Full headlight on Brittany

Looking for a new way to discover Brittany, to change classical tourism? Go to meet these stone mastodones, these giant sea guards, the well-known Breton lighthouses.

Brittany, besieged by tourists in the summer, is perceived as a wild, rainy and comforting land. We're not here anymore. It enjoys an excellent reputation and attracts as many tourists every year as the PACA region . It is to tell you if it is appreciated!

For an iodized break, a bucolic bracket or a medieval stop, Brittany offers the opportunity to escape in many ways. You will always find your happiness, even without looking for it. However, today Wanderlix takes you outside the beaten paths. We accompany you in the discovery of Breton lighthouses, these marine emblems with a strong hypnotizing power. Did you know that more than a third of the lighthouses in France are in Brittany? And because of its 1,100 kilometres of coastline, it was necessary to equip them to protect them and prevent ships from nearby reefs.

That said, it is important to know that Brittany’s lighthouses play much more than a protective role. Even if it is essential – and some lighthouses still have this vocation – the stone builds contain many secrets that you will love to reveal. We suggest you go to meet them, know their stories and learn more about them and what makes them so mysterious.

Through a complete, initiatory and fun itinerary, explore Brittany on the theme of its lighthouses. Sometimes you will get high but you will enjoy every time the marine atmosphere so special in Brittany.

Guardians of seaside lands... guarded

Even if Finistère is the department with the most ribs, all Breton departments have lighthouses. Dressing the coastline of their enigmatic stones and their luminous fireplace, they became symbols of the maritime world.

However, it is a notion that everyone does not know about the lighthouse guard. If the building may be kept (by men, especially), then it is a “phare”. The opposite indicates that one is in the presence of a “fire”. So, even if today everything mixes – because we refer more often to the building rather than its function – remember that in Brittany, there are almost only lighthouses! Land of the coast guarded, seaside protected land...

Latest of a long series started in the 19th century

The automation of lighthouses, commercial and recreational vessels equipped with GPS and a more modern cartography have undermined this solitary trade. From now on, there is no lighthouse custodians themselves. The last true guardian, Henri Richard, retired in September 2019, he was the head of Cape Fréhel.

They are still three to practise this profession, between Groix and Belle-Île-en-Mer, but not in the exact tradition. Their role is more focused on vigie and Maritime Prevention (Nautical Notice Issue), today.

Typology of lighthouses

The lighthouses are to be stored in several categories: those of the farmland, those of the coast, and finally, those of the sea. Obviously, this implies that all the lights of Brittany were not perceived in the same way by their guards. Indeed, the lighthouses that enjoyed land were called “Paradis”, because they are easy to access, close to the dwellings, and less isolated.

Then there are lighthouses built at sea, but on an island. These are nicknamed “Purgatory”. And finally, to finish, there are the full sea lights, built on fairly wide rocks to support them. Their isolation and their difficult access earned them the designation of “Inferior”. And for cause, many of the guards went crazy after their isolation...

There is also a “Enfer des Enfers”: the flagship of Ar-Men. It is the lighthouse located most west of Brittany, perched on its rock in the middle of the sea, the last human rampart before the ocean.

"Who sees Ouessant sees his blood, who sees Molène sees his pain, who sees Sein sees his end, who sees Groix sees his cross. » (proverb breton)

Let yourself be guided by the light of the lights

Now that we have awakened your curiosity, let us deploy an idea of itinerary. That said, don't expect to visit each of Brittany's lighthouses. They are close to 200 and a single stay does not allow you to discover them all. In addition, some are located in the middle of the sea (the famous Hells). So you can't always approach them.

The Finistère, and its end-of-the-world airs

In the Breton language, Finistère says “penn-ar-bed”, in other words, the end of the world. You will realize, through our road trip, that you will spend a lot of time there... And for cause! It is in the Finistère that there are the most lighthouses! Indeed, it is also the department of Brittany on the longest coast, facing the Atlantic Ocean and Great Britain.

He worked for the defence of the country at a time, with such a panorama. But it is also very dangerous, because of many surface reefs and esseulated rocks on the shoreline. The lighthouses were then of paramount importance in the survival of sailors and are still useful today in many ways.

