Tour of the Île d'Hœdic

A timeless hike on a wild and rocky island with breathtaking landscapes and magnificent beaches

Details

1406544
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.40 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 22 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 21 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 19 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Hœdic (56170)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.343454° / W 2.876419°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0822OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) After disembarking, walk back up the jetty and continue along a small road towards the village. Turn right at the crossroads after the harbour master's office. Turn immediately left onto the sandy path and then immediately right behind the building. Head towards the coast.

(1) Follow the coastal path on the left.

(2) At the crossroads, continue keeping the sea on your right. There are a few different paths, but they all lead to the same place. Continue north-west to the Pointe du Vieux Château.

(3) Make a round trip (optional) to the tip of the point. Be careful not to venture onto the rocks.

(3) Head south to continue around the island. Follow the coastal path.

(4) Go down to Port Parnec beach and walk around Beg er Faut. Retrace your steps.

(4) Take the coastal path to the right and continue around the island, staying as close to the sea as possible. You will reach Beg Lagad (in Breton, Pointe de l'Oeil), the northernmost point of the island.

(5) Continue along the coastal path until you reach the harbour.

(6) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead towards a wooded area. When you reach the village, turn onto a street and follow it to the left. After a few dozen metres, turn right and then left to reach the centre of the village (post office).

(7) Continue straight ahead to go around the village. At the crossroads, turn left and then left again at the next crossroads.

(7) Continue straight ahead and take thefirst road on the right. At the crossroads that immediately follows, turn left and, at the fork, turn right towards the church. Then turn left and pass the school and a children's playground.

(8) Take the street on the right, then thefirst road on the right after the fire station. At the next intersection, go straight ahead.

(2) At the crossroads you passed on the way there, take the coastal path again (2nd on the right).

(1) Continue straight ahead on the coastal path and you will come directly to the harbour and the landing stage (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 4 m - Landing stage
  2. 1 : km 0.37 - alt. 12 m - Coastal path
  3. 2 : km 0.63 - alt. 9 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.43 - alt. 4 m - Pointe du Vieux Château
  5. 4 : km 3.95 - alt. 4 m - Access to Port Parnec
  6. 5 : km 7.61 - alt. 11 m - Beg Lagad
  7. 6 : km 8.6 - alt. 5 m - Crossing
  8. 7 : km 9.26 - alt. 15 m - Village of Hoedic
  9. 8 : km 9.53 - alt. 15 m - Games for children
  10. S/E : km 10.4 - alt. 4 m - Landing stage

Notes

Access by boat is mainly from Quiberon, but also from Le Croisic and La Turballe during the season.

The island is entirely pedestrianised.

You can, of course, walk around in the opposite direction.

There are very few shops in the village, so if you are going for the day (which is likely given the boat timetable), bring a picnic or book a meal in a restaurant in the village and add a trip to the village from the "port de la croix" to your itinerary.

There is very little shade, so a hat is highly recommended, and you should bring plenty of water.
You will find toilets and a water point at the harbour master's office.

Worth a visit

The beaches are beautiful and you can choose to take a break for a swim. Just be careful not to miss the boat.
You can visit the church.

Île d'Hœdic

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Anne-Laure et Fabrice
Anne-Laure et Fabrice

I am the author of the hike, but unfortunately I am not familiar with the island's monuments. I just did the hike and wanted to share it so that others would know about it. There is a link to the official website for the island of Höédic at the end of the description.

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moreau.christine
moreau.christine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route is probably not very busy overall, as the island is quite touristy and visitors tend to explore it at their own pace, depending on their boat schedule.
It's a beautiful, wild island that's easy to get around, with no obstacles to prevent you from doing so.
It was a lovely day and I'm delighted with this getaway and hike

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Akissa
Akissa

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We completed the tour quite easily and departed from Vannes maritime station. The boat picked up passengers at Port Navalo, then stopped at Houat where some passengers disembarked and others boarded. Then everyone disembarked at Hoedic. The return ticket is cheaper from Vannes to Quiberon and costs more during high season. It is a trip that can be enjoyed with the family. Be aware that outside of the season, there are no shops open except for a café where they don't serve coffee, tea or hot chocolate. You are forced to drink beer or soft drinks... In short, avoid this place, bring a picnic or come during the high season when the shops, restaurants and hotels will be open

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JPV56
JPV56

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very nice hike, discovering the wildlife and this magnificent island

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herveg07
herveg07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We chose Hoëdic over Houat because we wanted to be able to do a day trip with the AR by boat.
It was quiet at this time of year, the only week of good weather after a wet spell
We had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, have a picnic and even go swimming... if you didn't mind the cool water (~17°C).
The fort was occupied by a group of biology students who were training in the field to analyse (with binocular magnifying glasses) the microfauna collected on the foreshore: very interesting!
We took a few liberties with the description, but it's hard to get lost... except in the fog?

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Boubagump
Boubagump

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route on the island of Hoedic. Beautiful beaches at the start of the route!

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Lexr8
Lexr8

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Much more charming than its larger counterpart. Shorter and less hilly too. The tour took three hours, including a sandwich break. Plenty of time to go around between two boats, swim and have a drink at the end. Few shops and water sources. Not much shade. It's true that a description of the monuments and menhir would be useful.

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howa-h
howa-h
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent route = wild moorland landscapes on one side / waves crashing on jagged rocks on the other, breathtaking!
Very rich birdlife - a shame that nothing like this is mentioned on the information sheet

We did this hike in the middle of winter, so we didn't see any wildlife (ideal for lovers of the wilderness). However, this route is likely to be very busy in summer (it's the only route on the small island of Hoedic) ...

It's a shame that there is no description of the route: only the GPS points of the crossroads are indicated!!! (not very useful on this route!!) => there is a huge lack of information about the monuments encountered (dolmens, alignments, standing stones), which are not even all mentioned - it's a real shame

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Lionel Martins
Lionel Martins

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful little trail with stunning panoramic views.

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Gisèle LE GOFF
Gisèle LE GOFF
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Hello
For the moment, we haven't done the tours (three in the pipeline) that we had planned, but they are in preparation and will be available
for late 2019 or early 2020. Thank you for the suggested routes. As soon as we get our plans underway, we will let you know what we think. For now, everything looks very clear and encouraging for hitting the trails.
Gisèle LE GOFF

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Anne-Laure et Fabrice
Anne-Laure et Fabrice
• Edited:

I'm sorry that you were disappointed with this hike. Can you tell me why?

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ajpb
ajpb
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

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