WINNING TIP: Veules les Roses, Normandy
A French friend recommended this village for an overnight stop close to Dieppe. I arrived in time for the night market and bought delicious local foods and bread to die for. In the morning I wandered the miles of beach; there was a yoga class beneath the white cliffs, and in the sea were oyster beds and people shrimping. The village was colonised by artists in the late 19th century, and there's a fantastic range of galleries.
veules-les-roses.fr
PedanticOne
Brittany
French Dining School, Kerrouet, Côtes-d'Armor
Driving from London to the Côte d'Azur with my wife and daughter I decided to break the journey by getting hideously lost in Brittany. I asked some local gents if they knew of a hotel for the night, but they insisted we stay at their cookery school. The atmosphere was great, and it was a perfect base to visit the main spots in Brittany, like Dinard, St Malo and the Interceltique festival at Lorient (festival-interceltique.com). We never did get to the south of France but I can now cook a mean moules à la crème!
+33 2 9634 4381, frenchdiningschool.com, five-day course including lunch, dinner and wine but excluding accommodation €750
StvRnbw
Oysters and kouign-amann, Cancale, Ille-et-Vilaine
You can buy oysters from local harvesters at the end of the Quai Admis en Chef Thomas. They're among the freshest you could get! But if you don't fancy the chore of opening them yourself, go to one of the numerous restaurants instead. Don't forget to try the kouign-amann (literally "butter cake", not "plum cake" as translated in the film Amélie) at Grain de Vanille.
Grain de Vanille, 12 place Victoire
PierrGa
Emerald Coast Gîtes, Hénansal, Côtes-d'Armor
This gorgeous cluster of eight or so gîtes is 10 minutes from the coast in Brittany, and is the perfect easy-going family holiday location. It's paradise for young ones with two heated (and gated) pools, a huge trampoline, a covered barn with soft-play area and ball pit, and an endless supply of ride-ons including bikes and tractors. The free-roaming rabbit and the chicken shed are the cherries on top. The on-site bar provides a well-earned break in the evening and comes with peace of mind as the baby monitors are lined up alongside the tasty French vino and cheese. Highly recommended.
+33 2 9634 0985, yourfrenchgite.com, from €800 for a one-bedroom gîte in peak season
Melanka
L'Art dans les Chapelles, Morbihan
There are four circuits of churches and chapels in central Brittany in which contemporary artists have installed their work and which are free to visit – perfect for summer afternoons. The red circuit is particularly charming. Look out for headless Breton saints such as St Bieuzy, and the spring located near each chapel. The signposting of the circuits tends to be minimal, so keep a sharp eye out.
+33 2 9751 9721, artchapelles.com, until 18 September
WilliamTobin
Chez Dédé di Trevi, Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine
If you are fed up of galettes and crêpes (I don't think this is possible but let's just suppose you are), go to Chez Dédé, the pizzeria serving the largest pizzas in Rennes. The Tire-fesses (€12) is particularly worth trying with reblochon cheese. Plus you get a Carambar if you manage to finish your pizza!
32 rue Sainte-Mélaine, +33 2 9987 1083
PierreGa
Cycling around Finistère
We had an excellent cycling holiday in Finistère, the western part of Brittany, last year. It's easy to take your bikes on the overnight ferry from Plymouth, and within minutes of arriving in Roscoff you can be eating breakfast in a seafront cafe before setting off along quiet country lanes through rolling farmland and tiny hamlets. The roads are generally not too busy and there is plenty to explore along the way, including ruined churches, standing stones and lighthouses as well as miles and miles of spectacular coastline. Our favourite stretches of coastline were the windswept Pointe de Pen-Hir on the Crozon peninsula and the Côte Sauvage (the Wild Coast) further north, where waves crashed on to the rocks below us and we visited the tiny chapel of St Samson.