“The lighthouses do not belong to anyone because they are used to save the lives of the sailors of all nations and those of their passengers. » – The Net, an engineer who saved the Port-Navalo Lighthouse from the dynamite in 1944.

J1 : Port Navalo Lighthouse, Goulphar Lighthouse and Poulan Lighthouse

At the departure of Vannes, a city in which we advise you to spend a few hours or even days, to discover it in depth, take the direction of Arzon. Arzon is a commune that closes the Gulf of Morbihan by the south, on the peninsula of Rhuys. In addition to enjoying the Gulf in itself, very attractive, you can observe the Lighthouse of Port-Navalo. It was a lighthouse that almost got energized in 1944 during the Second World War.

Yet here he is still standing from the top of his 32 meters. He was an engineer, Le Net, who saved him, by convincing the German troops of the utility of this lighthouse, in a gulf opening, wisely guiding the ships. Once on site, do not miss walking in Port-Navalo and admiring Locmariaquer in front, or Presqu’Île de Quiberon Far away!

Continue your journey by returning exceptionally on your steps. On this occasion, mark a break in Vannes, then in Carnac. The Alignments of Carnac are no longer to present, on the other hand, they are always to observe for a real leap in the past. Continue to the Quiberon Peninsula, a beautiful piece of rock that sinks into the sea. From the peninsula, take the boat to Belle-Île-en-Mer .

Once on site, we advise you to spend at least half a day there. Then discover the Goulphar lighthouses to the south and the Poulains to the north. They frame the island in a few ways, protecting it from sinking. Don't miss visiting Belle-Île-en-Mer, an admirable pearl facing the department of Morbihan.

Once you return to the farmland, spend a night on Lorient, the city of sailors and the feast of interceltic culture!

J2 : Pen-Men light

For this second day, we offer you a departure from Lorient, a ferry crossing and an entire day on Groix Island. It is a beautiful island, very attractive in the summer and that many Bretons enjoy for a one-day getaway. There are many things to see, including the Pen-Men lighthouse.

Located west of the island, it is the most powerful lighthouse of all the Morbihan with its 54-kilometre light range, from the top of its 64 meters. In fact, it is a lighthouse, that is, the functionality of the lighthouse is completely integrated into a living building. The tip where the lighthouse is located, in addition to being unusually beautiful, houses an ornithological reserve because many species come to nest in the crevasses of the cliff.

Continue your discovery of the island by visiting the Groix eco-museum, tasting the many local "lichouseries", or walking on the Grands-Sables beach. Also, don’t miss the surprising Trou de l’Enfer, a huge cut in the continuity of the cliff. Legends are also born there. For example, it seems that if you dance on the edge of this hole, you hunt the evil spirits...Maybe they are frightened by the sometimes bleak dances of humans?

For your night, it is on-site choice in one of the accommodation offered on the island, or in Lorient.

J3 : Bénodet Lighthouse and Eckmühl Lighthouse

Continue your discovery of Brittany lighthouses with those of Finistère. From Lorient, we recommend you to reach Quimper and enjoy the city a few hours: Saint-Corentin Cathedral, paved streets and the charm of old, original shops... Then go down to the south, follow the Odet, the river quimpérois to Bénodet.

On the edge of the Anse du Trez, next to the Pointe du Coq, enjoy the view of the lighthouse of Bénodet, or fire, called Le Coq. With its green strip, it emulates an already beautiful beach and bay landscape decorated with boats. And since you're on the spot, take a look at Bénodet, a charming, chic town in the south of Finistère. Very popular, the houses escape at gold prices, because of the immediate proximity of the city with the sea, but also with Quimper, the dynamic.

Then, direction Penmarch (pronounced “pinmar”), passing through Combrit and Pont-L’Abbé. You do not have to stop, but it is still recommended. Get away from it, make it stop. Once you’re in Penmarch, you can’t miss her famous mastodon: the Eckmühl lighthouse. It is possible to visit it from the inside and climb it up.

