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Day 2 on the GR34: walking from Pointe de Beuzec to Pointe de Brézellec (Brittany, France)

July 2, 2018 by Maria Fernandez

Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

Day 2 on the GR34: map & data

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Total distance: 11.06 mi
Total climbing: 736 m
Total time: 06:55:50
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Average speed 1.6 mph, including stopping for lunch.

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Day 2 of our walking holiday started off with a dramatic sky.

Leaving Beuzec-Cap-Sizun

The weather forecast was for light rain on and off most of the day, and that’s what we got. It was quite a contrast with Day 1 of our walking holiday.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

9.49 – Walking back to Beuzec-Cap-Sizun

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Click to see the photo gallery
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After a croissant breakfast, we left the B&B and walked back to the village. We said goodbye to the more-French-than-Irish pub, and headed for the D7 road.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

9.52 – Mac Laughlin’s, our dinner pub

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Like the day before, we were going to walk partly on the GR34 coast path, and partly inland.

Walking through villages always brings you some unexpected surprises, like this wonderful street name. Pourquoi pas – Why not.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

10.07 – Why not indeed?

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This is a very quiet part of the world, so even the tarmac road had barely any traffic.

But it did have some cool tractors. This one was almost as cute as my Thorn bike.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

10.36 – Another cool French toy

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War memorials are ever-present in Brittany. They celebrate the great contribution made by Bretons in both wars.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

10.36 – WWII memorial near Lesven

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We then walked through a farm that had got pretty muddy with the overnight rain. The cows didn’t seem to mind, though.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

10.40 – A picturesque but somewhat derelict tank

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Everything was quiet. There was no road or construction noise, and there was hardly anyone on the paths. That made the landscape look even more nostalgic.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

10.54 – On our way to the GR34 path

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We headed for the coast and rejoined the Grande Randonnée 34 here.

Like the day before, we walked on the narrow path next to the cliffs. The GR34 was well signposted with the white and red lines we’d become accustomed to by now.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

11.00 – Rejoining the GR34 at the Plage de Lesven

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It was the same rugged coast as the day before, but it looked more dramatic behind the thin fog.

In the distance, we could hear the thunderstorms. Alas, we never got to see any lighting.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

11.28 – Looking back at the Pointe de Lesven

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The temperature was most pleasant, unlike the previous day which had been an unexpected scorcher. Still, we put on the dreaded sun cream, just in case.

However, we were glad we hadn’t got the wind that’s so common in this part of the world. Walking on that ridge when the wind is pushing you towards the cliffs would be too exciting.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

12.34 – Looking back at the Rocher du Danou

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This part of the Brittany coast is a bird reserve. You can see colonies of fulmars, guillemots, a variety of gulls, shags, choughs, ravens, peregrines, and many more.

I have to confess, I was glad the weather had turned during the night and we were now seeing a different Brittany. The day before everything had been bathed in a beautiful summer light, but today it felt like we were walking in a dream world.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

13.01 – The Cap Sizun Bird Reserve

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By now we were somewhat wet. The temperature was pleasant, but we’d kill for some shelter. And suddenly, there it was, a humble Breton bothy.

You couldn’t make it up.

Inside the bothy there was information about the local flora, the bird colonies, and also about Félix Coquet, the local man who built Ti Félix, this house.

Apparently, Félix Coquet “was looking for peace and serenity, to get some distance from his wife whose character seemed to be difficult”. I’ve translated that from the board hanging inside the bothy.

We took off some of our wet clothes and hung them up to dry. Then, we had lunch. Merci, M. Croquet.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

13.10 – Ti Félix, an unexpected & most welcome bothy

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Off we went, back on to the GR34.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

15.14 – Pors Loëdec, at the Pointe de Penharn

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When we were planning this trip, we’d assumed we’d meet other people doing the same route, are least some, but we were on our own. It was just us, the birds, and some boats in the distance.

The ins and outs of the craggy coast offer great shelter to boats, so there are tiny ports in the most unexpected places. Like this one.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

15.21 – Another view of Pors Loëdec

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When we reached the Pointe de Penharn, we left the GR34 and took the path to Lanvrel, a hamlet half a mile from the coast.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

15.34 – Heading inland from the Pointe de Penharn

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Why do I love those relics so much?

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

16.01 – A superb vintage vehicle

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And I’m also a sucker for picturesque boats. The older, the better.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

16.02 – Yet another boat that took my fancy

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We pressed on and went through other hamlets and villages, like Kergroas and Mescran.

Our B$B was near a place called Cléden-Cap-Sizun. We’d booked two en-suite rooms, and our host had offered to cook dinner for us.

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Grande Randonnée GR34 - Brittany - www.simonking.bike

16.13 – The village of Mescran

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We had a great evening, Mme Buirette, Simon and I.

She was a most interesting character, and I had the chance to practise my French once again.

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The next day, stage 3 of our walking holiday, would take us to the spectacular Pointe du Raz.

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Our 2018 holiday in France

A week in Les Sables d’Olonne (Pays de la Loire): from 22 to 29 June, 2018.

Cycling to the salt marshes north of Les Sables d’Olonne (Pays de la Loire): 24 June, 2018.

Cycling from Les Sables d’Olonne to Sainte Foy (Pays de la Loire): 28 June, 2018.

Walking around Douarnenez (Brittany): 30 June, 2018.

Day 1 walking on the GR34 (Brittany): 1 July, 2018.

Day 3 walking on the GR34 (Brittany): 3 July, 2018.

Day 4 walking on the GR34 (Brittany): 4 July, 2018.

A visit to Quimper (Brittany): 4 & 5 July, 2018.

A tour of Nantes (Pays de la Loire): 5 & 6 July, 2018.

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I took all the photos with the Panasonic.

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Filed Under: Abroad, Blog, Walk Tagged With: France, GR34, Walking

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