Photo : Nom (Ackles29 (talk)) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Archipel des Glénan
About twenty kilometres off Fouesnant, the Glénan archipelago gathers about ten main islets arranged in a crown around a shallow lagoon, whose turquoise colour has earned the site flattering comparisons with tropical lagoons. This singular configuration makes it one of the most photogenic seascapes in Brittany.
The archipelago owes a good part of its fame to the Glénans, a sailing school founded in 1947 that trained generations of sailors and remains an international reference in sailing instruction. Saint-Nicolas island, the archipelago's main inhabited island, concentrates most of the facilities and visitors, while several islets remain classified as nature reserves to protect rare flora, including the Glénan narcissus, endemic to the site.
Access is exclusively by boat, from Concarneau, Bénodet or Loctudy in particular, with regular services in the summer season. Swimming, diving and sailing attract many visitors each summer to this site, which nevertheless remains subject to careful management to preserve its ecological fragility.
