Brittany one of the favourite living place for British people!
Brittany another name for Little-Britain?
Many British people may not know that Brittany and Britain are the same name in French which is Bretagne, in other words couldn’t we see Britain as Great-Brittany?
This question is a bit sarcastic isn’t it? However Brittany is one of the regions where British people choose to live the most in France. Apart from this previous pun, Brittany is a place where most of British people enjoy living as it corresponds the most to their way of living and they are used to find some similarities than in Great Britain which give them the feeling to find a newplace they can call homevery quickly.
A climate so British… or Breton… let say “Bretish”!
Rainy, cloudy, foggy… a bit cliché you would say wouldn’t you? But what so many people forget to say about Brittany is how beautiful this region is! With more than 2.700 km (1.700 miles) of coastline which represents around half of all French coast, La Bretagne offers an uncountable number of wonderful landscapes which are all very different from each other and are every time a new discovery for any sea-lover.
Brittany is composed of four departments, each hasits own characteristics and offers a specific charm; all together these features make the richness of the region. Amongst them we can highlight the Finstère which literally means The End of the Land; this department has the particularity to be the only one in France to be surrounded from North to South and all the West side with coasts. The Channel and the Atlantic Ocean including the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscay are the seas which border the Finistère and all the region of Brittany.
A Celtic country
A reason why British people find Brittany a place which suits them is that the latter isone of the eight Celtic countries such as an important part of Great Britain is that is to say Wales, Scotland but also Cornwall and the Isle of Man in England and of course Ireland (including Northern Ireland and Eire). The last two others Celtic countries are Galicia and the Principality of Asturias in North of Spain.
Celtic culture is really present in Breton culture as it can be noticed with music as for example with the artist Gilles Servat interpreting songs in Celtic languages; also many festivals are dedicated to the Celtic culture such as the famous Inter-Celtic Festival of Lorient which happens every year in Summer, it regroups the most famous Bagads (bands of bagpipes and bombards) through the Celtic countries.
Brittany, a culture symbolising the love of the sea
If there is one thing that is for sure is that whoever lives in Brittany must love the sea! Even in the smallest villages by the coast a little pier is easy to find in order to have access to the sea; lighthouses and boats are part of the landscape, it is nearly impossible not to see some when admiring a view.
Other traditional features are the fest-noz (night Festivals), they mostly happen during summer, nearly all villages have their own fest-noz; there are used to celebrate a particular event such as the national day or pay a tribute to the sea.
Finally, it is impossible not to mention the famous creperies! The traditional Breton cuisine is mostly known for its crepes which can be eaten weather as a main dish or as a pudding; not to mention of course to complete the latter with a bolée de cidre (bowl of cider)!
Apart from the fact that there are several journeys possible with the ferry to connect both side of the Channel, the increasing number of arriving British people in Bretagne over the last ten years is no coincidence; this region has known to keep its roots and remain attached to its traditional values which is quite similar with Great Britain, a nation that has always known to preserve its pride and identity through the ages.
If you fall in love with the charm of Brittany and wish later to buy a holiday home in this beautiful region, you might be interested to have a look at our Brittany property price guide before browsing our list of properties for sale in Brittany.