Throughout the summer, our Secret Seaside series will be showcasing lesser-known corners of Europe, all unspoilt by mass tourism, where sun-worshippers will feel welcome, not burdened, this summer. This week, Anna Richards offers a guide to France’s Glénan Islands.
The Breton coast looks as if a hammer has been used to smash a fragile slab of stone into thousands of pieces. There are so many shapes and angles that even the most patient puzzler cannot put this jigsaw puzzle together. The fragments from the Glénan Islands flew further than most others – about nine miles from the mainland.
I spent the night before my visit in Bénodet, a town in the Finistère department. It was July, but the weather was thick and heavy. The drizzle and fog gave everything a hazy quality, the kind of clouded sensation that makes your teeth need a good brushing.
The old saying “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” applies in Brittany. The boat that sailed down the Odet River to open water the next day did so under blue skies.
There are nine islands in the Glénan Archipelago, some little more than specks of sand and rock. They were permanently inhabited until the 1960s. Roman amphorae have been found, and monks and hermits settled there in the Middle Ages. The opening of the Penfret lighthouse in 1838 brought caretakers and their families; in 1905, there were 68 people living on the Glénan Islands, with twice as many children as adults. Families were largely self-sufficient, raising chickens and bringing their own cows from the mainland.
The days when the waves danced to the soundtrack of the lighthouse keeper’s cackling chickens are long gone and for much of the year the islands are uninhabited. However, between May and September, boats run daily between the Glénans and Bénodet, Concarneau and Loctudy on the mainland. As the boats have a limited capacity, there is a natural limit to the number of visitors and it never feels overcrowded. When the endemic Glénan narcissus is in bloom (usually between March and May), extra boat services are scheduled so that visitors can see the islands covered in cream.
Boats arrive at Île Saint-Nicolas, where a system of boardwalks crisscrosses the island so as not to damage the delicate flowers. A narrow sandbank, submerged at high tide, connects it to the neighbouring island, Île de Bananec. At low tide, the shimmering quartz against the cream-coloured sand gives the effect of glitter on the floor of a festival tent. Legend has it that you could once walk between the mainland and the Glénan Islands, but given that the sea between them is now 17 metres deep, this feels rather fanciful.
The best way to explore the whole archipelago is by sea. Reserve a kayak when you book your crossing (pick-up on Île Saint-Nicolas) to spend the day island hopping. I brought my own inflatable paddleboard, free of charge. Île de Penfret has the historic little lighthouse and the main outlet of the famous Les Glénans sailing school (which offers courses in English). Right in the centre, Île Cigogne is completely dominated by an 18th century fort (currently off-limits for renovations).
While I defy anyone to be disappointed by any of the beaches in the Glénans, I do have favourites. Île du Loc’h is privately owned, but since it’s impossible to privatise the coast in France, the long strip of sand that glitters like a knife is as perfect a beach as I can imagine. The smallest island, Île de Guiriden, is little more than a dune surrounded by water. A picnic here feels like the kind of private dining experience you’d pay top dollar for in the Maldives.
A diving centre, CIP Glénan, organises diving and kitesurfing trips during the high season and later in the autumn, when the islands are virtually deserted. Divers can expect to see conger eels, lobsters and octopuses, and sometimes even basking sharks.
Every paradise has a dark side, but the only one here is the toilets. Fresh water is scarce on the Glénan Islands, so the washing facilities are little more than porta-toilets. This lack of water has led to sky-high drink prices: beer costs about the same as water in the two restaurants on Île Saint-Nicolas.
During the summer holidays it is essential to book your boat trip in advance to avoid disappointment, but bad weather can still ruin your plans. If this happens, Plage du Sillon on Île-Tudy is a good back-up (between Loctudy and Bénodet it is not an island, as the name suggests, so it is accessible in bad weather). The fickle Breton weather is probably the only thing that keeps the Glénans from being on the windows of travel agents.
Get there
Vedettes de l’Odet operate daily crossings from Bénodet, Concarneau, Loctudy, Beg-Meil and Port-la-Forêt between May and September. The easiest way to reach any of the departure ports is by car, although there are trains to Concarneau (passengers travelling from Paris must change at Rosporden).
Where to stay
On a budget
The only budget accommodation on the Glénan Islands is in the form of a refuge. Facilities are basic and the bedrooms are dormitory-style with bunk beds (six per room). Sextant is often booked out by groups, so booking in advance is essential. A room for six starts at €65.
Push the boat out
Right on the beach in Concarneau, the four-star Les Sables Blancs hotel has some great sea-view suites and a restaurant with panoramic views. Double rooms from €204.
Where to eat
There are two restaurants on Île Saint-Nicolas: La Boucane and Les Viviers. The former is limited to fairly beige fare, but the prices are reasonable and they take walk-ins. For the fish restaurant Les Viviers, book in advance. Or bring a picnic.
