Enjoy a “rando” along a section of the superb GR37 (Grande Randonnée 37), which slices through lush and mystical Brittany and was recently voted France’s favourite hiking route.

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What do you use to bribe the juries at Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre (FFRP) to win France’s Favourite GR of the year? A well-laid out itinerary through great nature and charming villages? Excursions into a forest enchanted by legends? Whatever it is, the GR37, one of France’s lesser-known Grandes Randonnées, won the title of France’s Favourite GR of 2024, making it the third Breton trail to have won the crown in this beauty pageant of hiking routes.
Naturally, I had to find out more. So lacing up my hiking boots and strapping on the backpack, I boarded Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo.
The GR37, named Cœur de Bretagne (the Heart of Brittany), runs for roughly 780km from Mont Saint-Michel to Camaret-sur-Mer, cutting through inland Brittany like an artery. This long-distance route is loved by locals, but, curiously, remains one of the lesser-known trails in France.

“I don’t believe there is a guidebook on the GR37,” said Florence Gaulupeau, from Brittany Tourism, who had picked me up from the ferry. The itinerary she’d given me outlined where I was to start and end each day, my accommodation and dining options. But no maps. “How will I find my way?” I asked. “The trail is well marked,” she assured me. “Just follow the standard red and white GR signs.”

One thing I love about hiking in France is that all the trails are well signposted, whether it be a Grandé Randonnée or a regionally promoted route. So, feeling confident, I set off to begin my taster of this lengthy hiking path.

The Ille-et-Rance canal

I had chosen to sample the middle part of the GR37 and started my adventure from Montreuil-sur-Ille, which is an easy train trip from Saint-Malo. I was off to a good start, following a 27km stretch in a day from Montreuil-sur-Ille along the Ille-et-Rance Canal, with the aim of ending at Bécherel. Napoleon ordered the construction of this canal in 1804 and many of the locks from that era are not only still in operation, but the lockkeepers’ cottages remain occupied and well looked after. Canals and locks fascinate me, and at Hédé-Bazouges, I marvelled at the famous 11 locks that lift boats uphill for more than 2km, creating a mesmerising sight from one end looking up. These calm water staircases are a haven for birdlife, and I walked along to the rhythm of flapping wings and chirpy songs.

Hédé-Bazouges was also a great midpoint to stop for lunch. Unfortunately the Maison du Canal visitor centre was closed, or I would have loved to pop in to learn a bit more about the history and construction of the locks. After lunch, my route diverted from the canal before reaching Bécherel, making some interesting discoveries along the way. I imagined the GR37 as a child, energetically wanting to show me the best of everything along the way. Now that I’d seen the attraction of the canal, it was time to show me everything else that lived around it. From the back of farms, to small sections of major roads (unpleasant, but necessary to get to the other side), through forest paths and villages just going about their daily life. It was as if the GR was trying to make a point: this is the real Brittany, how Bretons live and breathe.

Literature and magic

Waking up in Bécherel was a delight. As one of Brittany’s Petites Cités de Caractère (Small Towns of Character) and France’s first ‘book town’, there is a fairytale atmosphere to it in the morning sun, with a surreal scene of shops opening, markets being set up and people greeting each other with a cheery bonjour. I have a soft spot for cobbled streets, medieval houses and books, and wished I could have lingered longer to visit one of the 16 bookshops to be found in Bécherel. Alas, I needed to get back onto the GR, so I bookmarked this charming town in my memories and got going.

From Bécherel, the route dips south towards the Brocéliande Forest, where Brittany most likely cast its magic on the voters in France’s Favourite GR. This neolithic woodland is, according to French folklore, the backdrop to the adventures of King Arthur and the wizard Merlin, whose tomb and seats can be found along the GR route. It is also home to magical fountains, most famously the bubbling Fountain of Barenton, which is believed to have the power to cure madness, and the nearby Fountain of Youth. Well, isn’t that what we’ve all been searching for?

Not particularly needing my madness cured, I walked on, enjoying the tranquillity of the chestnut, oak and hornbeam trees, which were all turning golden, it being autumn. I shuffled along the path, listening to my own footsteps sweep through the fallen leaves, accompanied by the sounds of birds and the wind.
Regularly checking for the GR signs to make sure I was on the right path, I enjoyed the solitude and then, all of a sudden, I had a sinking feeling I wasn’t alone.
“Bonjour!” greeted a shadow that was inching towards me. A dog walker from a nearby village. Phew. Perhaps I did need a drink from the Barenton fountain after all.

Water, water everywhere

Bécherel isn’t the only small town of character. Josselin, one of my stage stops, is another pretty little town along the way. In fact, the GR goes through one more just before it ends – Le Faou, in the Bay of Brest, which was once a large cabotage port-making the GR37 a great way to see these small towns along the way. With its colourful half-timber houses and imposing castle on the River Oust, Josselin is postcard perfect. I spent a little time in the morning browsing the street market for lunch material before getting back on the waterways, this time along the River Oust which is part of the Nantes to Brest Canal.

Following the signs for the GR that are painted onto trees or street posts, I was once again reminded that water seems to be everywhere in Brittany, even inland here. Where there is water, everything seems alive around it and autumn had brought out the wildlife foraging for food to store for the winter, while mushrooms bloomed under the reddening trees.

It was so relaxing I almost missed a turning sign for the GR approaching the village of Rohan. But as it began to rain, rather than just persisting along the canal to my night’s stop, I decided to let my curiosity get the better of me and instead continued on my way. I found myself at the Cistercian-Trappist Abbey of Notre-Dame de Timadeuc, which dates back to 1841 and is known for its production of cheese and fruit jellies, which are sold at the abbey shop.

“I am going to let you try this very special cheese you won’t find anywhere else,” said my host at Villa Tranquillité bed and breakfast in Rohan when I finally made it there later that day. I had arrived cold and soaked, but happy with the little excursion to the abbey. “This is Trappe de Timadeuc, the cheese from the abbey you visited!”

GR37 ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE

Brittany Ferries operates daily sailings from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo, from where there are regular bus connections to the start of the GR37 at Mont Saint-Michel or to various points of the GR by train or bus via Rennes. After the hike, return to Saint-Malo from Brest with the train via Rennes.

STAYING THERE

SAINT-MALO

Hôtel des Marins in the centre of the old town is a good place to stay before and after your GR37 adventure.

www.hotel-des-marins.com

BÉCHEREL

Philden offers chambres d’hôte and veggie cuisine run by a couple in a 16th-century former weaver’s house near the town centre.

www.subscribepage.com/philden

JOSSELIN

Le 14 St-Michel is a family-run bed and breakfast in the heart of Josselin, with elegant rooms, peaceful gardens. and friendly hosts.

www.le14stmichel.com

ROHAN

Villa Tranquillité is a large, handsome house sitting right on the banks of the Nantes à Brest canal in Rohan with a friendly and laid-back host.

villa-tranquillite.fr

PONTIVY

Hôtel Le Rohan is a hiking-and cycling-friendly hotel that makes a good base for those looking to rest their feet at this point of the hike for a while. It’s comfortable and offers a warm welcome.

www.lerohan-pontivy.com

MORE INFORMATION

www.brittanytourism.com

From France Today Magazine