Coastal path towards Anse de Bertheaume and the surrounding countryside

Start from the Pointe du Petit Minou car park.
Please note: this is the car park before the beach, not the one near the lighthouse.

GR®34 signposting: White and Red.

(S/E) From the car park, take the staircase at the gable end of a house on the right towards the coastal path (signposted ToulBroc’h). Climb a long flight of steps to reach a dirt track (view of Pointe du Minou with its fort and lighthouse).

(1) At the first junction, continue along the^GR®® to the left. This section includes several stretches with steps. Turn right and reach the Route de la Corniche, which you follow until the next junction.

(2) Turn left, then right, and follow the road, keeping the renovated former military barracks on your right.

(3) Enter and walk through the old fort, which dates from 1884; on exiting, cross the footbridge and follow the path that runs alongside this major German coastal battery dating from the Second World War, built to control the Brest strait. Continue down a series of wooden steps to Anse de Dalbosc, a popular spot with surfers.

(4) At the road, take the hairpin bend to the left and head back up to the top of the cliff. Continue north-west towards Grève de Déolen. Opposite, on the hilltop, you can see the former building of the Compagnie Française des Câbles Téléphoniques, one of whose cables ran to Cape Cod on the American coast, a distance of 5,185 km away. If you look closely down at the beach, you can still see the old cables running out to sea. Cross the small stream via a footbridge.

(5) Turn left, taking another hairpin bend to climb back up to the cliff top. There are some stunning views across to Anse de Bertheaume opposite and, to the south, of Camaret, Pointe du Toulinguet and Pen Hir, famous for the ‘Tas de Pois’. Continue north-west, ignoring all the paths on the right, one of which leads up to an old, ruined windmill. You’ll reach the first houses of Trégana.

(6) Head straight up Impasse du Goulet and walk past some superb properties. On the right, look out for a very tall sea mark situated on private land. Here, as in other places, private property means you cannot follow the coastline in its entirety. At Route de Trégana, head down this road to the left, which is flanked by a cycle path, and reach the beach where stone tables and benches invite you to take a break after this somewhat steep stretch of the coastal path.

(7) Continue along the path closest to the sea, which leads to the next beach, Portez. Keep going in the same direction. Pass through a grassy area, skirting Porsmilin Beach (Plage du Moulin), climb a few steps and reach a junction of dirt tracks, where the route meets a^{PR®® trail.}

(8) Carry on straight ahead (sign prohibiting bicycles). Keep the GR® on your left, climb a few steps from where you’ll have a view of Anse de Bertheaume and the fort.
You’ll reach the Toul Logot Battery (Trou de la Souris), the ruins of a military site dating from the time of Vauban (information boards). At the gravel road, turn left (sign for the coastal path) and follow this small road down to a clearing overlooking Grève de Porski (Grève du Chien). Follow the path down to beach level, continue past two roads on your right and reach Grève du Cosquer.

Yellow markings

(9) Retrace your steps back to the road, turn left, passing close to the monument commemorating the FFI soldiers from the canton. Follow the road as it climbs steadily.

(10) When you reach a large stone house on the left, turn right towards Cosquer Village (signposted), with its beautifully restored old farmhouses. Pass a private track on your right (dead end sign) and, after the houses, turn right onto Chemin de Porsmilin. Follow this sunken track as it descends.

(8) Facing the sea, turn left to follow the same path as on the way out back to the Portez car park.

Unmarked section

(11) From the Portez Beach junction, follow the road uphill towards the campsite and continue along the wide path. You’ll come to two navigation marks, one of which still bears the rings used to attach ropes during maintenance work (information boards). Turn right onto Allée Coat Losquet, then left onto the street of the same name, and take the small cut-through on the right.

Yellow signposting

(12) Cross at the pedestrian crossing (take care – heavy traffic in summer). Continue along the road opposite until you reach a junction with a footpath; follow this to the left, then turn right onto a sunken lane. On your right, look out for a small fountain and a stone washhouse with two basins, both of which are in need of better care. You’ll arrive at Neïz Vran, a former manor house currently undergoing restoration, once a small fortress surrounded by a walled enclosure with a watchtower at each corner.

Off the marked route

(13) Turn left then right at a place called Kerabomès^, where you leave the^PR®® signposting^. Head down the road which passes near Créac’h Bihan (small) then Créac’h Bras (large)

Yellow signposting

Turn left, then cut across the road leading down to Déolen and follow the road down into the valley. Look out for a small fountain and a washhouse on the left, both of which deserve a better fate. Reach a crossroads near Penher.

(14) Leave the road on your right that leads to the hamlet of Languiforc’h and continue to the next crossroads with a transformer and a school shelter.

No signposting

(15) Cross the road and continue straight ahead to a small stream.

(16) Cross it easily and set off on a return walk, to the left, of about 800 metres to the Lesconvel site, following a wide path made of red quartz. Arrive at Lesconvel, where you’ll find a small ruined chapel, a little cottage with its bread oven, a washhouse, a pond used as a fishpond and a private manor house. Walk along the road to catch a glimpse of it, whilst keeping a low profile (information board).

(17) Turn back towards the stream.

Yellow markings

(16) Continue to the left, passing through a slightly damp area. At the signpost, which also bears a mountain-bike symbol, leave a path on your left and arrive at the hamlet of Kervalar. Walk past the house and follow the shaded path which joins a small road.

(18) Turn right towards the hamlet of Kerhoalac’h.

No signposting

Turn left in the hamlet and follow a path that cuts across the fields to join a small road.

Yellow markings

(19) Follow this small road to the right, pass the entrance to Kervaër Farm, and follow this small road due south to the crossroads with a spring.

No signposting

(:20) At the sign for Toulbroc’h, carry on straight ahead along the Route de Toulbroc’h until you reach the crossroads from the outward journey.

(2) Turn left onto the Route de la Corniche, ignore the path on the right and continue along this road until you reach the gate at the start of the coastal path

GR®34 markings: White and Red.

(1) Follow the route taken on the outward journey to return to the starting car park (S/E)

Sturdy walking shoes are recommended for the coastal path.
This walk is classified as ‘Moderate’, but the section between (S/E) and (6) may seem challenging to those unaccustomed to Breton coastal paths (several sections with steps and rather steep staircases).

Toilets are available at the car park at the start of the walk, at Porsmillin Beach.

Ruined chapel at Lesconvel

Fort de Toulbroc’h

Pointe du Petit Minou

Toul Logot Battery

Dalbosc Cove, very popular with surfers.

Porsmilin: This beach is a lovely spot for relaxing and swimming, and at low tide, it’s a great place to try shellfish gathering with the children.

Portez: a venue for summer events. The lifeguard station is none other than the Countess of Queleren’s bathing pavilion. She lived in the château, situated just above. It has now been converted into flats. Three countesses have succeeded one another.
Trégana, its beach and its three sea markers. It was one of the first holiday destinations for the people of Brest, brought to the attention of the wider public thanks to the tram line that once linked Brest to Le Conquet.

Déolen, situated within the Conservatoire du Littoral, boasts a wild and natural beauty with its cliffs.
On this site, you’ll discover the ruins of the old Ru Vras windmill. A little further on, you’ll find a customs hut and the remains of an old farm that was still in operation in the 19th century, complete with its adjoining bread oven. To the delight of summer visitors, a former baker brings it back to life each summer, much to the delight of the taste buds.
Déolen still stands home to the Compagnie des Câbles building, which overlooks the cove. This was the starting point for a telegraph cable that, in 1879, linked Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Cape Cod in the USA; the second cable linked Déolen directly to Orléans near Cape Cod.