From the small parking lot, I look directly at the sea. Our hike begins and ends here. But we leave the sea behind us in the first section. We walk along part of the same road that we drove to get to the parking lot. We pass the first houses, many of which didn’t stand here a decade ago, they look so new. This too is an area that has only been settled recently.

I immediately make the comparison with the places in Spain where we were a few months ago. This country is different. It’s clean. It’s green and colorful. I like it much more. We stay on paved roads. There’s almost no other option. As soon as you leave the coast and the GR34, there are hardly any hiking trails in the nearby inland. But it doesn’t bother me. I prefer firm ground, because field paths are often muddy or underwater if it rained the day before.

The further we move away from the sea, the more rural it becomes. The surroundings here feel completely different from anything we’ve seen on a hike before. Occasionally we pass small settlements or farms, otherwise we only see lush green or beige fields. It’s a pleasant hike with only few steep passages. Now and then we leave the paved roads and walk along field paths from which we have an unobstructed view of the open sea.

Only once do we walk through a village whose main street is lined with old, partially dilapidated buildings. As soon as we turn into a side street, we’re greeted by typical Breton stone houses with well-kept gardens, lush meadows and flowering shrubs and old, majestic trees. It’s beautiful. What moves me most is the peace and quiet. We don’t encounter anyone, although the houses seem to be inhabited, as vehicles are parked in the yards. It’s a tranquility that I wish for the place where I would so love to live.

When we reach the coast, the typical rugged landscape of Brittany awaits us, and the GR34 leads us along the coast to the parking lot where this little hike began. As we approach our destination, the rocks become more rugged and the sea rougher. We stop at a narrow point where we sit in the soft grass and watch the spectacle of incoming waves as they crash against these rocks. It’s fascinating and beautiful.

Directly below the parking lot is a small beach that can be seen from the GR34. You can reach it, but you have to descend partly steep steps. It’s the Plage des Charrettes. We are there at the very end of our hike. High, powerful waves break on the golden yellow sandy beach. We sit in the sand and watch them. Simply beautiful. These are the moments that make me happy. And that is a wonderful conclusion to a fulfilling hike.