France 2022 – Days 7 and 8 on the GR 34 – Glorious coastal walking on an A++ trail

Day 7 on the GR 34 – Distance: 11 km from Pomelin to the Sillon de Talbert, plus 3 km to and from accommodations

I said goodbye to Yveline and headed off towards Pommelin. It felt good today to head off with my big backpack and I felt ready and excited for the walk ahead. Once I regained the GR, I walked less than maybe five steps forward before I had to stop to take a photo of some lovely columbines as I hadn’t yet encountered any on the trail!

My guidebook is filled with lots of ”turn right” and ”turn left”, as well as far too many ways to say ”climb”, but it doesn’t give me any overall descriptions of the essence of the trail and the landscapes it passes through, so each day has been a surprise for me. Today I started off again on country paths but very soon the trail descended to the sea at the Baie de Pommelin. I emerged from a wooded path to see this enticing view of a small tree-topped islet ahead. I envied the seaside houses their location and view!

The trail travelled along the length of the bay and it was fun to get closer and closer to the islet. Little did I know that I would have two solid days of wonderful seaside walking ahead of me!

Almost there! This little islet definitely deserved a short detour off of the GR!

On the far side of the islet, I took this photo of boats moored off the beach of Porz Guyen, and there was another enticing islet ahead. What fun!

Further along the beach, there were boats and crates specialized for some kind of fishery, and I could see my landmark lighthouse off in the distance.

The trail continued along beside the sea with farm fields or woods on my left. I drew closer to the second islet, but didn’t make the detour out for a closer visit.

Soon, I approached the restored 13th century Chapelle Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle. One side of the stone fence surrounding the chapel was completely lined with tall white lilies in bloom.

Shortly after passing the chapel, I came to this view of the ”Petite Camargue”, as it is called by the locals, a large salt marsh which forms part of Laneros Bay. It is a protected area that is significant for its plant life and as a nursery area for juvenile fish.

The salt marsh necessitated a detour inland and some road walking, but the houses and beautiful countryside kept me happy.

Finally the route swung back down to the sea, but there was still a good distance to go to reach the very far point of the hook-shaped peninsula known as Penn Lann.

Once I neared the town of l’Armor, I left the GR to cut across the town to my accommodation to drop off my big backpack. I was welcomed warmly by my 78 year old hostess, Ghislaine, and we chatted briefly before I headed back out to reconnect with the trail where I had left it. I walked along the road that led out to the end of the peninsula and the narrow neck of the bay. (Note to Kendal and John: I passed the ”Celtic Whiskey Distillery” along the way.)

I travelled around the narrow point of Penn Lann and was very excited to come out on the other side where there was an old jetty and where the wind was blowing strong. I walked out to the end of the jetty for this view back to the large and modern seaweed factory and research centre. Seaweed has been collected on this coast since at least the 13th century for use as a fertilizer, and processed in factories here since 1828 to create iodine. This new modern factory processes tons and tons of seaweed each year for use in food products, compost, cosmetics, and other products.

This was the view looking south from the direction I had travelled.

And this was the enticing trail continuing forward. First though, it was time to sit on a convenient bench near the jetty for a bit of a rest and some lunch.

Back on the trail, I passed the Sillon Noir, a shingle spit that reaches 400 metres into the sea and used to be connected to the rocky reef offshore. In the winter, godwits, dunlin, plovers and redshanks visit here to feed.

I carried on down the beach-side trail. The wind was fresh and cool and the air was scented with the sea. It was marvellous walking along here! This is the view looking back down the beach towards the Sillon Noir.

I could see the long line of the Sillon de Talbert in the distance. The Sillon de Talbert is a long gravel and sand spit that stretches 3.5 kilometres out into the sea. It is a very unique geological feature that was created over hundreds of thousands of years of sediment deposition driven by the opposing currents of the Jaudy and Trieux rivers on either side of the large Pleubian peninsula. Aerial images and drone photography (online) or Google satellite maps are really the best way to see this low-lying and very special feature of the landscape. Pictures that I had seen of the Sillon were part of the early inspiration for me to walk this section of the GR 34.

The trail carried on around the edge of another salt marsh and sometimes the Sillon seemed to be getting farther away rather than closer! It helped to zoom in!

And then I finally arrived at this beautiful sand path heading out onto the Sillon. I was so happy to be here after all of my planning, walking, and anticipating.

I set off excitedly down the path but the sand was so soft it was hard to walk! I’d already walked at least 13 km today so after about a hundred metres on the very soft sand, with lots ahead to go, I decided to backtrack to the start of the path and then descend to the harder-packed wet sand on the east side of the Sillon. Much easier!

In the Spring of 2018, a breach of the Sillon occurred due to strong tidal currents and the erosive impact of multiple storms in the preceeding decade. There is a sign warning walkers that the tide can rise quickly here and that the currents through the breach are strong so one must be aware of the tides before setting out to walk past this point.

I made my way across the stepping stones at the breach and then travelled on the western side of the Sillon. Quite a few people were out for an afternoon walk along the long curving spit. The end looked very far away!

I walked for perhaps a kilometre but I was starting to feel quite tired so I decided to walk up to the top of the dune to sit and just appreciate being here.

