France Guide
Brittany
The Île de Sein
Of all the Breton islands, the tiny Île de Sein, just 8km off the end of the Pointe du Raz, has to be the most extraordinary. Its very grip on existence seems so tenuous that it's hard to believe anyone could truly survive here; nowhere does it rise more than six metres above the surrounding ocean, and for much of its 2.5-kilometre length it's barely broader than the breakwater wall of bricks that serves as its central spine. In fact, the island has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and it was reputed to have been the very last refuge of the druids in Brittany. It also became famous during World War II, when its entire male population answered General de Gaulle's call to join him in exile in England. Today, over three hundred islanders continue to make their living from the sea, gathering rainwater and seaweed, and fishing for scallops, lobster and crayfish.
Never mind cars, not even bicycles are permitted here. Depending on the tide, boats pull in at one or other of the two adjoining harbours that constitute Sein's one tight-knit village, in front of which a little beach appears at low tide. There is a museum of local history here (June & Sept daily 10am– noon & 2–4pm; July & Aug daily 10am– noon & 2–6pm; €2.50), packed with black-and-white photos and press clippings, and displaying a long list of shipwrecks from 1476 onwards. The basic activity for visitors, however, is to take a bracing walk, preferably to the far end of the island, from where you can see the famous Phare Ar-men, peeking out of the waves 12km further west into the Atlantic.