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France: The Best of Brittany
Tour Code: FRA32A two-centre, 8-day holiday exploring Brittany in search of birds, butterflies and other wildlife between the glorious French seasons of spring and summer.
£1,995 (Inc ferry)
£1,895
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Summary
Brittany is just a ferry ride across the English Channel, but the roll-call of birds, butterflies and other wildlife is surprisingly different. This 2-centre, late spring, holiday showcases those birds and butterflies that we don’t find here at all, or are rare and in decline, in Britain. We begin in La Roche Bernard where we shall visit a vast private forest with wide rides ideal for a number of butterfly species and woodland birds. A barge trip in the nearby Briere National Park we hope will yield Savi’s and Grasshopper Warblers. We shall also visit one of the most beautiful bays in the world, the Gulf of Morbihan. Next, we travel north to Perros Guirec for our last three nights. In this region, we will see a mosaic of habitats of wet woodland, peat bogs and prairie where we will hope to encounter Marsh Fritillary, Purple Hairstreak, Map and Swallowtail as well as various skipper species and birds such as Willow Warbler, Dartford Warbler and Yellowhammer. We will enjoy a boat trip to the Sept Îles and enjoy a huge seabird colony. The moorland of northern Brittany attracts up to 20 pairs of Montagu’s Harrier at this time of year as well as Hen Harrier which we will hope to see.
- 2-centre wildlife holiday in northern France and led by a local expert
- Breeding Kentish Plover, Glossy Ibis, Golden Oriole all possible!
- Exciting butterflies may include Purple Emperor, Marsh Fritillary, Swallowtail and Map
- Look for breeding Black-winged Stilt and rare French-breeding race of Bluethroat
- Barge cruise in superb Brière Regional Nature Park with Whiskered and Caspian Terns and Glossy Ibis
- A boat trip to the seabird colonies of the Sept Isles
- French cuisine, picnics included with local foods
The wild and rugged coastline around of Brittany with its windswept marshes and expansive sandy beaches, is the region in which we will first be based on this new, 2-centre, wildlife holiday. To get there we will travel across the Channel by ferry, this being another in our growing portfolio of 'flightless' tours. During the first stage of this holiday, we’ll explore the coast and wetlands of northern Brittany, looking for such resident and migrant birds as Kentish and Little Ringed Plover, Common Quail, Red-backed Shrike and Marsh Harrier. The northernmost stretch of Brittany’s coastline is known as the Emerald Coast, and here we will hope to enjoy the songs of Nightingales, Cirl Buntings, Woodlarks, Melodious Warblers, Cuckoos and other species less frequently heard to the north of the Channel. We will also head inland to explore the Forest of Rennes, Brittany’s largest forest. Here, domes and plateaux are separated by wide forested valleys, providing a rich and varied habitat that holds breeding Honey Buzzards, Nightjars and Dartford Warblers, as well as Black, Middle Spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. Brittany supports a diverse range of butterflies and during our walks we hope to find such species as Swallowtail, Camberwell Beauty, Purple Emperor, Lesser Purple Emperor, Marsh and Knapweed Fritillaries, Wood White, Black-veined White, Sooty Copper, Long-tailed Blue and the Map butterfly, among many others.
For the latter half of our holiday we will be based on Brittany’s southern coast, where the Gulf of Morbihan offers an extensive mosaic of mudflats, creeks and bays. Here we will go in search of a range of breeding species, including Mediterranean Gull, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and the exquisite Bluethroat. Nearby, Crested Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper and Firecrest may be found in the pine woods, whilst in Brière Regional Nature Park – a truly impressive area protecting over 100,000 acres of marshland – we will hope to see Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Black Kite, Caspian and Whiskered Terns, Spoonbill and Black-necked Grebe. Finally, at La Forêt du Gâvre, we will explore both the forest and the surrounding grasslands where Golden Oriole, Corncrake, Wryneck, Bonelli’s Warbler and a variety of woodpeckers all breed. Raptors to be seen here include breeding Goshawk and Honey Buzzard, whilst Short-toed Eagles are regularly seen during the summer.
Outline Itinerary
Dates & Prices
2026
Tour Leader: Martyn Williams
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
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