Going for Golf

Saint-Cast Le Guildo

Golf Saint-Cast Le Guildo is even shorter than Sables d’Or – par 68 and 5,400 yards off the tips – and features no fewer than six par threes, with just a couple of par fives.

Once again, short doesn’t necessarily equal simple. There are some challenging holes, and, as the course starts and ends by the beach at Pen Guen, you’re at the mercy of the elements – and once more being scrutinised from the terrace overlooking the beach – and final green, a tough par three with a magnetic sand trap.

It’s enjoyable all the way round, but especially so on the homeward stretch, most of which is on a plateau overlooking the Emerald Coast. The tang of salty sea air mingles with scent wafting from the cypress, broom, gorse and hydrangeas on a course that’s picturesque and an absolute pleasure to play. Small, well-guarded greens make up for the lack of length, and that’s the beauty of Brittany: its courses blending into the natural terrain, offering a welcome relief from the manicured bunker-strewn monsters that have sprung up elsewhere.