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Le moulin de Moidrey, Pontorson
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Mont Saint-Michel
GR 34 | |
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Length | 1,700 km (1,100 mi) |
Location | France, Manche, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Atlantique |
Designation | GR footpath |
Trailheads | |
Use | Long distance trail |
The long-distance hiking trail 34 (French: Sentier de grande randonnée 34 or GR 34 for short) is a French coastal path that starts from Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche) and ends in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique). It runs along almost the entire coast of the Brittany region from Mont Saint-Michel and, beyond the limit between Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique, to the mouth of the Loire. It stretches over 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi). It largely follows former customs paths. These paths, gradually abandoned during the first half of the 20th century, allowed customs officers to patrol the coast from their guardhouses, located at key observation points on the Brittany coast.[1]
The Breton coastal path has its origins in the late 18th century, after the French Revolution. Among the measures adopted by the National Constituent Assembly (1789–1791) at the end of the Ferme générale was the creation on 23 April 1791 of the National Customs Authority (French: Régie nationale des douanes).[2] By a decree of 5 November 1790, the Constituent Assembly thus abolished all internal borders and decided to "retreat customs to the borders".[3]
It was in this context that the Breton customs officers' path was created in 1791. The men, who ensured the surveillance in pairs, took turns every two hours and had the task of monitoring the coasts and fighting smuggling. Along the path, gabions, cabins, huts, straw huts and many small dry-stone constructions built by the customs officers themselves provided places to stop. [4][5] They are in addition to the official positions provided by the Customs Administration.
The objectives of the path were fourfold:[5]
In 2018, the trail was used by 9 million users, 40% of whom were locals and 60% tourists. The local economic benefits are estimated at 202 million euros.[19]