Page 184 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

182  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION

5 Belle-Île-en-Mer

The largest island in Brittany, Belle-Île (Beautiful Island) well
deserves its name. Its unspoiled environment, of heathland
carpeted in gorse alternating with lush valleys, its beaches
and well-kept villages attract numerous holiday-
makers. Continually fought over on account of
its strategic position south of Quiberon, the Pinte des Pointe des Poulains
Poulains
island was held by the English in 1761. It The lighthouse and its setting held
was finally exchanged for Minorca in 1763. great appeal for Sarah Bernhardt.
Quiberon
Stěr-Vraz
Sauzon
Grotte de
I’Apothicairerie Pointe de
Taillefer

Sauzon
The town’s colourfully painted houses and
the steep-banked inlet here captivated
painters and poets, including Victor Vasarely
and Jacques Prévert in the 1950s and ’60s.

Port-Donnant is
framed by sheer
cliffs. The beach Grand Phare Bangor
here is spectacular. commands a view
stretching from Lorient
to Le Croisic.

Port-Goulphar Île de
The cove at Port-Goulphar and the Bangor
jagged rocks at Port-Coton, where
breakers foam furiously, were Bangor is a small town
portrayed by the painter Claude near some of the wildest
Monet in 1886. stretches of coast.
6 Île de Houat hermit. In Port-St-Gildas, the
harbour below Houat, fishing
Road map D4. * 345. g from
Quiberon, Compagnie Océane; 0820 boats come and go.
056 156; In summer, also from Port- Vestiges of Houat’s former
Narvalo, Vannes, Locqmariaquer; (02) importance as a military base
97 46 60 00. n Mairie; (02) 97 30 68 include the Beniguet battery, the
04. _ Fête de la Mer (15 Aug). En-Tal redoubt and a ruined fort.
∑ iles-du-ponant.com Cyclists riding through the quiet village The Éclosarium, just outside
of Houat the village, is a plankton research
Like the neighbouring Île and breed ing centre where
de Hoëdic, the Île de Houat the grey granite rocks are visitors can see microscopic
(Duck Island in Breton) forms flecked with red. marine life. The Plage de Treac’h-
part of the Ponant archi pelago. Four fifths of the island are er-Goured, on the southeastern
Just 5 km (3 miles) long and covered with heathland. Houat, side, is one of Houat’s more
1 km (0.5 mile) wide, Houat the island’s only village, has sheltered beaches.
can be explored easily on neat whitewashed houses. The
foot. A coast path encircles Église St-Gildas, built in 1766, E Éclosarium
the island, taking in Pointe is dedicated to the 6th-century 1 km (0.5 mile) from Houat. Tel (02) 97
Beg-er-Vachif, where, at sunset, saint who came to live here as a 52 38 38. Open Easter–Sep: daily. &
For hotels and restaurants see pp228–9 and pp241–3

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