Walking and Other Activities in Finistere, Wendy Mewes -  This handy book includes walks of varying lengths and types all over Finistere, the westernmost department of Brittany. An essentially rural area, the region has sea on three sides, many estuaries, rivers and lakes, a swathe of deeply wooded terrain and the jagged peaks of the Monts d’Arrée in the sparsely populated interior. Information for individual walks includes directions, points of interest and factual detail of terrain/gradients. Colour photographs illustrate many of the walks.

Walking Brittany, Judy Smith - This guide offers 25 walks, scattered throughout Brittany. In addition to basic route directions, there are details of historical, geographical and social interest. Eating places and tourist information centres are detailed and there is a glossary of French words useful to walkers.

The Nantes-Brest Canal, This handy, spiral bound guide contains detailed practical information for those wishing to walk (or cycle) the length of the Nantes-Brest Canal across Brittany. It provides an invaluable reference source for both long-distance walkers and cyclists, and those who simply enjoy ambling by water. A full introduction traces the history of the canal from its origins in Napoleonic times and construction early in the 19th century, through a brief economic heyday and tragic decline, to today’s role as an outstanding leisure resource. The main part of the book gives a section by section analysis of the canal, indicating the towpath route, locks, road junctions and towns and villages on the way. Useful and interesting information about the canal and all its attributes is interspersed throughout the text.

Central Brittany Coast to Coast, Penny Allen - A well-illustrated guide covering the major part of the two central departments, Côtes d’Armor and Morbihan. It includes interesting and unusual places to visit, detailed scenic walks and a themed reference section. The author is a writer and artist who has lived in Brittany for many years. Her distinctive artwork and useful personal comments add to the originality of this book.

Walks in Morbihan, Southern Brittany, GH Randall - Morbihan is the department that sits in the middle of southern Brittany. Its name, 'mor bihan', is Breton for 'little sea', a reference to the Gulf of Morbihan where hundreds of tiny islands are scattered across an area of calm water. The department is best known for its neolithic remains, such as the alignments at Carnac and the many other impressive megalithic sites to be encountered all over this alluring landscape. Often overlooked by tourists are the central and northern parts of Morbihan, which offer good rural walking country with impressive scenery, deep forests, rolling hills, beautiful rivers, remote chapels, isolated dolmens and charmingly tranquil villages of ancient houses. "Walks in Morbihan, Southern Brittany" is invaluable for tourists, holiday-home owners and residents. It provides a wide choice of walks from 5-15 kilometres. It includes fully detailed directions and schematic scale maps. It contains background information about sights on each route and the practicalities of location, length, duration, and graded level. It includes suggestions for further walks and places of interest in the vicinity, and is illustrated by colour photographs.

The Brittany Coastal Path, Alan Castle - The GR34 takes a month to walk. The 360 miles of Path from Morlaix to Mont-Saint-Michel are described in detail. The walk is divided into 9 sections and can be completed in a single trek of about a month's duration or can be split into weekly or fortnightly holidays, or even long weekends. There are also details of 78, mainly circular, walks that are suitable for day walks. Details of accommodation, transport and other facilities are included, plus places of interest and practical information for newcomers to walking in France. Limited availability.

Finistere, Things to see and do at the end of the World, Wendy Mewes - A guide book full of ideas for individuals and families to make the most of their time in this distinctively varied region of France. 14 separate circuits for exploration, schematic maps and directions, suggested sights, walks, museums, activities etc.

Walking Through Brittany (Footpaths of Europe) Limited availability.

Top 25 and Serie Bleue

The French equivalent of Ordnance Survey Maps

 IGN Top 25 maps cover areas of particular tourist interest, mainly around the coast, and have a map number ending in T. The maps have an overprint highlighting local footpaths, long-distance GR routes and, where appropriate, ski routes. Other tourist information includes campsites, equestrian or canoeing centres, huts, mountain refuges, etc. Map legend is in French and English. Each TOP 25 map covers an area of approximately 28 x 21 km (17 x 13 miles).

The rest of France is covered by Serie Bleue maps, which have no overprint and map numbers ending in O or E. The legend is in French only but is fairly self-explanatory. Each Serie Bleue map covers an area of approximately 20 x 14 km (12 x 9 miles), with some maps slightly larger.

Both series have similar cartography, with contour interval of 5 metres, except for mountainous areas, where the maps have hill shading and contours at 10-metre intervals. Scale 1:25000

Generally, Top 25 Maps are £8.99 and Serie Bleue £7.99.

Cote-D'Armor/Ille-et-Vilaine (Michelin Local Maps) - Detailing the Cote-D'Armor / Ille-et-Vilaine region of France, this laminated fold-out map includes a complete index of place names and covers all regional specialities, heritage and traditions. It offers clear and concise mapping for stress-free travelling.

