In the footsteps of Sarah Bernhardt at the Pointe des Poulains
In the summer of 1894, the great tragic actress stayed with her friend Georges Clairin in Concarneau, on the continent.
The painter takes him on an excursion to Belle-Île.
At the Pointe des Poulains, Sarah Bernhardt fell in love with a
military fort
disused.
She bought it and spent all her summers there for thirty years.
Walkers can now sit on one of its benches and imagine it declaiming facing the ocean... Its austere castle is open to visitors, identically refurbished (entrance to the fort: €2.50, Pointe des Poulains, 56360 Sauzon; tel.: 02 97 31 61 29.).
The actress had built villas to accommodate her relatives.
One of them has been converted into a museographic space, the route of which, a bit old-fashioned, is commented on by the voice of Fanny Ardant (entry: €6).
Villa Lysiane, named after her granddaughter, houses a
Maison du littoral
, where a new scenario allows you to discover the diversity of the local flora and the seabed (free exhibition; film "
Plongez
»: €2.50.
Pointe des Poulains, 56360 Sauzon).
A thousand years of history at the Vauban citadel
Vauban's fortress overlooks Le Palais, the capital of Belle-Île.
Yvan Zedda
Founded in the 11th century, remodeled by Nicolas Fouquet then Vauban, the fortress overlooks Le Palais, the capital of Belle-Île.
It should reopen in March 2023, after the renovation of the museum and the hotel which is still going upmarket, bought by the Paris Society group.
The urban wall was designed under the First Empire, after the English invasion of 1761. Of neoclassical architecture, it can be discovered during a beautiful walk of an hour and a half, between trees and old stones. .
Outside the fortifications, on the north side, overlooking the waves, the former penal colony for children is on the list of 18 monuments in danger selected for the 2022 Heritage Loto, carried by Stéphane Bern.
The project aims to transform it into a cultural third place.
Facing the rollers of Donnant beach
Open to the open sea, Donnant beach stands out as one of the great natural sites of this island of Morbihan.
Simon Bourcier / Morbihan Tourism
Open to the open sea, this spectacular cove stands out as one of the great natural sites of this island of Morbihan.
Its rollers are popular all year round with surfers (sessions with Ty School; tel.: 06 63 86 75 47, and Belle-Île Surf Club; tel.: 06 77 12 37 80.).
The beach is named after the village overlooking it,
Donnant
, where the actress Arletty owned a house.
On fine days, swimmers challenge the waves while children play in the basins left by the Atlantic at low tide.
The dunes, protected, smell of saffron, the subtle perfume of the everlasting flowers that unfurl there.
The beach can also be approached on horseback from the equestrian center
La Ferme du Poney Bleu
(Anterre, 56 360 Sauzon. Tel.: 02 97 31 64 32.).
On the quays of the port of Sauzon
The port of Sauzon is Epinal's image of the small Breton port.
Yvan Zedda
It is the image of Épinal of the small Breton port, with its colorful houses which are reflected in the waters of the ria.
If the second gateway to the island has long lived on sardine fishing, yachtsmen now drop anchor there.
The few fishermen still active land at the end of the day to sell what they have found in their nets in the summer.
Stroll along the
quays of Sauzon
to the lighthouse, between terraces and shops.
Opposite, the other bank remains delivered to the moor, covered with broom and heather.
Hike on the coastal path
Elected favorite GR of the French in 2022, the GR 340 loops continuously or in a star, in four or five days depending on your pace.
Marc Schaffner / Morbihan Tourism
Elected favorite GR of the French in 2022, the
Tour de Belle-Île
on foot unfolds its varied landscapes over nearly 85 kilometers.
It has a drop of 2887 meters, identical to that of a mid-mountain route.
The
GR 340
loops continuously or in a star pattern, in four or five days depending on your pace.
You can also make just a section.
Different atmospheres are revealed as you walk: Caribbean overlooking the turquoise seabed, Celtic across the moors or even oceanic at the top of the cliffs from where you can watch the foam flying up into the sky.
Read also
GR 340: five hiking stages to go around Belle-Île-en-Mer
By bike on the side roads to Locmaria
Locmaria Church.
Marc Schaffner / Morbihan Tourism
If the island does not have cycle paths, unlike Ré or Oléron, secondary roads and dirt roads allow you to pedal freely.