Ruby11
Fest-Noz, Finistère
Throughout Brittany during the summer months, there are local dance festivals called Fest-Deiz or Fest-Noz (day or night festivals). These take place in village halls, leisure centres or even school playgrounds, where you can join in dancing beneath the stars, eat crêpes and drink cidre or lemonade, and there's often live music.
tamm-kreiz.com
Pator2
Walk from Léhon to Dinan, Côtes-d'Armor
From the village of Léhon, with its fantastic open-air swimming pool, you can walk 2km along the river Rance to the medieval town of Dinan. The walk is shaded by trees full of mistletoe, and along the way is a cottage where you may find a lady carving intricate pre-Raphaelite figures from sticks of chalk. The river flows through a gorge as you reach Dinan, and you pass under the majestic viaduct. From here, you can walk up the steep cobbled streets into the walled town, or stop at the waterfront restaurants and hire a boat from the little port.
EMAC1
Camping de Penn-Enez, Landéda, Finistère
It's a great little campsite close to a beach and about a 20-minute cycle to the main village where great food is served all day from a variety of eateries. You can hire a tipi to stay in and watch the beautiful sunsets from the beach just across the road. The staff were super friendly (even if somewhat intrigued by my bad 'Allo 'Allo! accent) and you can't knock warm croissants from the small shop first thing in the morning. This place and its surrounding areas were a joy to explore and felt very similar to the Isles of Scilly.
+33 2 9804 9982, camping-penn-enez.com, pitch from €12.50 a night for two adults, tipis from €45 a night
Binnieg
Normandy
Mussels and oysters, Mont St Michel, Manche
Visiting this landmark with three small children we had to find a new twist. We used Disney appeal: the mount was the very location of Mickey Mouse's dungeon from The Three Musketeers; the crowded streets the place to buy beignets like Tiana made in The Princess and the Frog. But the best finds were the mussel and oyster bars along the edge of the bay of Mont St Michel. Cheap, child-friendly and with fantastic views – our three devoured bowlfuls of fresh mussels and oysters, without even a mention of what Sebastian from The Little Mermaid might make of it all!
Rowlytwo
Vélorail at Gare de Pont-Erambourg, Orne
Try Vélorail – cycling on specially made four-person bikes that fit on railway lines – at Pont-Erambourg, 20 miles south of Caen. It's brilliant fun for the whole family – the railway cycles run on a 13km stretch of disused line in the fantastic Normandy countryside – two people peddle and two enjoy the ride! Kids love it, it's great value and there's loads of beautiful scenery and good places to picnic.
+33 2 3169 3930, rails-suissenormande.fr, €18 for a 26km return trip for four people (1 hour 45 mins)
Brotich
Cabourg, Calvados
My tip for this charming resort town is to go to the beach early in the morning and watch the trotting horses being put through their paces on the sands at low tide. It's free and you can get closer to the action than at the town's race track.
Whalewriter
Cherbourg, Manche
Instead of passing straight through after landing here on the ferry, stick around for a while. It no longer has the grandeur it once had, when it was a stopping point for cruise ships about to cross the Atlantic, but it still has a rough and ready charm. Drive up to the museum on the top of the hill for a superb view and assorted curios. Then go on to the Nez de Jobourg to feel like you're at the edge of the world. Come back into town and get delicious pastries from Petit Jean Les Provinces, before taking dinner at Ty-Billic for galettes and crêpes.
Musée de la Libération, Fort du Roule, +33 2 3320 1412, ville-cherbourg.fr, adults €3.80 (free on Sundays), children free. Petit Jean, 10 rue de L'Ile de France, +33 2 3378 0303; Ty-Billic, 73 rue Blé, +33 2 3301 1190
arh14
Bayeux memorial to war journalists, Calvados
On a walking holiday in Bayeux, we were taken by surprise by this memorial to journalists of all nations killed in combat zones since 1944. Along each side of a pathway through a wooded park are engraved memorials, one for each year since it was opened. To date there are 2,000 names recorded. It was a quiet reminder to us of the true cost of being kept informed about conflicts. We did the Mulberry March – a walk through Arromanches, famous for the Mulberry harbour used for landing troops during the war – with Belle France.
01580 214010, bellefrance.co.uk/holidays/68/mulberry-march/
Methane
La Bagnolèse, La Chapelle d'Andaine, Calvados
La Bagnolèse is a sweet, strong alcoholic drink made from Calvados (the Normandy speciality). It's made by the Chatel family – the grandmother sells it from their house and she is more than willing to let you try the different types!
Les Caves Chatel, Place de l'Eglise, +33 2 3338 2308, labagnolese.fr
Bamsarker