Finistere/Morbihan (Michelin Local Maps) - Detailing the Finistere / Morbihan region of France, this laminated fold-out map includes a complete index of place names and covers all regional specialities, heritage and traditions. It offers clear and concise mapping for stress-free travelling.

The Rough Guide Map Brittany - Brittany is one of the most popular regions of France, with highlights including Mont-St-Michel and the medieval city of Rennes. The Rough Guide map should be useful for those touring by car - a popular option amongst visitors from the UK and Ireland. The map includes all the ferry routes into St Malo, and all the roads across the region from autoroutes to tracks. there are also footpaths and contour lines for those hiking around the national parks and coastlines. As with all the maps in the Rough Guides series, this map is made of rip-proof, waterproof Polyart paper, durable enough to survive a trip spent in the car seat-back, rucksack and cafe table-top.

Brittany (Thomas Cook Travellers S.), Richard Beauchamp - This guide features accommodation and places to eat to suit every budget, citing traditional restaurants and creperies serving galettes (savoury crepes) and crepes de froment (sweet crepes) as well as other Breton specialities. Special feature pages emphasize the flavour of the past and present of Brittany: the Celts, Gauguin and the School of Pont Aven, Pardons, castles and manor houses, megaliths and fishing and oyster-breeding. Carefully mapped out walks and tours guide you through locations such as the Dinan walk, the painter's footsteps tour, old Nantes walk, the Cornische Bretonne tour, the Crozon Peninsula cycle tour and the Cote d'Emeraude tour. There are also full details and maps of Rennes and the East, Northern and Southern Brittany, Finistere, and St Malo. A weblinks CD gives an introduction to the destination, pictures and music, and directs readers towards websites relevant to the destination.

LOCAL LINKS

www.brittanywalks.com  - A wide range of information about walking in Brittany: books and book reviews; articles about walking in this varied region; walks - recommended areas and individual walks; and information about walking groups in Brittany.

IGN Tourism, Outdoor Activities and Regional Discovery Maps - An extensive series of maps published by the IGN in cooperation with local authorities, ramblers' associations, cycling clubs, etc. The maps are designed to provide information on places of interest, recreational facilities, various types of accommodation, local and long-distance footpaths, bridleways, cycling and mountain bike routes, etc. Various scales, mainly 1:50,000. Some titles will have limited availability - in case of difficulty please email.

Topo Guides with Day Walks - The extensive list of topo-guides to the long-distance footpaths in France published by the Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre has now been expanded to include guides to local walks, the PRs (Promenades et Randonnees). Each guide offers a selection of walks of various length and difficulty, overprinted on extracts from the 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 topographic survey. The text is in French. Some titles will have limited availability - in case of difficulty please email.

Several of the guides listed in the "Topo-guides to Long-distance Footpaths" series also include day walks in addition to the long-distance routes, as indicated in the description of each title.
 

Armorique regional Natural Park on Foot - 36 walks, from one to five hours long, in the Armorique PN south-east of Brest. Maps in colour. 110 pages.

The Department of Cotes d'Armor on Foot - 40 day-walks, from two to seven hours long, in the department of Cotes d'Armor. Maps in colour. Illustrated ith colour photos and drawing. 112 pages.

The Department of L'Ille et Vilaine on Foot - 44 day-walks, from two to five hours long, in the department of L'Ille et Vilaine. Maps in colour. Illustrated ith colour photos and drawing. 128 pages.

The Department of Morbihan on Foot - 32 day-walks, from two to five hours long, in the department of Morbihan. Maps in colour. 128 pages.

The Menez-Hom Atlantique on Foot - 35 day walks, from two to six hours long in the Western Brittany between Chateaulin and Camaret. Maps in colour. 128 pages.

The Pays Bigouden and Douarnenez on Foot - 36 circular walks, from one to eight hours long, in western Brittany, around Douarnenez and Pont-l'Abbe. Maps in colour. 120 pages.

The Pays de Saint-Malo on Foot - 36 walks, from one to four hours long, in the region around Saint-Malo. Some walks stay along the coast, others go inland as far as Dinan. Maps in colour. 144 pages.

The Rennes Region on Foot - Fifty walks of varying difficulty around Rennes are here illustrated and described in full detail. There are walks along the rivers Ille, Seiche and Vilaine and the Canal d'Ille et Rance, two itineraries to explore Rennes itself and hill walks. The routes are highlighted on extracts of the IGN 1:50,000 scale survey. Numerous photos. 144 pages.

Le Pays de Broceliande on Foot - 31 walks, from one to six hours long, around the Foret de Paimpont. Maps in colour. 216 pages.