It is recommended to avoid the "dorsal", the central road.
Starting from Le Palais, a pretty loop leads to Locmaria, a rural town where the oldest church in Belle-Île is located, founded in 1070. The circuit passes through fields and these beautiful villages with white houses and colorful shutters.
Garden enthusiasts dismount in front of the
La Boulaye
garden, at Grand Cosquet (by appointment, entry €10, free under 21s: tel.: 02 97 31 76 09.).
All that remains is to choose the beach in front of which to stop, such as
Herlin
or the
Grands Sables
, ready to work on their calves on the most hilly of the Breton islands.
In front of a life-size Monet painting in Port Coton
The Aiguilles de Port Coton are jagged rocks around which, in heavy weather, the foam forms padded flakes.
Marc Schaffner / Morbihan Tourism
In the fall of 1886, Claude Monet prepares for a tour of Brittany.
But his journey will end in Belle-Île, where he finds himself caught up in the wild coast.
The impressionist painter sets up his easel near
Kervilahouen
for 74 days.
He immortalizes the Aiguilles de
Port Coton
, jagged rocks around which, in heavy weather, the foam forms padded flakes.
His thirty-nine paintings are now hung in the greatest museums in the world.
In situ
, an eleven kilometer loop allows you to walk in his footsteps.
At the top of the big lighthouse
The big lighthouse, in Kervilahouen.
Marc Schaffner / Morbihan Tourism
Discover the most beautiful view of Belle-Île after climbing 247 steps… Commissioned in 1836, the
large lighthouse
has a range of fifty kilometres, making it one of the most powerful in Europe.
On the ground floor, an exhibition evokes in particular the profession of caretaker.
There are two left.
Their mission: to watch over around sixty lights between the tip of Penmarc'h (south Finistère) and the mouth of the Vilaine, maintain those of Belle-Île and ensure, for all of France, the control of the proper functioning of the differential GPS (visit: €3.50; April to October. Tel.: 06 70 63 93 68, Kervilahouen, 56360 Bangor.).
At Bangor Market
Along the coastal path, near Goulphar Cove, Bangor.
Gaëlle Le Boulicaut / Morbihan Tourism
The only one of the four towns on the island not to have seen the sea assumes its rurality and its lively
Sunday morning market
stands out as a popular meeting place.
On the stalls: fish and shellfish, including the atypical barnacle that grows in clusters on the rocks, lamb from Belle-Île, galettes... New shops have recently opened in the town centre, including the café-bookstore La Veilleuse ( 27 rue Claude Monet, 56360 Bangor, Tel: 02 97 31 31 11).
At the Belle Fontaine
Listed as a historical monument, this tank can hold 860,000 litres.
There are only two buildings of this type left in France today.
Pierre Mouty
This reservoir is also called
Aiguade Vauban
, built in 1703 under the authority of the military architect of Louis XIV.
La Belle Fontaine was once used to refuel ships in fresh water.
Listed as a historical monument and recently restored, it can hold 860,000 litres.
There are only two buildings of this type in France today (free admission, June to September, 9 am to 5 pm, Port Salio, 56360 Le Palais).
Practical notebook
Learn more
On the Belle-Île tourist office website,
belle-ile.com
and on the Morbihan Tourisme website,
morbihan.com
.
Come by boat
By ferry all year round to
Le Palais
with the company Océane,
departing from Quiberon
, 50 minutes crossing, from €16 one way, compagnie-oceane.fr;
Phone.
: 08 20 05 61 56.
Sailing from April to November,
Quiberon - Sauzon
, 1h30 crossing, from €25/adult in low season (€19 for 12-25 year olds and €10 for children under 12), iliens.fr ;
Phone.
: 07 67 78 99 88.
Speedboat
departing from Vannes, Port-Navalo and Locmariaquer
(April to October);
Le Croisic and La Turballe
(July and August):
- La Compagnie du Golfe: compagnie-du-golfe.fr;
Phone.
: 02 97 67 10 00.
- Navix: navix.fr;
Phone.
: 02 97 46 60 00.
- The Vedettes du Golfe: Vedettes-du-golfe.fr;
Phone.
: 02 97 44 44 40.
ON VIDEO - The most beautiful natural sites in Brittany
