Day 3 on the GR34: map & data
Total climbing: 653 m
Total time: 07:38:09
Average speed 1.6 mph, including stopping for lunch
We left our cosy B&B after having a typical French breakfast. That’s a couple of croissants and little more. In this part of the world they don’t serve the energetic breakfast we usually get when we’re out and about.
On our way to Cléden-Cap-Sizun
To make up for it, we decided to get some goodies for lunch, which meant we had to walk to Cléden-Cap-Sizun, the only place within miles with a shop.
That’s what happens when you stay in an idyllic place away from civilisation.
9.25 – Idyllic view from our B&B rooms
In Cléden-Cap-Sizun we made sure we had a look around. And, of course, we found the biggest church.
This was going to be a great day for chapels, crosses, virgins, and other religious curiosities. Our faith, though, was mostly on the weather forecast, which was predicting a dry day.
9.50 – Church of Saint Clet in Cléden-Cap-Sizun
Rather than heading straight for the coast, we did like on the previous day: we first explored the nearby villages and farms.
All was quiet and peaceful, like presumably it always is around here.
10.23 – The village of Lézanquel
The sky wasn’t as threatening as the day before but, just in case, we put the covers on our rucksacks. Simon was unmissable in his 100% orange outfit.
10.29 – On our way to the GR34
The village of Trouzent was well worth visiting. It had a WWl memorial, similar to the ones we’d seen in other Breton villages.
10.48 – WWI memorial near Trouzent
It also had an elegant chapel.
10.49 – Chapel of Saint Tugdual, Trouzent
Plus the quaint streets and houses we’d become accustomed to. Bretons are very practical people. They know that fighting Nature is never a good idea, so they build their villages to stand against all kinds of weather.
10.54 – The village of Trouzent
But, for me, the most impressive of all is the Breton language. Nostalgic, defiant, impenetrable and, at least on this sign, admirably concise. The translator must have been in a hurry.
11.51 – I admire the Breton brevity, and the Great National “Sight”
This is where we joined the GR34, at the Baie des Trépassés. Here we faffed around for a bit by the beach and then pressed on.
The bay lies half way between the Pointe du Van and the Pointe du Raz, as you can see on the map above.
11.57 – The Baie de Trépassés
We were heading for the Point du Raz and could just make out the lighthouse in the distance.
Like on the two previous days, we walked along the narrow path by the cliffs. Fortunately, there was hardly any wind, and the views were spectacular.
12.16 – More cliffs & the Pointe du Raz in the distance
The semaphore is part of the military post, so you can only admire it from outside.
12.38 – The Pointe du Raz ship semaphore
But there’s plenty more to admire here. We walked past the semaphore and stood here, contemplating the rocks, and wondering how anyone managed to build a lighthouse out there.
There were also quite a few boats around. If you look closely at the water, you can see them sailing by.
12.45 – The Pointe du Raz
The sea around here can be extremely dangerous in rough weather. That’s why Our Lady of the Shipwrecked is facing the Point du Raz.
It may only be a statue, but it’s a beautiful and humbling one.
12.54 – Notre Dame des Naufragés (Our Lady of the Shipwrecked)
You can get a better idea of just how dangerous the Point du Raz is when you look at it from a distance.
From here you can also see the path we walked on. By the way, around this area is where we saw the largest number of people in our four walking days.
Most of them, though, only walked a few hundred yards on the path, and then back to the car park. We continued on the path and caught up with a couple of long-distance walkers, but we were soon once again on our own.
13.42 – Looking back at the Pointe du Raz
Throughout the Breton coast you can feel the force of Nature, and you can also see proof of the remarkable human ingenuity. Look at this awesome port and those walls.
13.52 – The port de Bestrée, an engineering marvel
I couldn’t see any frogs on the path, but I spotted this superb caterpillar that was minding its own business in the middle of the GR34.
14.11 – A very attractive & terribly hairy caterpillar
The two previous days we’d seen some spectacular cliffs, but the ones today made your hair stand up. And the thunderstorms roaring in the distance certainly helped.
14.17 – Vertical cliffs next to the GR34 path
Soon we got to another port.
14.52 – Port de Feunteun Aod
There are thousands of miles of GR footpaths throughout France. We’ve realised we’re going to have to take quite a few more holidays in the near future, if we want to do even just a small percentage of them.
I can live with that.
15.49 – Getting to Pors Loubous
Here we left the GR34 and took the path to Pennéac’h, a village a hundred yards from the coast and the coolest of names.
16.24 – The village of Pennéac’h
From there we headed for Toramur where we found a most memorable chapel.
16.45 – Chapel of Notre Dame de Bon Voyage, near Toramur
On the walls, you can see half a dozens boats, and there are scores of anchors painted on the ceiling. It’s the Chapel of Notre Dame de Bon Voyage, Our Lady of a Safe Harbour.
16.47 – Inside the chapel of Notre Dame de Bon Voyage
At this point Simon had the genius idea of taking a shortcut through a forest. At 6′ 2″ it was OK for him, but I was basically lost in the bracken, with vegetation above my head and no idea of where I was going.
16.51 – Forging through high bracken
Somehow I managed to follow him out of the maze, and we got to Toramur, a small village with a pretty cross.
16.59 – Cross just outside Toramur
In the end, as the forecast had predicted, we got no rain all day, but we did get quite a dramatic sky from time to time.
But, by now, there was a more pressing thing on our minds: what was dinner going to be like?
17.00 – The village of Toramur
Our hotel near Anse du Loc’h was nothing to write home about, so we left our rucksacks and went back out for a walk, hoping to find dinner somewhere.
17.13 – Anse du Loc’h, our destination
Fortunately, we were out of luck. At the supermarket we bought next day’s breakfast, and returned to the hotel not too sure what to expect dinner-wise.
We had been most unimpressed by our room, so we had little hope of a gourmet meal.
18.24 – The last supermarket before America!
As it turned out, that’s exactly what we got. The French really know how to prioritise things in life.
And so, we went to bed happy, and ready for our fourth and last walking day.
I took all the photos with the Panasonic.