But it has a price: 307 steps, spiral, without pause. This requires some physical training! In fact, an annual competition takes place, fighting for some courageous sports and sports to determine which of them is the fastest or the fastest! At the top, from the campanile, you can observe the whole bay and the days of low tide it is even more impressive.

At that point, go down and do some walking. On the way back, stop in Guilvinec and its port so special.

J4 : Lighthouse of the Petit-Minou, Lighthouse of Kermorvan and Lighthouse of Saint-Mathieu

Your adventure continues in the North-Finistère, in the Pays du Léon as we call it. Finality of the Iroise Sea, you will see some of the most beautiful coasts of France. But what interests us is the lighthouses that overlook the cliffs, thus protecting the coastline.

Start with the Petit-Minou lighthouse at the entrance to Brest. Following and ending the Fort of the same name, this lighthouse is of such beauty that the photographers tear it away! Facing the tip of Pen-Hir, at the end of the Crozon peninsula, the view is sublime to more than 360°, on the land and on the sea side. To access it, you will have to follow a very romantic little bridge made of stones.

In a second time, approach the lighthouse of Saint-Mathieu, in the extension of Plougonvelin, proudly erected in the ruins of the Abbey of the same name. All dressed white, with its red hat, it dominates the sea and the cliffs, as well as the observable view from the Pointe Saint-Mathieu. Some surrounding troquets will allow you to mark a little break, to drink a coffee or to eat a little something.

Finally, head to the Kermorvan lighthouse, taking care to stop at the Conquet, a lovely fishing village like Douarnenez in the South-Finistère. Then follow the coast and beach of the Blanc-Sablons to access the Kermorvan lighthouse. Timid stone construction, it diffuses a peaceful atmosphere, at the end of its cliff at sometimes agitated seaside, granting it medieval castle tower air... See how beautiful it is, and even when it rains!

J5: Men-Ruz and Bodic Lighthouse

Finish your stay discovered by the Côtes-d’Armor. First, the Men-Ruz lighthouse, which you already see very well if you know Ploumanac’h. Very famous for his Côte de Granit Rose , this town houses one of the most beautiful lighthouses in Brittany.

Indeed, this one is built with the same stones that plunge the coastline! This gives it an absolutely remarkable look. From the beachfront you can see the castle of Costaerès, located on a small island of the same name off. It is also a very beautiful place to recharge, taking advantage of the beach and the marine air. Also, do not miss Perros-Guirec, right next door, with its beach of Trestraou and its Pointe du Château. An ideal place to eat one or two pancakes...

Then continue your way to the Bodic lighthouse. He has the peculiarity... to look like a rocket! Indeed, following its destruction in 1944 under the German occupation, it was rebuilt in a rather original way. It comes squarely into a façade wall that really gives it spacecraft.

It is still a beautiful building, located in the estuary leading to Pontrieux, a pretty small Costa Rican town. Once you have enjoyed the view and the atmosphere, go down the coast to Saint-Brieuc. Take time to visit the city, including its centre. So finish your micro road-trip breton!

Optional and ravishing travel tip

If you wish, you can also choose to spend a day at Interesting an island off the North Finistère. Nicknamed “the island with 5 lighthouses”, this is justified by the presence of several lighthouses to be seen, including the Stiff, the dean of Breton lighthouses built in 1695, the Jument or the Créach.

Also, you can discover the great fields and the famous sheep of Ouessant. It is an island that visits by bike and joins it with a daily ferry. An alternative cabbage for those who would like to score another parenthesis in their road-trip Breton.

These lighthouses that don’t visit, but that are observed from afar

In our list, we omitted some very well-known lighthouses. And this, for the simple and good reason that some are real Hells. Perched on its rock, the Tévennec Lighthouse is the most concrete example. They were 23 guards who took over barely 35 years! It is said that the lighthouse is haunted, and that at night, ghosts and voices wake up, until some comrades are mad...

Also, it is a lighthouse that you cannot visit. Just like other famous buildings in Brittany, like the Lighthouse of Ar-Men, mentioned above, or the Lighthouse of Jument, in Ouessant, also legendary. We invite you, however, to observe the horizons of the most steep coasts, you should be able to observe some from afar.