Posing in front of the bakery
A short time later we found ourselves hiking east on a wide beach with the cold wind in our faces. We took a final look at Saint-Malo behind us.
We continued on or adjacent to beaches for the next few miles before heading toward a coastal point. Soon, it began to rain quite hard. We were wearing water resistant jackets with hoods, but our pants got soaked.
After the rain tapered off, our pants dried out quickly as we walked.
As we reached the point, we began to appreciate the beauty of the ocean. We were on the Emerald Coast, with the name coming from the green hue of the ocean.
Entering another beach walk, we stopped for a lunch break in the sun at low tide.
Making our way to another point, the grade of the trail began to change. For the remaining six miles of the day the path would steeply ascend and descend, which slowed us down immensely. We never went up or down more than 100 feet at a time, but the route was either extremely rocky or had numerous steps to navigate. This trail is popular with day-hikers and runners, so we encountered quite a few people.
Negotiating the rocky path and steps during the latter part of the stage
However, with the sun out, we had amazing views of the emerald ocean. That made up for the extra difficulty of the path.
At the end of the stage, we turned off the trail and walked a half-mile to a B&B, where we spent the night.
Trekking on an Extreme Path to a Special Viewpoint and Oyster Capital
After the long first day, we had a shorter 9.7-mile stage to complete to the town of Cancale. However, eight of those miles were more of the extreme ascents and descents, so we got an early start.
It rained a little bit early on, but it was a warmer day as we hiked toward Pointe du Grouin. With the clouds, the water colors were not as vivid. But we continually marveled at the beautiful coastline and the ocean views.
Coastline and ocean views as we walked toward Pointe du Grouin
We also began to see some of the corps de garde structures that were historically manned by the customs officers as they looked for coastal smugglers.
Corps de garde structures historically used by the customs officers
When we reached Pointe du Grouin, we turned to leave the coastline from Saint-Malo behind. Looking at the horizon, we could just make out Mont-Saint-Michel in the distance. It was exciting to see our trekking end point 2 ½ days away from us.
The abrupt elevation changes continued, but the rocky sections gradually decreased. Instead, we found ourselves in a lush area with occasional steep sets of stairs to navigate.
The town of Cancale is known as the “Oyster Capital” of Brittany, and legend has it that Louis XIV had his oysters brought to him from these waters. Today, about 25,000 tons of oysters are harvested from the area each year. So when we came across a snack bar selling fresh oysters, we couldn’t resist taking an extended break to try them. The order of six raw oysters, costing us 9 Euros ($10.51), came with a glass of local white wine.
Waiting in line at the snack bar; Our plate of raw oysters and glass of wine
When we ended our day a little later in Cancale, we walked through the upper town to our hotel.
Enjoying a Flatter Trail Around the Bay
We started the 13.9-mile stage by hiking through the lower Port de la Houle section of Cancale.
After leaving town, we began hiking next to the 22-mile long Mont-Saint-Michel Bay. The bay, along with the Mont-Saint-Michel island, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
We had just a few more miles of hilly terrain, but it finally mellowed out. Soon, we began walking on a flat section around the bay toward Mont-Saint-Michel. The tree cover helped keep us dry when it began to pour out of the blue for about five minutes.
The bay views were still stunning.
Views of the bay from the trail
And we had an opportunity for more beach hiking.
As we continued walking on the faster trail, we passed through several small villages. We also saw many signs of oyster production: stands, warehouses, and even offshore farms.
A short time later we came to an actual vending machine selling raw oysters 24 hours a day. We peeked inside a window to see what was available for 10 Euros ($11.70).
Oyster vending machines; A peek inside the 10 Euro option
Just before the end of the stage we had a choice of GR34 routes. One alternative ventured inland for a time, joining back right before Mont-Saint-Michel. The other option continued along the bay. Wanting to trek near the coast as much as possible, we stayed along the water, alternating on dirt and bike paths.
As we walked, marshes full of sheep began to appear beside us.
We came across several cylindrical stone buildings with conical roofs that were former windmills. Some had been converted into homes, but one structure had been restored to include its historical sails.
Turning off the coast soon after, we checked into our B&B for the night.
Former windmills and one with the historical sails
Completing our Coastal Trek at the Island of Mont-Saint-Michel
Our final trekking day was a short 10.3 miles with a flat path to the island of Mont-Saint-Michel. We enjoyed the serene scenery around us, encountering occasional sheep in the salt marshes and just a few other hikers.
A couple of miles into the day, we passed the Chapelle Sainte-Anne-de-la-Greve. Legend has it that the chapel was originally constructed in the 11th century to place flood-prone properties under the protection of Sainte Anne.
As we neared Mont-Saint-Michel and entered the Normandy region, we stopped frequently to take photos of the island. The high tide was just receding, and it was still surrounded by some water.
Approaching the island from the west side provided a unique perspective that most visitors don’t see.
Around noon we arrived at the access road to the island and could see it from its classic viewpoint.
We walked a couple of blocks to drop our backpacks at our hotel, then turned around to hike the final mile to the base of the island, ending our trek.
In the year 709 a sanctuary was dedicated to Saint Michael, and the island became known as Mont-Saint-Michel. Over the years a chapel was built (10th century), followed by a Romanesque church (11th to 12th centuries). The current Gothic abbey was constructed between the 13th to 16th centuries.
We had previously visited Mont-Saint-Michel and the abbey almost eight years ago, so this time we focused on exploring the island village and climbing on the ramparts.
Views from the village and ramparts in Mont-Saint-Michel
Historically, the island was a pilgrimage site for devout Christians who couldn’t make longer trips to the destinations of Rome, Jerusalem, or Santiago de Compostela. During our visit, we noted several subtle pilgrim scallop shells that paid homage to this history.
Pilgrim scallop shells spied at Mont-Saint-Michel
The tides around the island are some of the highest in Europe, with a difference of up to 45 feet between low and high tide. Victor Hugo described the tides as changing “a la vitesse d’un cheval au galop” (“as swiftly as a galloping horse”), and we learned that the water flows as much as 3.7 miles per hour.
It didn’t take long for the tide to go out; leaving the island just a couple of hours after we first arrived, we now observed mudflats all around it. We also saw many people venturing out at the low tide for a walk on the mud.
For dinner we revisited the island to eat at the Hotel La Mere Poulard. It is famous for its omelettes cooked on an open wood fire, resembling souffles.
We ordered a delicious vegetable omelette and agneau de pre-sale (salt marsh lamb), accompanied by red wine and an after dinner digestif of local Normandy Calvados (apple brandy). It was a wonderful way to celebrate the completion of our 50-mile trek.
Our dinner of a vegetable omelette and salt-marsh lamb
The next morning we had some time before our bus was scheduled to take us to the train station, so we took a walk to view Mont-Saint-Michel one last time.
Our trek on the GR34 was our shortest in France, at just 50 miles over four stages. But our time was packed with cultural insights into the Brittany region, as we learned about the history of the customs collectors and explored the walled city of Saint-Malo. While hiking on the sometimes challenging trail, we were enchanted by the the rugged coastline and the vivid water along the Emerald Coast and Mont-Saint-Michel Bay. And having another opportunity to visit the iconic Mont-Saint-Michel island was a highlight for both of us.
We have just one more hike left on our Trekking France journey. This one will take us through a series of forests to Versailles and on to our finish at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Check out our video highlighting this trek: