Nobody Does it Better

Our third and final destination on our French lighthouse road trip was the laid-back coastal haven of Penmarch, which is perched at the southern tip of the Bay of Audierne in Brittany’s Finistère region. The town and surrounding area enjoy long sprawling beaches which are perfect for windswept walks and the fresh, open spaces make it the perfect refuge to wind down and enjoy a slower pace of life.

 Tourelle des Perdrix, Loctudy

Penmarch’s coastline is famously treacherous, dotted with reefs and islets so it’s no surprise the area is home to some of France’s most iconic lighthouses, including the towering Phare d’Eckmühl. The granite giant of Penmarch is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world and is open to the public most of the year. If you are brave enough, I wasn't, you can climb the 300 steps of the iron spiral staircase that clings to the side of the beautiful tile-lined interior to enjoy the spectacular views from the lantern room balcony.

Phare d’Eckmühl, Penmarch

From the balcony you'll see the adjacent Ancient Lighthouse of Penmarc’h which was the predecessor to Eckmühl, now retired and under restoration as well as the fifteenth century La Vieille Tour, a square tower attached to the Chapelle Saint-Pierre, possibly used as a fire beacon or lookout in medieval times. Together these three structures form a chronological trio, from medieval watchtower to 19th-century beacon to the towering granite sentinel of Eckmühl.

Phare d’Eckmühl, Penmarch

The town celebrates it's pharology connection and nearly every local shop, café or restaurant references the lighthouses in some form, which makes Penmarch for a great base for lighthouse-lovers.  There is an excellent nautically-themed shop at the base of the lighthouse which has a huge selection of lighthouse paraphernalia, books and souvenirs. The local restaurants are more than adequate, most sharing the typical menu of the region which includes fish and chips, Moules frites, steak and crepes. A step up from the norm and worth a shout was the family-run Crêperie Restaurant Café Le 154. And for lovers of craft ale Brasserie Merlin is a great local brewery with good range of beers and t-shirts and a nice open bar area.

With Penmarch as a solid anchor we explored the lighthouses of the Finistère region. At the nearby pretty working port of Guilvinec the Phare de Croas Malo, with a distinctive red stripe greeted us at the harbour’s edge. On the periphery of the ship yard is a lighthouse enclosure featuring two, no longer functioning small lighthouses. They have been tastefully renovated and paired with accompanying museum displays to keep alive the memory and heritage of their maritime past..

A short walk past the ship yard takes you to the outer harbour where there is a squat red-and-white beacon, Feu du môle du Guilvinec that is over a hundred years old but still guards the harbour entrance. 

Feu du môle du Guilvinec

Next, we drove to Loctudy, a fishing port turned holiday haven. Down winding lanes, we found Phare de Langoz, a charming red-and-white tower perched in a very green garden above a pebble beach. Apparently It was decapitated by the Germans in 1944 and later restored. In the main town, just a five minute drive away we spotted the Tourelle des Perdrix, a chequered lighthouse which stands in the sea between Loctudy and Île-Tudy. The distinctive black-and-white squares have made it a local icon. 

There are several nice shops to explore in the small seaside town and we bought a picture of the lighthouse created in the nostalgic cartoon style of Pete MacKee (a Sheffield artist) by a Finistère artist.

 Tourelle des Perdrix, Loctudy

An hour from Penmarch is the Pointe du Raz which is Brittany’s answer to Land’s End. It’s a dramatic headland with well-marked trails, good facilities and car park more than sufficient to cope with the large number of visitors. Hold onto your hats as the peninsula is extremely windy. From the dramatic headland you have great views of the two nearby lights, the Tourelle de la Plate, nicknamed Petite Vieille, and the Phare de la Vieille, its taller companion, that sits on the rock of Gorlebella. Far in the distance, you can just make out the Île de Sein Grand Lighthouse, but we didn’t count it as bagged.

Pointe du Raz

Another short drive from Penmarch is the Pointe de la Torche, a rocky promontory that just out between two vast expanses  of beaches. Hugely popular with wind surfers, there was actually a surfing completion taking place when we visited and we enjoyed watching the surfers ride the massive swells and then crash and burn. It looked exhausting!

Phare d’Eckmühl, Penmarch

On our final night in Penmarch we sat on our terrace watching the sunset and saw the Phare d’Eckmühl light up at 10:30pm, casting its beam across the sky. The perfect end to our latest lighthouse trail.

Phare d’Eckmühl, Penmarch