The GR 34 is one of the most famous long-distance hiking trails, and for good reason, the route runs along the Breton coast for more than 1,800 kilometers, from Ille-et-Vilaine to Morbihan, passing through the Côtes d'Armor and Finistère. This path is very coastal and often follows the old “customs paths”, along the seaside. In this article, we present to you, in its Finisterian part, the tour of the Crozon peninsula. A very beautiful walk which invites you to return to Breton country!
A peninsula at the end of the world
The Crozon peninsula is located in the middle of Finistère, between the harbor of Brest and the bay of Douarnenez. We walk here between small villages and wild coasts, through beautiful nature and above all enjoying magnificent views of the ocean, the cliffs and the rocks which border the sea.
The entire tour of the peninsula is approximately 130 kilometers and can be done in 4 or 5 days. The trail is very well marked and maintained but still requires a good physical condition: it plunges to the bottom of the coves and then climbs higher up on the cliffs, and many very steep climbs dot the route! The path, which is very well maintained, still requires good shoes and a minimum of vigilance. However, you can walk there without major risks and enjoy the magnificent maritime panoramas.
Yes, the great highlight of this hike remains the spectacular views offered, particularly on the different points that the route connects. Starting from Faou, or Landevennec, the beginning of the path is more forest than coastal, from the Térenez bridge, the GR runs along the maritime Alder for a while before reaching the Loch cove, the first spectacular site of the circuit , to then return inland along the military installations of the Lanvéoc-Poulmic naval aeronautics base, through the woods.
From tip to tip
Even if the path is pleasant and already offers some beautiful views and very beautiful villages to cross, it is only from Roscanvel that we really get to the heart of the maritime subject and appreciate the most spectacular beauties of the peninsula:the Pointe des Espagnes offers a breathtaking view of the harbor of Brest and a very wild environmentwhich really makes you feel at the end of the world...
The remains of Vauban's fortifications as well as the blockhouses also recall the eminently strategic dimension of the place, through the centuries. But it is indeed a feeling of serenity that guides our steps through the hamlets and cliffs. We will go to Camaret-sur-Mer, a pleasant little town facing the ocean.
After a beautiful evening in Camaret, we hit the trail again the next morning under a beautiful winter light: the landscapes stand out spectacularly. Spectacular and fascinating, the route remains so throughout this third day, where we will walkthirty kilometers from point to point and through a path which runs closely along the ocean, winding through beaches and cliffs.Pointe du Groin, point du Toulinguet, point de Pen Hir, point de Dinan, the most famous sites come one after the other!
The panoramas on the different points, on the jagged coast and on the rocks of the “piles of peas” (three large rocky outcrops which emerge from the ocean near the point of Pen Hir) offer a truly sensational spectacle, especially more if the sun is out.
The route is very hilly but the diversity of the landscape and the beauty of the views considerably reduces fatigue: you feel carried by this oceanic landscape.
The path then takes you to the magnificent Veyriac'h beach where you can taste Mémé Germaine's excellent pancakes, we guarantee you an extraordinary welcome! Further on, the tip of Dinan and its castle await you, there again, what a spectacle from Kerloc'h beach!
We now walk to Cap de la Chèvre, at the southern end of the Presqu'île by its wild coast and will follow the magnificent beaches of Lostmac'h and La Palue, to arrive at the Cap and enter the gentlest bay from Douarnenez. Before our feet, the very famous tip of the Virgin Island and its cove with Mediterranean views and scents.
Direction Morgat, former small fishing village, converted into a seaside resort by the Peugeot family at the end of the 19th centurye century. Morgat is still very seaside today and you can admire the magnificent villas built by Armand Peugeot.
We now head towards the Aber, its ancient lime kiln and fort and soon end our journey.
HAS know, this tour of the Crozon Peninsula following the GR 34 can be done in 4 to 5 days, enough to spend excellent evenings at Penty de l'Océan 🙂
