The Tro Breiz (or Tro Breizh) (Breton for "Tour of Brittany") is an ancient circular pilgrimage route through Brittany honoring the seven founding saints of the province. On the way, the pilgrim passes through each of the old cathedral cities dedicated to these saints (most no longer hold the status) - St-Brieuc, St-Malo, Dol-de-Bretagne, Vannes, Quimper, Saint-Pol-de-Léon and Tréguier. While this route was never entirely forgotten, it had fallen into disuse until the Association "Les Chemins du Tro Breiz" was formed to promote it; to this end, they sponsor yearly walks covering one stage of the circumambulation. When I joined the pilgrimage in 1995, it was the third year of the cycle and a group of roughly 120 walked along the roads and paths between Saint-Pol-de-Léon and Tréguier through the course of a week.

The Tro Breiz is much more of a local pilgrimage than the Way of St. James and attracts almost an entirely French crowd (at least this was the case in 1995); nonetheless, my group included several Brits, a pair of Dutch women and a few other non-French. I was the sole American representative. The largest and most energetic group was an Catholic youth association, but walkers of all ages and interests joined the trek. A modest fee and membership in the Association "Les Chemins du Tro Breiz" paid in advance covered all the lodging (typically a gymnasium floor) and evening meals. The fee also covered a sag wagon, which meant that one could bring reasonably comfortable bedding and still carry only a light backpack.

Our segment passed through some of the most beautiful countryside in Brittany, the Côte du Granit Rose, a section of coast facing the English Channel full of rose-colored granite. We also hiked many country paths and byways - even the cities in this part of France are small and the province is principally rural.

Since I had come all the way from the US, I wanted to walk farther, as did my three companions, who included one Breton, Yvonnick, and two Brits, Louis and Paul - all of us but Paul had completed the Way of Saint James the previous year. The organized pilgrimage ended with a parade through the streets of Tréguier in the pouring rain, followed by a full mass in the cathedral. We bid adieu to our many new acquaintances and continued on on to St.-Malo, where we lost Louis, who didn't find it interesting enough to spend his whole vacation on the road. By Dol-de-Bretaigne, we lost the other Brit to an ankle injury, although he went ahead by train and bus. Yvonnick and I made our way through the countryside south toward Vannes, but we, too, gave up after losing the trail and generally losing the pleasure of the pilgrimage. Our pilgrimage ended rather ignominiously in a tangle of brambles and heather outside a small town deep in the heart of rural Britanny. Some hours after a desperate phone call, Yvonnick's parents and a friend rescued us and we continued south by car, covering the remainder of the distance in no time.

Rather than end with such a defeat, after a good night's rest, we drove back along the route about 15 kilometers and walked into Yvonnick's hometown, which lay midway between Vannes and Quimper. All in all, our Breton odyssey's finale couldn't begin to hold up to the arrival in Santiago de Compostela the previous year, but we had all enjoyed the organized pilgrimage and would gladly join again.