Pointe du Raz and Pointe du Van via Pointe de Castel Meur and Pointe de Feunteun Aod

Start at the Trouguer mills car park.

No signposting

(S/E) Go round the mills on the right and reach a small road. Follow it to the right as far as the village of Keriolet (note some beautiful old houses), take a grassy path on the right then right again to join the^GR®34.

GR® markings (white and red)

(1) Take it to the right, alternating between ascents and descents along the sides of steep cliffs, until you reach the Pointe de Castel Meur. It is possible to make a round trip to the tip of the headland, where the view over the entrance to Douarnenez Bay is splendid. Take care, however, as the path, lined with thorny bushes, is not really maintained.

PR® (Yellow) signposting in the opposite direction

(2) With your back to the headland, leave the^GR® by turning right onto a path, reach a car park and continue along a small road that joins the D7. Cross it carefully, follow it to the right for about twenty metres and take a small road on the left to reach the village of Kerléodin.

(3) Turn right onto a wide, uphill farm track, ignore a path on the right and continue along the track which veers left before descending and crossing a road near the Chapelle Saint-Tugdual.

Mountain bike markings (yellow)

(4) Follow it to the left for about twenty metres, turn right onto a wide track, pass a farm shed and continue along the track which veers to the left. Ignore a path on the left and reach a T-junction.

(5) Turn right, ignore a path on the left and reach a junction of paths.

^PR® markings (yellow)

Continue right along a path that winds along the left bank of a valley, ignore the paths branching off to the left, then turn right at the “Point de Vue” sign (beautiful view over the Baie des Trépassés and the Étang de Laoual).

(6) Retrace your steps, continue right on the PR® and reach the start of a path on the right.

No signposting

Continue straight ahead despite the^PR® (yellow) markings to the right and arrive at a T-junction.

^PR® markings (yellow)

(7) Turn left to rejoin the^PR®, reach the D784, follow it to the right for about twenty metres with caution, turn left onto Impasse de Roz Kerveur and reach the start of a discreet path on the left.

(8) Follow this narrow path lined with dry stone walls, pass the Fumoir d’Ar Men (see Practical Information) in the charming village of Kerhuret and cross a small road (note the stonemasons’ work on some very fine old houses).

Unmarked

(9) Turn right onto this small road to leave the^PR®, follow it for about twenty metres, turn left onto a path that heads into the moorland, ignore a path on the right and reach a junction of paths.

^PR® markings (yellow) are very faint

(10) Turn right, ignore a path on the left and turn right at the next junction. Continue, ignoring the paths branching off to the left and right, go round an isolated house on the left and cross a small road.

GR® markings (white and red)

(11) Follow it to the left to join the^GR®34, reach the Feunteun Aod shelter (note the menhir on the left, in memory of Pierre Brossolette and his comrades) and continue to the right along the cliffs. Continue along a steep path on the cliff face and cross a road near the small port of Bestrée.

(12) Cross it, continue straight ahead along the coastal path and join a wide stony lane. Follow it to the left, go round the semaphore and then the statue of Notre-Dame des Trépassés on the left to reach the Pointe du Raz (beautiful views of the Île de Sein and the Phare de la Vieille).

(13) Continue along the coastal path, keeping the statue and the semaphore on your right. Ignore the paths on the right to reach the beach at Baie des Trépassés near two blockhouses (beautiful panoramic views of the bay and Pointe du Van all along the way).

(14) Continue straight ahead on the GR®, reach a car park opposite a hotel and turn right to reach the D607. Walk along the left-hand side of this road via a designated path, take a small road on the left at the next junction, follow it for about two hundred metres until you reach the start of a path on the left after an isolated house.

(15) Follow this path, which is sometimes steep and rocky, then turn left onto a small road to reach Port du Vorlen. Take a path on the right that climbs to a viewpoint above the Baie des Trépassés (beautiful views of the bay and the Pointe du Raz).

(16) Descend into a small valley, cross a stream via a footbridge, then climb back up a steep path, pass a first fountain and reach the Chapelle Saint-They. A second fountain is located to the right of the chapel.

(17) Walk past the chapel, continue along a wide path leading to Pointe du Van, walk past it, then look out for a path on the right that leads to the car parks at the headland.

PR® (yellow) signposting in the opposite direction

(18) Follow this path, turn left just before the car parks and then right just before the village of Keriolet (note a very old bread oven on the left). Continue, cross a small road and follow it to the right for a few metres. Turn left to go round the Trouguer mills and reach the starting car park (S/E).

Between (1) and (2) and between (11) and (17), the narrow, rocky coastal path alternates between ascents and descents along the flanks of steep cliffs over sixty metres above the ocean. Do not attempt this route in strong winds or during or immediately after heavy rain (the rocky sections are very slippery). This route is also not recommended for those prone to vertigo.

Some sections are very muddy in winter in the wetlands between (4) and (7). Hiking boots are recommended in all seasons.

The route of the GR®34, shown in purple on the IGN map, is not always accurate as some sections have been diverted due to coastal erosion. Please follow the GR® markings (white and red) closely and do not stray from them, for obvious safety reasons but also to respect the vegetation, which is very fragile in places.

The Pointe du Raz and Pointe du Van are very busy during the summer months. It is quieter around the Pointe de Castel Meur and Pointe de Feunteun Aod, and virtually deserted in the countryside. Spring is the ideal time to explore these trails, where sea thrift, wild hyacinth, broom and gorse, amongst others, are in bloom.

There is very little shade along the route. Bring a hat, sunglasses and sun cream in fine weather.

Fumoir d’Ar Men, open daily from 9am to 12pm and 4pm to 7pm, is ideal for a break to sample smoked fish before continuing on the^GR®34.

Alternative car parks at Baie des Trépassés and at the headlands of Castel Meur, Raz (pay-and-display) and Van. The latter two can get very busy in summer.

Picnic tables at the start car park.

Toilets at Baie des Trépassés and at the Pointe du Raz car park.

Castel Meur, Feunteun Aod, Raz and Van headlands.

Superb views of the ocean, the Raz de Sein, Baie des Trépassés and Baie de Douarnenez.

Saint-Tudgual Chapel (18th century), its fountain and wash house.
Saint-They Chapel (17th century) and its two fountains.

Trouguer windmills.

The small ports of Feunteun Aod, Bestrée and Le Vorlen.

Statue of Our Lady of the Shipwrecked at Pointe du Raz.

Villages, beautiful old houses and a rich architectural heritage in the countryside around Cléden-Cap-Sizun and Plogoff.