Besides its unspoilt countryside and beaches, Brittany’s proximity to the UK by ferry and road makes it popular with Brits, and recent months have even seen new flights there. Evidently interest in the region is growing, so we take a closer look…

Article written by The Overseas Guides Company

Getting to Brittany from the UK by air is getting easier, with two airlines announcing new routes to the French region this year. In November, Eastern Airways announced it is launching a new flight to Lorient from Southampton for summer 2015, complementing its existing network of routes to regional France.

Meanwhile, in June this year Flybe launched direct daily return flights between Rennes and London Southend Airport, operated by its franchise partner, Stobart Air. Flybe said it aims to carry up to 165,000 passengers on its Rennes London Southend service within three years, starting with 50,000 passengers in year one.

“Brittany is a real gem, both on the coast where you find sweet fishing villages and pretty sandy beaches, and in the interior, with its green rolling countryside and a natural earthy lifestyle,” said Alexis Goldberg, expat and author of the France Buying Guide. “When I drive back to the UK from my home in the south, if I can, I love to stop over and experience the region – it contrasts with my region, the Languedoc. Then there is the added interest of its Celtic roots.”

If improving air links is your trigger for looking for property in Brittany, here are some suggestions to get you started.

Set in the countryside just an hour from both Lorient and Rennes, both with new UK flights, and 20 minutes from the pretty coastal town of Saint-Brieuc is this restored 18th-Century farmhouse. This stunning stone property, packed with features, has five bedrooms and comes with outbuildings, including stables, and more than eight acres. Price: €388,800.

Or, almost midway between Rennes and Lorient in the village of Allaire is this cosy three-bedroom detached cottage, with a secluded mature garden – an ideal bolt-hole or place to live the good life.

For more information on buying property successfully in France, download the Overseas Guides Company’s free France Buying Guide – and start receiving free news updates by email. And to see property for sale in Brittany, visit Rightmove’s Brittany listings.

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