I'm sitting in the passenger seat of a right-hand drive Orion, being driven through some woods and frankly I'm struggling with the navigation. In front of us is a French car, which has the advantage of being used to the road-signs. Behind us is a German-registered people-mover, where at least the driver is on the correct side of the vehicle. In front of each navigator is a green book, identical in every respect save for the language: the ubiquitous "Guide Michelin". This is a tour of an enchanted forest - at least, it is for those who aren't map-reading.

"Brosceliande" is the old, romantic name for the Fôret de Paimpont in Brittany. It has a realistic claim to be linked with Merlin and King Arthur - certainly Chretien de Troyes set his romances in a place much like this. The locals are making the most of this link: as well as its fine abbey and church, Paimpont now boasts one shop devoted to "new age" writings and two others with decided leanings towards Merlin, the Graal and the new age. The feeling was of a smaller version of Glastonbury, although being Breton, the shopkeepers were up bright and early.

The Michelin Guide suggests starting a circular car tour at St Léry, but since we were in Paimpont, we started there. The former abbey is indeed a fine building, overlooking an "Etang", or man-made lake. The interior of the abbey church is still in use and is also worth an extended visit. The statue of Our Lady of Paimpont dates from the fifteenth century and is obviously still a favourite with local worshippers. There are some rather nice views of the abbey across the lake anticlockwise from the village and an extended walk round it is a good idea.

Then, via Forges du Paimpont, on to the first well, the Fontaine de Barenton. It's not that easy to find, actually, because the rules for signposting the Brosceliande "Route Touristique" seem to be to get you close and then leave you strung out to dry. Michelin doesn't help matters by suggesting in the text that the well is in a completely different place, although the map is accurate. There is one car park anywhere close and it's the right one: exit along an unmarked track to the left as you enter, and the rest is fairly plain sailing for a fifteen minute walk. Chretien wrote of the well:

"You will see the spring that bubbles, though its water is colder than marble.
It is shaded by the most beautiful tree that nature ever made."

...going on to talk about the marvels. The locals still believe in its power to end droughts: the last church sanctioned pilgrimage for this purpose was in 1925 and an earlier one in 1835 is proudly quoted as having worked. Robert Wace (Romance of the Rose, ca 1120) wasn't convinced:

"There fairies are to be seen (if the Bretons tell the truth) and other wonders occur."

Then on to Tréhorenteuc, home of a major part of the linking of the graal with the area in modern times. The Abbé Henri Gillard, whose statue is outside, turned the church into an embodiment of the graal legends. He saw no problem with mixing the graal mythos, local legend and the Roman Catholic faith. The church is dominated by a stained glass window of the graal legends, and to the right of the altar is another showing the apparition of the graal. Pilgrim followers come here regularly and the local tourist office offers guided tours pointing out the symbolism and linking the symbols and legends with Abbé Gillard's explanation of the message "to perpetuate the wisdom of the graal".

The Val Sans Retour, where the enchantress Viviane imprisoned those who had forgotten their vows of fidelity, is almost as difficult to find as the well at Barenton (though easier than most of the megaliths). It's a nice piece of countryside with a valley running down to a lake known as the fairies' mirror (although irreverently, I did wonder where the fairies did their hair before the stream was dammed). Viviane's prison is the remains of a megalithic burial part-way down the valley, but I found another mixture of legend and reality much more poignant. At the entrance to the valley, just below the lake, is a modern sculpture of the legendary Golden Tree. It's set in a pavement of schist and flanked by two burnt trees - I suspect that the golden one is a burnt tree covered in some impervious golden material, but my French proved insufficient to find out. A large chunk of the forest burned down in 1990, and this is a local artist's representation of the efforts to restore the habitat. Parts are being left to re-grow naturally and parts have been replanted.

After the Val, Michelin suggests yet another church, and Comper chateau, but Michelin has a church fixation and to be honest, Comper chateau wasn't much of an improvement. This is the home of Les Chevalliers du Graal, a curious mixture of the Society for Creative Anachronism and a mystical qabbalist order. At first I felt that my translation brain-cells had taken a lunch break, but on careful analysis, the language of the story-boards really are that over-the-top. These people really want Comper to have been the crystal castle, and imbued with the mystery of the graal. Good luck to them, but I found Tréhorenteuc rather more convincing.

I'd ignore the other large lake as well, since it may be the largest in the forest but the only viewing point is so constrained that Paimpont looks better. To be fair, both the lake and the other churches were fine places in and of themselves, but Michelin never actually says "if you've already seen St Gildas' Church, then this one is much the same and you can skip it unless church architecture is your thing". So, warning: if you've visited the Gulf of Morbihan, ignore the various dolmen in Paimpont with legendary names, unless dolmen are your thing. I'm sure that the locals love them, but most are very difficult to find and those in the Gulf are a good deal more impressive.

Save the fountain (meaning "well")of eternal youth for last, then return to Paimpont to eat (the Brescelin is the gathering point for local folk musicians including the harper who plays the heritage concerts), or just to look at the abbey across the lake one more time.

The fountain of eternal youth? Legend says that you will only find it if you are pure in heart. That was probably fine for Wace and for Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose readers were unlikely ever to set foot in Brittany. It's difficult to find, but not impossible, so the modern version of the legend is different. Once again, the signposting is odd - follow for Merlin's tomb. There's only one car park on the correct road, and opposite it is a small footpath post telling you how to get to the tomb, which is a small set of rocks and a holly tree, where people leave messages, flowers, ribbons and requests for Merlin - including a rather sweet one for Pokemon cards.

Walk past the tomb and on to the forest fence, turn left and walk along the fence - the well is on your right. It's a circular well in a shady part of the forest - actually it should be in the private bit, but the owners have generously moved the fence to give public access. Since even the not-so-pure-in-heart can follow a tour guide, there is nowadays a sting in the tail. You must approach the well at midnight (or some say dawn, so doing both might be prudent) on the solstice. And be of pure heart and not have forgotten any of your vows. Otherwise the Fée will get you.

So, is Merlin in Brosceliande? Well, turn it into a map-reading route march as the guide does, and Merlin, Morgana and Viviane will snub you. But the forest is beautiful, and Barenton, Paimpont, Tréhorenteuc, and the Fountain of Youth give a snatch of peace and quiet even if they're crowded. They're every bit as magic as Glastonbury or Tintagel. Michelin, though, obviously thinks different. Of the Fountain of Youth:

"An ordinary looking fountain with supposed magical properties"

full stop, end of message. Wace is alive and well and sub-editing the "Guide Verte".