Island of Brehat

The island of Bréhat, actually two islands joined by a tiny bridge built in the 18th Century by Vauban (the man responsible for much of the fortifications built around France at the time), is situated North-Northeast of Paimpol, in the Côtes d'Armor, Brittany. We decided to visit one day, not knowing very much about it other than it was meant to be very pretty and cars aren't allowed there. If you have read my review on the island of Gigha (Scotland), ...
...Paimpol and from there, the island is well signposted. Five kilometres after Paimpol, you will come to the 'Pointe de l'Arcouest', the point where you can get a boat to the island. The 'Vedettes de Bréhat', a boat company, has got the monopoly for transporting people to and from the island. You can leave your car at the car park, either near the wharf or a bit further up the hill. The car park cost €5, and they undertake to check the car park regularly ... more

The island of Bréhat, actually two islands joined by a tiny bridge built in the 18th Century by Vauban (the man responsible for much of the fortifications built around France at the time), is situated North-Northeast of Paimpol, in the Côtes d'Armor, Brittany. We decided to visit one day, not knowing very much about it other than it was meant to be very pretty and cars aren't allowed there. If you have read my review on the island of Gigha (Scotland), you will know that this is the kind of place I love the most.

~How to get there~
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If you are driving, to go to Bréhat, you first need to get to Paimpol and from there, the island is well signposted. Five kilometres after Paimpol, you will come to the 'Pointe de l'Arcouest', the point where you can get a boat to the island. The 'Vedettes de Bréhat', a boat company, has got the monopoly for transporting people to and from the island. You can leave your car at the car park, either near the wharf or a bit further up the hill. The car park cost €5, and they undertake to check the car park regularly for thieves. If you don't have a car, you can go to Paimpol by train and from the station get a bus to the point. Take time when you are there to admire the beautiful viewpoint.

Although there is only one company to travel with, you have two options to get to Bréhat from the Pointe de l'Arcouest. You can either go directly, a short 10 minutes crossing which will cost you €8 (£5.40), or you could elect, as we did, to go around the island on the way over for an extra €4.50 (a total of £8.45). Children from 4 to 11 years old pay €6.50 or €9 respectively (£4.40 and £6.10).

The tour of the island is available every hour from the 1st of April to the 14th of July, starting at 9.30. From the 15th of July to the 31st of August, this goes up to every half hour. To come back, you just catch one of the direct boats at a time of your choice. For other dates and more precise information, consult http://www.vedettesdebrehat.com/index-gb.htm.

There are a number of other ports you can sail from, but this is the most direct. If you are interested in any of the other crossings, consult the Vedettes de Bréhat website above.

~The boat trip around the island~
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If like us you choose to take the long way round, it will take you 45 minutes. I think this is only an option if you take the first or second crossing, but if you set off any later, be aware that you may not have time to see very much on the island itself. Now, my advice to you is to dress up fairly warmly for this, even if the weather is quite good, as you will find that once you are on the water, the temperature can drop quite sharply, particularly when you get to the north side of the island.

We really enjoyed this trip and were amazed at just how many islands there are in this part of Brittany. The Bréhat archipelago comprises 96 in total, of varying sizes. The route the boat follows does vary quite a bit, as tides in this part of the world have some of the widest range between high and low tide, over 7 meters (23.5 feet). This means the person in charge of the boat has to know the area very well indeed to figure out which channel is navigable. It also means very strong currents and backwashes. Although the place looks beautiful, it can also be very dangerous.

When going round the island, you are struck by how much the landscape changes, with the north part, much more exposed to very rough weather indeed, being very rugged and wild. The southern part's climate is almost Mediterranean. The most notable thing about this island is the pink granite it is made of, particularly if you happen to see it in the morning sun. In common with the pink granite coast, one can observe fascinating chaotic formations created by the erosion of the rock. We saw many landmarks that we would come across again when walking around the island, so I won't detail them here.

~The island itself~
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This island is home to only about 300 people, yet as many as 300 000 tourists visit in the high season. So much for a nice, peaceful place! Don't let this put you off however, as it doesn't actually feel that bad, as I will try to show in the rest of the review. If you still think that would spoil your visit, another option is to go in the spring.

