French property region guideBrittany and Normandy The nearest area for us Brits and traditionally popular for holiday/second home. Still something of a ‘glam’ area in parts, bargains are still to be found here. Brittany is one of the most attractive areas of France and some 20% of properties are second homes. If it is culture you are after, Normandy, particularly the coastline was much appreciated by the Impressionists: Renoir and Cezanne came here to visit Monet who loved to paint here! A few initial facts Did you know that Brittany is a region that is isolated both geographically and in many respects culturally from the rest of France – indeed the Breton language is still sometimes practised. And Normandy is so called from the Norsemen who arrived uninvited from Scandinavia in the 9th century – and of course it was here that William the Conqueror crossed the English Channel to crush the English in the Battle of Hastings of 1066. Both areas have long been popular with us Brits, being so close to us and perhaps for reasons of association going back to the war: many parts had to be virtually rebuilt after heavy German bombing. Although we were defeated at the Battle of Hastings, one of the biggest tourist attractions is the 900 year old Bayeux Tapestry housed at Bayeux’s magnificent cathedral. Normandy has long been a favourite destination for the British buyer offering something for everyone: glitzy sea resorts such as Deauville, Honfleur and fine towns such as Rouen and Caen. Brittany’s triangle of Dinard, Dinan and Saint-Malo is convenient for those who desire easy and regular access to Britain. Rennes is the capital of Brittany, a handsome university city with a picturesque old quarter and a wealth of good restaurants and museums. Deauville is Normandy’s most fashionable resort: an expensive playground for wealthy Parisians. Its twin town, Trouville, on the eastern bank of the River Touques, is less exclusive but has some fine fish restaurants along the waterfront. Saint Malo is a walled city and popular tourist attraction. It is also an important port linking Brittany with England and the Channel Islands. TOP TIP: Normandy is popular with commuters who live in France and work in the UK or own weekend homes here, aided of course by the convenience and ease of the transport system centred around Cherbourg, Dieppe and Caen. Avranches in the Manche peninsula is the ideal location for a family home, being affordable, close to the sea and surrounded by countryside. Brittany is traditionally the home of the British family holiday and it has an abundance of small villages within easy reach of the coast, ideal for a family holiday home. Did you know Brittany has been named “Little Britain” by the French because of its popularity with the British?
Reasons for buying in Brittany and Normandy Both areas still affordable with the average property costing between £80,000 and £130,000, the market remains buoyant. Still cheaper than most areas of France and many people are able to purchase without a mortgage. Close to the UK and definitely commutable. Some lovely coastline and countryside too. The region, particularly Brittany, offers warm winds washing up the Gulf of Morbihan which creates mild winters and a somewhat Mediterranean climate. Ideal for those seeking some of the glam and decadence of the Cote d’Azur at lesser cost! There are some 750 miles of coastline. Upper and Lower Normandy offer about 400 miles of seaside with cliffs and both pebbly and sandy beaches as well as some wonderful forests and streams further inland. Cuisine Brittany for the French symbolises crepes or thin pancakes sprinkled with icing sugar. Every creperie in France declares itself to be Breton! Also there are the buckwheat galettes, thick unleavened cakes. Buckwheat or sarrasin came back with the crusaders. Obviously it is also a seafood paradise! The official plateau de fruits de mer is expected to have at least 6 kinds of shellfish served on a bed of the local seaweed goemon. Green vegetables feature strongly in this area, particularly artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower and peas. The image of the Breton onion seller is well fixed in our collective memory of course! Cider is the main drink: there are no vineyards within the present-day boundaries of Brittany. Brittany is the second largest cider producing region of France. Normandy cooking is rich in cream and butter, although seafood also features strongly on most menus. It is customary to have a pause in between courses of copious meals for a trou normand (“Norman gap”) to knock back some calvados (apple brandy). All kinds of meat are popular, particularly ducks from Rouen and andouilles – sausages made from cows’ intestines. For more information check out: www.FranceBuyingGuide.com/areas.htm#brittany www.FranceBuyingGuide.com/areas.htm#normandy Getting There: Brittany can be reached easily by air, its main airports being Brest, Nantes and Rennes. Ryanair from Stansted flies to Dinard and Brest and NB started a new route in June this year to Nantes flying 3 times a week! Aurigny from Guernsey and Jersey to Dinard and via Guernsey from Manchester, East Midlands, Bristol, Stansted, Gatwick and Southampton. Air France flies to Nantes then on to Brittany. Normandy is equally accessible by air with Aurigny flying to Dinard from Bristol, Bournemouth, East Midlands, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester; Ryanair flying from Luton to Dinard (which is outside Normandy) and Air France flying directly from Heathrow to Caen. Brittany has a good rail network that follows the coast. The high speed TGV runs direct from Paris and Lille into Rennes and across to Brest and Quimper and there is a good local train service. The Eurostar travels to Paris from where there are services to Dinan. Normandy similarly is served by the TGV rail network which runs throughout the area linking Cherbourg, Bayeux, Caen, Evreux, Le Havre and Rouen then continuing to Paris. Again Eurostar arrives at Lille Europe train station and from there regular services to Le Havre, Dieppe, Caen, Rouen, Cherbourg and Bayeux. Ferries travel frequently into the ports of Saint Malo and Roscoff. Check out Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries Also check out Transmanche Ferries which operates from Newhaven to Dieppe and Hoverspeed Fast Ferries and P&O which sail from Newhaven to Dieppe and from Portsmouth to Le Havre. You can easily get around Brittany by road. The autoroute N12/N165 offers easy access into Brittany running along the coast and on to Rennes. There are autoroutes from Normandy and the Loire which run into Brittany as well as the A11 from Paris. Also there is a good coach service. The A 28/29 offers quick and direct access from Calais to the whole of Normandy, joining the A13 motorway which runs west through Caen and ends in Paris. The A16 runs from Calais to Rouen while the D100 runs down the Manche Peninsula to Avranches. Main roads link the ports of Dieppe, Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg. . For information and links on airlines, go to:
www.FranceBuyingGuide.com/links.htm#airlines
For information and links on rail and road, go to: www.FranceBuyingGuide.com/links.htm#roadrail
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