From Anse de Penfoul to the Argenton slipway

A superb route along a coastal path, with beautiful sea views. A dolmen and a 14th-century chapel complete the picture.

Details

1826270
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.12 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 11 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 11 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 19 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Landunvez (29840)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.528746° / W 4.746553°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0416ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Starting point: Penfoul cove car park, along the D27 between Argenton and Landunvez.

Red and white markings

(S/E) Head west-southwest on a path that runs parallel to the road (towards Argenton). At a fork, go down to the right. Walk along a small beach and go up the other side.

(1) At the top, turn right. Follow the coastal path, passing several chicanes and continuing straight ahead at a crossroads.

(2) At an intersection, continue straight ahead on the coastal path and pass at the foot of the rock blocks on the left. Go to the end of a point also topped by rock blocks (Beg an Tour). Turn left and continue with the sea on your right. At the edge of a small beach, go through a gap in a low wall and turn right.

(3) At the Gwen Trez car park, turn right and follow a small tarmac road which soon gives way to a path. At a fork (wooden barrier), turn right onto a narrower path closer to the sea. Walk around the Pointe de Beg ar Garo. Pass at the foot of the rock blocks on the right-hand side and arrive at the Saint-Gonvel car park.

No markings

(4) Follow a small road on the left towards the dolmen. At the corner of No. 18, turn left onto a path between two fences and head towards the dolmen.

(5) Retrace your steps to the small road and follow it to the left to find the chapel after a hundred metres. Retrace your steps along the small road to the car park.

Red and white markings

(4) Turn left and, at the end of the bend, leave the road and take a path on the right, which starts at the foot of a 30km/h speed limit sign. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead and follow the coastal path, passing by the houses on the left.

(6) Then descend to the right onto a small beach (the marked path is closed further on due to earthworks). Walk along the beach, crossing a stream that runs perpendicular to it, and climb up the other side. Continue along Rue des Amiraux, find the markings again and reach the port of Argenton.

No markings

(7) Immediately turn right towards the Argenton slipway, then climb the hill on the right topped by a stele for a beautiful view of the port, the slipway and the bay.

(8) Retrace your steps to Rue des Amiraux.

Red and white markings

(7) Turn left and follow the outward route in the opposite direction to the Saint-Gonvel car park.

(4) Go through the barrier and turn right (sign indicating the seaweed kilns). After about a hundred metres, at a fork, there are two options:
- Turn left and stay as close to the sea as possible to go around the Beg ar Garo headland again (option marked on the map).
- Turn right and then right again at the next intersections, onto a wide path, to shorten the route.

(3) At the Gwen Trez car park, turn left. After about 100 metres, you have the same two options as before:
- Turn left and stay as close to the sea as possible to go around the Beg an Tour headland again (option marked on the map).
- Turn right to shorten this route.

(2) Continue south-east along the coastal path.

(1) Descend to the left onto Penfoul Cove beach, climb up the other side and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 8 m - Penfoul cove car park
  2. 1 : km 0.27 - alt. 10 m - Intersection near a small beach
  3. 2 : km 1.01 - alt. 8 m - Intersection
  4. 3 : km 1.87 - alt. 11 m - Gwen Trez car park
  5. 4 : km 2.89 - alt. 12 m - Saint-Gonvel car park
  6. 5 : km 3.14 - alt. 19 m - Dolmen de Saint-Gonvel
  7. 6 : km 3.91 - alt. 8 m - Beach access
  8. 7 : km 4.27 - alt. 4 m - Rue des Amiraux - Port d'Argenton
  9. 8 : km 4.47 - alt. 11 m - Hill above Argenton slipway
  10. S/E : km 8.12 - alt. 8 m - Anse de Penfoul car park

Notes

In dry weather, good trainers are sufficient for this short hike on good paths.

No water sources were found along the route. Bars and bakeries can be found at Port d'Argenton, along the D27 (off the route).

A detailed map is always useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

Variation:
The hike is described as a round trip. It is of course possible to do it as a one-way trip, using at least two vehicles, one left at the Penfoul cove car park (S), the other left in the parking spaces along the road at the edge of the Port of Argenton (7). Allow about half the distance and time.

Hike completed by the author on 24 February 2019.

Worth a visit

- Beautiful panoramic views of the rocky coast.
- Saint-Gonvel dolmen (5).
- Chapel of Saint-Gonvel (14th century), shortly afterwards (5).
- Old seaweed kilns north of the Saint-Gonvel car park (4), as well as at the foot of the stele (8).
- Port of Argenton (7).
- Stele (8) in tribute to those who joined the Resistance during the Second World War.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 19354422

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk

Machine-translated

User 7750897

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This route is well marked despite this short stretch of road, and is easy to access even if you want to get as close as possible to the coastline. It's definitely worth doing even if the weather forecast predicts wind and rain, as it's even more beautiful with the waves crashing against the high rocks. Penfoul beach is magnificent.

Machine-translated

chrislefmey
chrislefmey

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful landscapes and incredibly clear sea. Very happy to have discovered this part of Brittany.

Machine-translated

Biloute29
Biloute29

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route with beautiful views and an easy trail.

Machine-translated

ÉlisabethK
ÉlisabethK

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It would have been nice to remove the section from the car park to the end at the last cove, which doesn't add any extra interest.
The rest of the hike was superb. Thank you.

Machine-translated

Les pommiers
Les pommiers

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful, easy hike. We were able to see the chapel, which is currently undergoing renovation

Machine-translated

andrericheux
andrericheux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2009
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route. To avoid the return trip, you can take the circular "La chapelle Saint Gonvel", No. 30, from the "Le pays d'Iroise" guidebook published by the FFR. But the coastal section is the most interesting.

Machine-translated

FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did not do the hike as it was suggested.
We set off from the car park near the municipal campsite, then passed by the dolmen (a little disappointing) and the chapel (currently being restored). As the key was left in the door, we took the liberty of having a quick look inside. We took small roads to reach Anse de Penfoul, then followed the route described.
Superb rocks and views of Yoc'h Island.

Machine-translated

celmarboh
celmarboh

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Exceptional setting by the sea on a rugged coastline

Machine-translated

ruboise5629
ruboise5629

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did the hike in the opposite direction, starting from Argenton slipway, as we were coming from Saint Renan and Lanildut. It is a very pleasant coastal path with a wealth of flora and fauna (turnstones, meadow pipits, greenfinches, gulls... and of course the inevitable herring gulls, various reptiles and insects).
We didn't return either along the coast in the opposite direction or by road, as a local resident at Anse de Penfould kindly offered to drop us off at Argenton. The return journey by road would have been less pleasant, even though there is little traffic.

Machine-translated

Trotti
Trotti

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A round trip hike along coastal paths offering beautiful natural scenery. Lovely.

Machine-translated

gisou29
gisou29

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant hike with magnificent sea views on the way there and back.

Machine-translated

dirinon1979
dirinon1979

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike with breathtaking views.
Very easy.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.