Our Blog - Bretagne Trip - Summer 2021 - Beach walk between Penmarch and Saint-Guénolé

Between the town of Penmarch and Saint-Guénolé is a really nice walk along the coastline. We didn't do much in the towns themselves (other than eat lunch). But we started the walk at the Phare d'Eckmühl, which is a lighthouse that can be seen from 60 miles away. It is still an active lighthouse and is 213 feet tall, making it one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. You can climb the 307 steps to get a view from the top if you want. In the first picture, you can see the smaller tower behind this one ... that is the old lighthouse, which I show in the 2nd picture. The old lighthouse was finished in 1835 and was in service until 1897 when the new lighthouse was inaugurated.

You will probably see a lot of pictures of the coastline here, because that was the majority of the walk. When it is low tide, it is a very rocky beach (if you can call it a beach).

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Joie, or The Chapel fo our Lady of Joy, sits right on the coastline. It is dedicated to the Virgin and sailors would come here to thank her for saving them from the storms. The building dates from the end of the 15th century. The Calvary dates from 1588 and was restored in the 18th and 20th centuries. Inside, it is rectangular in shape (no transept) and the ceiling is oak in the shape of an inverted boat hull. The altarpiece dates from 1756. You can see the ships suspended from the ceiling crossbeams and the ends of the crossbeams have carvings like what you would see on the front of a ship. One stained glass window, which is quite modern in nature. The last picture gives a good view of how it is literally on the coastline!

Shells, shells and more shells! This was just on the beach there ... tons and tons of these shells!!

Lucy had a nice time walking on the rocks, checking out things.

We made it all the way to Saint-Guénolé, had lunch there, and then walked back. As we were coming back into town, we got a couple other views of the lighthouses.