The boat drops passengers off at one of 3 quays, depending on the tide. This is something to bear in mind when coming back, particularly if you intend to take the last boat, as there can be up to 15 minutes walk between the first and the third quay. From the quay, on your way to the 'bourg' (the main village), you will see a hotel/restaurant/café and some tourist shops. The bourg itself is very pretty, all around a little square which accommodates a daily market in July and August. There are a number of cafés, restaurants and crêperies (serving the local speciality of crêpes and galletes). We just enjoyed a quick drink at one of the terraces, but we were keen to be on our way. After a visit to the little tourist office to buy a map and accompanying booklet, we were off.

Many houses in the bourg are adorned with a wealth of wonderfully bright flowers. Due to the micro-climate that operates on the island, the plants brought back by local sailors over the centuries from far-flung corners of the world seem to thrive here. Palm-trees are the most obvious, and do look particularly lush, but there's a great many other plants to admire. We stopped at the church, with its unusual bell-tower in the Lannion style, which looks more like a wall with 3 bells.

I should probably say at this stage that you can also rent bikes, although that is not something I would recommend in the height of the season. Some paths are actually out of bounds for bicycles, and in the busiest parts, cyclists find their progress very much impeded by people walking. At 3.5km by 1.5km (2mix1m), the island is small enough to be covered easily on foot. If walking or cycling are difficult, there is also one of the little trains that criss-crosses the island. I don't think it is exclusively a tourist thing, just the only mode of public transport available on the island.

Signposting is very good from the bourg and depending on how much you want to walk, there is a choice of itineraries. We decided to go to the north of the island and in between taking little detours and getting lost, we walked miles, but without really realising it. The next day however, we knew we had walked a lot!

The South island is a maze of paths lined with fragrant bushes or drystone walls adorned with flowers. So now, across the little bridge to the North Island… We walked passed the ruins of an abandoned chapel dedicated to St Rion, a 6th Century monk. The chapel itself is 12th Century and was attached to a lepers' colony.

The northernmost point of the island is marked by the 'Phare du Paon' (Paon lighthouse). This is a very impressive site, with amazing views all around. The lighthouse itself dates from 1949, as the previous one was destroyed by the occupying forces in 1944. The new lighthouse is fully automatic, but the old one was manned, or I should say 'womanned', and the ladies who had to look after this place must have been made of very stern stuff indeed. The last one died at her post, at a very advanced age (83 if memory serves). Her main complaint about the job had been that the force of the waves kept putting her fire out!

In his part, the coast is extraordinarily jagged and indented. Next to the light house, the granite split into a huge chasm. Legend recommended girls throw a stone between the two sides of rock once a year. If the stone went straight into the water, they would be married within the year. If it bounced from rock to rock, the number of bounces would tell them how many years they would have to wait. As I am already married, I didn't try it in case the stone came flying back to my face!

Although a lot less clement from a climatic point of view, this side of the island is very beautiful, if in a somewhat rugged manner. While there aren't as many exotic species of plants, there are a lot of local ones, sometimes endangered. It's also a great place to observe marine birds.

We didn't manage to walk around everything during our visit, but we did see the tidal mill on the south Island from the boat. It uses the power of the tides to grind wheat into flour and was built around 1632. It is one of only two examples of these types of mills in France. It was still in use in 1920 when the new baker starting importing flour from the continent. The miller destroyed the wheel and mechanism so as not to have to pay the tax on mills in working condition. Fortunately, this was subsequently lovingly restored to its former glory.

There are many fine-looking houses to see on the island, including some that belonged to privateers in the 17th and 18th Centuries.

~Famous visitors~
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Because of its beauty and remoteness, Bréhat has appealed to many artists and writers. The beautiful light and colours attracted such painters as Chagall, Edouard Cortès, Foujita, Matisse and many more, and today the island is home to many artists. The square resembles the famous Montmartre square at times, with all the artists exhibiting their works.

Writers also elected to stay here, and Colette wrote two of her books here.

~Tourism, yes, but not at any cost~
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This is very much a working and living island, not a museum, and there is a lot going on besides tourism, in particular agriculture. What struck me about Bréhat was how unspoilt it all was, despite a fair number of visitors walking around. I didn't see one item of rubbish lying around anywhere. People are reminded in several places just how long different types of refuse take to biodegrade and many plant species are protected.

In 1906, a law was voted in France that afforded protection to natural sites, and Bréhat was the first site that was recognised under that law in 1907. The visitor cannot fail to notice that this will to look after one's environment is still very strong in Bréhat. And this to me is what makes the island such a special place.

Please note, the rating for nightlife below doesn't really apply.

http://www.ile-de-brehat.org/AlbumHTML/brehat_tourisme.htm
 

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