North Coast and countryside of the Île de Groix

(S/E) From the tourist office, head towards the building housing the SNSM lifeboat. At the first hotel, take the steps on the left which lead to a small open space (lovely view of the harbour) and continue along the wide path.

(1) Opposite the technical services and fire station buildings, turn right and continue along the coastal path. Go round the Festival du Cinéma Insulaire event centre on the right (note the two totem poles on the right, erected during one of the festival’s previous editions). Beautiful view of Port Lay.

(2) Head down to the small harbour, go round it and continue along the coastal path heading north-west. From time to time, side paths offer beautiful views of deeply indented coves, but you’ll have to retrace your steps each time. Take care here. Pass a helicopter landing pad and come within sight of the dam at Port Melin. For a long time, this was the island’s main source of drinking water.

(3) Leave the coastal path to the left, take the steps and then turn left onto the wide track. At the three-way junction, turn left again. The wide track turns right. Turn right onto a small path which leads straight to the memorial to the famous Groisillon poet Jean-Pierre Calloch (1888–1917).

(4) Join a road and follow it to the left until the next junction.

(5) Turn right and follow this small road, which offers a view of the reservoir with the sea in the background. Turn right at the first road that crosses the village of Kerlivio, then turn left to cross the village of Quelhuit and head up towards the Chapel of Saint-Léonard, which you walk around on the left.

(6) Head straight back down and continue to the junction where you can see a small wayside shrine dating from 1958, situated on the left at a place called Le Pradino.

(7) Follow the road to the left towards the village (markings on the ground) for about 400m and turn left onto a path running between buildings and continuing through the meadows. This path is not shown on the map. It joins another path which you follow to the right until you reach a small road at a place called Kerlobihan. Turn right and head towards a T-junction. Follow the road to the left, then veer right to enter the village of Kerdurand, which you will pass through in part.

(8) Turn right, then left twice to find a straight path. The map is no longer accurate; you must go round a property on the right, whereas the map suggests you can go straight on. Follow this path, from which you can see the ruins of an old windmill on the right. At the junction with another path, turn left to join a road.

(9) Take it to the right towards the village. After about 100m, look out for a mark on the ground indicating the menhir. Take the path on the left for a return trip, where a small stone marker shows you the way (allow 150m instead of the 50m indicated), then return to the road and continue to the left.
100m further on, another stone marker indicates a cross 30m to the right. Return to the road and continue to the right towards the village.

At the large wash house in the central car park, turn left onto the footpath running alongside the village hall and follow the street to the right, which leads to Saint-Tudy Church in the centre of the village. Look for a tuna atop the bell tower, which has replaced the traditional rooster since 1768 (Groix was France’s leading tuna port in the 1880s).

(10) Walk round the church to the right, pass the town hall and take the third street on the right, Rue du Maréchal Proteau, then turn left at the first three-way junction. Walk past the cemetery. Inside, there is an imposing memorial to those lost at sea, including the victims of the terrible storm of September 1930 (loss of 6 sailing ships and 38 men). Continue to the main crossroads, ignoring the various streets on both the right and left.

(11) Turn left and follow this road down to the harbour, passing the gendarmerie and the customs office, where an 18th-century anchor recovered from the waters around the island has been placed. Walk along the marina and you will come to the tourist office (S/E).

Ferry service: Lorient–Groix in 45 minutes
One-way fare in June 2016: €14 per person.
Bars at the port of departure and shops in the village.

Signposting is very sporadic: a few yellow markings and directions on stone markers on the ground or white markings on the road (mainly for cyclists).

Pick up a free map of the island from the tourist office in Port-Tudy – it’s very useful for finding your way around.
Bars at the departure port and shops in the village.

Between (1) and (3), views of the coast at Lamor-Plage and Plomeur on the mainland.
Jean-Pierre Calloc'h memorial
Saint-Léonard de Quelhuit Chapel
Large menhir