The old name for Brittany was Armorica, or "land of the sea", and the long coastline is the regions greatest asset. Brittany has a wilder, less tamed countryside than Normandy, with a rugged coastlines to match. Its oysters and mussels are as fresh as the sea breezes and can be eaten all year round. Its people are as weather-beaten as their granite houses. Yet nestling in the hollows of the windswept heaths you will find plenty of peaceful sandy beaches in sheltered coves along the buffeted coastline, not to mention a climate that deserves better than its reputation. This province is a country apart, proud of its regional culture.

Brittany's history is a long one, stretching back to those pre Celtic tribes who littered the landscape with megalithic monuments at some period between 2000-4000 BC. Later in Celtic times the land was imbued with Arthurian legends and associated with the Holy Grail. The Bretons have always been seafaring people and in past times of poverty some of them made their living from ' wrecking' and piracy. In the middle ages the duchy was ravaged by war and repeatedly raided by English and French, until it was finally united with France in 1547. Brittany is part of the European Celtic fringe. Its traditions are linked to those of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Galicia in NW Spain. They share a common geography and climate, and their languages and customs are closely related. Today they are proud of their Celtic language and traditional dress, music, dance and fine arts.