Isle de Brehat

After having lunch with JC’s dad we set off again to explore the northern section of this part of the coast, in particular Bréhat. The Isle de Bréhat is a large island set amongst an archipelago on the northern coast of Brittany. It is reached via a ferry which runs between the main island and la Pointe de l’Arcouest which is at the extremity of la Côte de Goëlo. The pier or landing is made of rose granite- a feature of this landscape and a popular building material for ‘bad taste’ houses of the end of the nineteenth century.


The boat trip occurred closer to low tide than high tide so we cruised around the outside of the Isle rather than going through a picturesque passage through the middle. We were fortunate to see a seal lounging on a group of sharp rocks. The rocks are very upthrust in this area. The island has an old gallo-roman monastry on it and a sea-powered windmill (neither of which we could visit that day). We had the option of stopping off on the island but I was much too tired to do that and lacked reasonable walking shoes so we stuck to the boat trip.


You can’t escape the plethora of lighthouses of all shapes and sizes on the coast of Brittany and there were heaps in this archipelago. I enjoyed seeing them, feeling the fresh ocean air on my face and looking out towards the English Channel wondering about all the adventures folks from France and Brittany must have shared via that stretch of water.


Evenings in Binic were spent listening to whatever free entertainment was provided for the festival. A celtic group consisting of a violinist, guitarist, drummer, harpist/vocalist provided atmospheric listening, and the harbour was pretty in the evening light. The sun doesn’t really go down properly until after 10pm there at present. Saturday night ended with a hiss and a boom as the town set off a fireworks display which we watched from JC’s room upstairs. A perfect view.

The next post will feature that sector of Brittany famous for Arthurian legends.