What a wonderful day of seaside walking I had today – I really can’t imagine how it could have been any better! After my rest, I returned to the roads for the walk back to Ghislaine’s. Look at my room! I was very happy to stay here and I spent quite a bit of time speaking with my hostess in the late afternoon and early evening before retiring early. I was already looking forward to my next day of walking.

Day 8 on the GR – Distance 11 km from the Sillon de Talbert to Bellevue, plus 3 km to and from the trail

After a lovely breakfast (and more chatting) with my hostess Ghislaine, I headed off for another day of walking by the sea along beautiful beaches and bays. I returned to the Sillon de Talbert,

and then continued along a seaside trail. It was very easy walking and the scenery was ever-changing with each headland and curve of beach.

Soon I arrived at Port la Chaine and its unusual lighthouse. A rocky outcrop of granite adjacent to the beach tempted me to stop and photograph the sea thrift that was growing in small patches on the rock. As well as granite, this coast features some areas of gneiss which are some of the oldest rocks on the French mainland.

Midway along the next beach there was a large marsh area to my left.

I love the lines and colours in this next photo of the marsh reeds, farm fields, hedges and trees.

And this is the view looking back back to Port La Chaine. Why weren’t there more people walking here?!

Rising up over the next headland I came around to stunning views of Kermagen Beach where a tractor was descending onto the sand at the far end to launch a boat. Across the water was the small islet known as Isle Blanche. Kermagen Beach looked to be a perfect beach for swimming and for kids to play on the sand, and I could certainly imagine that this location would be popular for family summer holidays of a week or two.

Beyond Kermagen beach there was another long stretch of beach which culminated at Port Béni. Glorious!

As I was walking along the trail at the top of this beach (and the last) it was hard not to notice great mounds of sea kale growing all along the high ridge of gravel at the top of the beach. I learned later that sea kale is an edible plant that can be cultivated, but these wild specimens are protected by law in France. Also known as scurvy grass or sea col wort, it was pickled for long sea voyages as a source of vitamins to prevent scurvy.

The next headland, bordered by a fine garden, quite took my breath away!

The sea views and inland views were both compelling and the trail was a dream to walk on. I couldn’t quite believe how lucky I was to be here, and I was very thankful that Yveline had offered me a ride the next morning otherwise I may have had to omit this section of the trail.

A much-anticipated short detour off trail took me to the Men Ar Rompet allée couverte or dolmen (gallery grave) from the neolithic period. I had the entire place to myself, and I stopped here to have my lunch and to rest and appreciate this very beautiful place. If I had to choose only one highlight from a day full of highlights, this would be it.

I watched swallows swoop over the grassy field in front of me, and I could hear the calls of small song birds all around me. I don’t think that I have walked even one step on this entire GR journey of over 100 km without hearing birds and seeing some kind of flower!

Here is a zoomed-in view of the offshore reefs and small islets in front of the dolmen. It’s not hard to see why this very special spot was chosen as a burial place for an important person.

From Men-Ar-Rompet, it was only another 2.5 km to Bellevue, but after that I would have a 4.5 km walk from the coast to the towns of Kerbors and Pleubian where there was a bus which would take me back to my accommodations at l’Armor. I set off and soon the trail brought me down to walk directly on a beach where a path meandered through the rocks.

This is the view back towards the location of Men Ar Rompet after I’d gone a ways down the beach,

and this was the view from the water’s edge looking out across the estuary of the Jaudy River towards the next large peninsula to the east.

I’m hoping that I will be able to return to Bretagne in a year or two and continue my walk on the GR along the opposite shore and onwards for at least another 100 km.

At Bellevue, I said goodbye to the GR trail and felt a little sad because I knew that I had very little distance left to complete on my journey to Tréguier. It was mid-afternoon, and getting quite warm and I wasn’t looking forward to a 4.5 km road walk to Pleubian. I set off on the winding country road and it was fun to see the church at Kerbors from across farm fields getting closer and closer. When I arrived in Kerbors, I took a quick photo of the church and then I decided on impulse to hitchhike (my 78 year old hostess Ghislaine had suggested in the morning that I “fait le stop” instead of waiting for the bus). The very first car stopped and it was a woman who was walking the GR with three friends, one week at a time for five years now, but her knee had been giving her trouble so she was going to have a coffee in Kerbors while her three friends continued on the trail. She happily gave me a ride to Pleubian and we compared notes on the trail. In Pleubian, it was a three hour wait for the bus so I decided again to hitchhike (after taking a very quick picture of Pleubian’s large church, with its tower of three bells) and the second car stopped, a fellow who was driving directly to l’Armor to walk on the Sillon de Talbert.

So, thanks to the kindness of strangers, I arrived nice and early back to my accommodation, had a lovely shower, washed some clothes and hung them out to dry in the warm wind outside, had a rest, and then later walked to the local store to buy items for my dinner. I loved the small town of l’Armor because even when the nearby sea wasn’t in sight, you could sense that it was there less than a kilometre away on three sides of the town. These two last days of coastal walking have been glorious, and indeed the entire section of the GR 34 that I have walked thus far has been exceptionally beautiful, varied, fun, well-designed and well maintained, etc. etc. etc. Definitely an A++ trail!