Vivien Lannie has lived and worked in Finistère for the last 17 years. She moved
from Devon and, as she says, "why would you want to be anywhere else?"
My pretty Brittany
FOCUS BRITTANY
Beg-Meil
Festival de Cornouaille
I
moved to Finistère because
I instantly fell in love with
the golden beaches and
glorious, rolling countryside.
Of course, you get way more
for your money here than you do
back in Devon, where the average
house price is over 360,000
euros.
The stunning cathedral city
of Quimper is on my doorstep -
it has a rustic atmosphere, with
ancient bridges spanning the
Steir and L'Odet rivers (Quimper
derives from the Breton term
for confl uence). The Gothic
cathedral is beautiful and dates
back to the 13th century. I would
call it a bourgeois city, with lots of
lovely boutiques, wonderful bars
and restaurants. It is close to the
coast and hosts a spectacular
four-day-long music festival every
summer. The festival attracts
around 150,000 people and is
a real family favourite, with a
colourful parade on the Saturday,
children of every age dressed up
in Breton costume. Look out too
for the bagads - a Breton band
with bagpipes, bombards and
drums. Watching them march
through the streets is a sight and
sound to behold.
Another personal favourite is
the coastal town of Concarneau,
which has a fortifi ed city and is
always packed with tourists. It
is a great place to go and sit in
one of the bountiful restaurants
and just watch the world go by.
If you get time then do pay a visit
to the Sable Blancs beach; it lives
up to its name and is very family
friendly. If you are of a creative
mind, then nearby Pont Aven is
a must - all the famous artists
have painted there, but it is most
famous for the school of painters
who had Gauguin as their master.
As you stroll along the narrow
inlet, going over the footbridges,
it is easy to see why the beauty
and light drew them all in.
The Brittany property market
is on fi re, with record demand
and low stock levels. Leggett
recently released a Market
Report covering nine of the key
towns in the department, and
you can download a copy from
our website. Property prices have
been rising steadily, with double
digit growth in some towns
last year. The local paper, Ouest
France, recently called it the
"golden age of property".
One of the report's fi ndings
is that an increasing number of
people are looking to move to
Brittany because of our temperate
and stable climate. We do not
48 +33 (0)5 53 60 84 88 info@leggett.fr