Each day has its own character. From Dinard the path runs over a succession of headlands and coves to St Briac, 16km with about 100m of ascent, passing the estuary and wide sands at St Lunaire. The next day is shorter at 14km but climbs around 300m, crossing to the St Jacut de la Mer peninsula, past the ruins of Château Guildo above the Arguenon estuary and along a partly wooded stretch with views to the Île des Hébihens before reaching St Cast le Guildo.

Day four takes you around the Pointe de St Cast, along the remote bay at Port St Jean and up to the hamlet of St Germain before descending to Port à la Duc, 15–18km with 250m of ascent. A transfer then takes you to the Pointe de la Latte on the Fréhel peninsula, where you sleep. The following day is the high point: the sandstone cliffs at Cap Fréhel rise 70m straight from the sea and are home to large numbers of seabirds, with the Fort de la Latte on its headland behind you. The path then turns inland through pine forest and drops to the 1920s resort of Sables d'Or les Pins, up to 17km with only 70m of climbing.

The last walking day, 14km with 300m of ascent, rounds the sands and pine forest at the head of an estuary and then the Erquy peninsula, with cliffs, coves and beaches the whole way. You finish at the port of Erquy, sitting in a natural bay, and are transferred to Lamballe station after breakfast the next morning.

The walking is graded moderate: undulating coast alternating between easy and moderate sections, mostly well maintained and signposted, with the red-and-white GR34 waymarks for most of the route and some local yellow-marked paths. Some days feel harder than the distance suggests because the path rises and falls constantly, sometimes on steps. The operator recommends some experience of day walking and reasonable general health.

What sets this apart from a fixed-group walking tour is the flexibility. You choose your start date, the operator can shorten or lengthen the itinerary, and extra nights can be added at any stopover — most usefully at the start in St Malo, whose old walled city is worth a morning, or in Dinan, reached by a boat trip down the Rance estuary on the limited dates when tides allow. The holiday can also be combined with the operator's walking holiday along Brittany's Granite Coast.

What's included

- 6 nights accommodation in guest houses and hotels - All breakfasts - 1 evening meal - Picnic lunches supplied by the guest houses - Full walking notes and maps (one set per person) - Luggage transport between guest houses - Two transfers during the week - Transfer from Erquy to Lamballe train station at the end

What's not included

- Travel to St Malo - 5 evening meals - Drinks - Travel insurance - Entrance fees - Extra nights - Optional boat trip to Dinan