Page 138 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

136  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION

Exploring Ouessant symbolizing the body of a
sailor lost at sea. The Phare
With its 45km (28 miles) of coastal paths and its de Créac’h, which towers over
breathtakingly beautiful landscape, Ouessant attracts some the surrounding heathland,
120,000 visitors – walkers and city-dwellers in search of fresh is one of the most powerful
air – every year. The island’s wildness is accentuated by its lighthouses in the world,
with a beam that carries for
location. At the point where the Atlantic Ocean and English 80 nautical miles (150 km/93
Channel meet, Ouessant is ceaselessly washed by waves miles). Since it was inaugurated
and salt spray. in 1863, its xenon lamps (which
emit two white flashes every
10 seconds) have guided more
than 100,000 vessels through
one of the busiest and most
hazardous shipping lanes – the
infamous Ouessant strait linking
the Atlantic Ocean and the
English Channel.
The Musée des Phares et
Balises, on the subject of
lighthouses and buoys, has
The Phare du Stiff, and to the right, a radar station, on Ouessant
Lampaul, 4km (2.5 miles) from the houses contains pieces of
the landing stage, is Ouessant’s furniture made with peñse an
main town. A good place to start aod (wood from wrecks washed
out from on an exploration of up on the shore) and painted in
the island is the hamlet of Niou blue, white and other bright
Huella, where the Écomusée colours, the remains of the paint
d’Ouessant opened in 1968. used to decorate the hulls of
This open-air museum has ships. The other house contains
two traditional houses which a display of tools, costumes,
themselves make a perfect souvenirs of shipwrecks and
introduction to the island’s objects relating to the ritual of Exhibits in the Musée des Phares
history and traditions. One of the proëlla, a small wax candle et Balises, in the Phare de Créac’h

Key
Presqu’ile de
Main road Cadoran
Minor road
Île de Baie de
Phare
Track Keller Béninou du Stiff
Footpath
Ferry route Porz Baie du Moléne, Lanildut,
Yusin Stiff Le Conquet, Brest
Frugullou
Phare de Niou Pen ar
Créac’h Lan Phare de
Pointe Huella
de Créac’h Men Korn
Loqueltas Lampaul Porz ar
Lan
Corz
Pointe
de Pern Porzgween
Feunteun
Phare de Vélen
Nividic Baie de Baie de
Lampaul Penn ar Roc’h
Moléne, Phare de
Le Conquet, la Kéréon
Brest
0 kilometres 2
0 miles 1
Phare de
la Jument
For keys to symbols see back flap
136-137_EW_Brittany.indd 136 11/3/16 1:03 PM