Exploring the Pink Granite Coast on a road trip

From Perros-Guirec to Trégastel

(16 km)

After walking along the harbour at Perros-Guirec, you’ll reach the Pointe du Château, with the Sept Îles visible in the distance. Beaches, seaside villas and 19th-century manor houses line the route as you head towards Ploumanac’h. Gradually, the scenery changes and the path winds its way through the moorland and granite boulders. Keep your eyes peeled along the way: a bottle, a rabbit, a witch… There’s no shortage of rocks with evocative shapes! Their colours? Pink, of course! A beautiful coppery pink that glows in the sun…

At the very northern end of the site, the Mean Ruz lighthouse, clad in pink granite, stands amidst the boulders, and you follow the path towards the little beach at Saint-Guirec and its famous oratory, then on to the port of Ploumanac’h, naturally sheltered at the entrance to the mysterious Traouïero valley. At the far end of this cove, you’ll come across two old tide mills before reaching Trégastel. In the centre of Sainte-Anne Bay, the unlikely Château de Costaérès stands proudly on its islet; you pass it to reach the little Sainte-Anne des Rochers chapel, which marks the end of this stage.

Overnight stay in a three-star hotel; dinner at a restaurant offering a splendid view of Coz Pors and the granite outcrops.

From Trégastel to Pleumeur-Bodou

(14 km)

To start the day, you’ll discover Renote Island, with its spectacular scenery and striking granite outcrops. The path continues through beaches, rocks and moorland, leading you to the magnificent panorama of Trégastel, overlooking the white sandy beach and the imposing rock formation known as the ‘Crown of King Gradlon’.

Kerlavos Bay offers a peaceful, more intimate atmosphere, before the path takes you into the heart of the Bringuiller nature reserve with its diverse landscapes blending rock and vegetation. You then reach Landrellec and its small harbour, set in a landscape that is constantly changing with the tides, as the sea reveals and then covers its precious foreshore.

At the end of the route, a short detour allows you to explore an imposing dolmen and a covered passageway nearly 10 metres long, with its carved motifs on the pillars.

Overnight stay with half-board in a 3-star hotel.

From Pleumeur-Bodou to Trébeurden

(20 km)

This stage takes you first inland, where you’ll be charmed by the little haven of peace that is Saint-Samson and its Beaumanoir church, then on to the Radôme, whose imposing white spherical silhouette stands out against the lush green landscape, and finally to the famous Christianised menhir at Saint-Uzec.

A tour of Île Grande takes you past beaches, islets and rocky headlands. Here, the granite is grey and of very high quality for building purposes. Numerous quarries have enabled its large-scale extraction, and today it can be found in many squares and monuments, from the Morlaix viaduct all the way to Paris and even Lourdes. Île Grande is also home to the LPO nature reserve associated with the Sept Îles archipelago.

Back on the mainland, a quick detour takes you to the covered avenue of Prajou Menhir, an impressive sight with its 12-metre-tall megaliths. The trail then takes you through the moors of Milin ar Lan and on along the Quellen marsh, where you may be lucky enough to spot a few Camargue horses grazing.

Overnight stay with half-board in a ** hotel

From Trébeurden to Lannion

(18.5 km)

In the first part of this final stage, you’ll come across some astonishing rock formations and the ‘Rose’ granite. Keep an eye out for Father Trébeurden, who watches over the Castel rock formations, opposite Milliau Island. Shortly afterwards, you’ll tackle a particularly steep headland, but the view is well worth the effort! Cliffs and small beaches then follow one after another until you reach the mouth of the Léguer estuary. You gradually leave the seaside atmosphere behind as you reach Lannion via the towpath, which was once used to pull boats arriving from the open sea up to the trading town.

In the late afternoon, set off to explore Lannion’s historic centre. A maze of cobbled streets and alleyways awaits you there. Look up and admire the superb half-timbered or slate-clad houses, reminders of the town’s medieval past and its prosperity during the Renaissance. On Place du Général-Leclerc, the ‘Maison aux chapeliers’, entirely clad in slate, and its neighbour, rich in decorative details, are incredibly photogenic!

Overnight stay in a 3-star hotel; dinner at your own expense.