Ile Milliau en face du port de Trébeurden — ©Ile Milliau à Trébeurden|Alexandre Lamoureux

A family picnicon Milliau Island

Milliau, a Breton island at low tide

Since the start of our vacation in Brittany, this is the first time that the children have been ready before us in the morning, and they’re ultra-motivated. Playing robinsons on a desert island gives our budding explorers wings!

Getting there

Family picnic on Île Milliau

Head for Trébeurden on the Côte de Granit Rose, and more specifically Île Milliau. This pretty confetti is home to a thousand treasures jealously guarded by the Conservatoire du Littoral. To get there, there’s no pier: just bring your walking schedule and a good pair of sneakers! With clear skies and a tide coefficient of 100, we’ve got over 3 hours to make the most of today!

Walking times to Ile Milliau

©Balade en famille à Trébeurden|Emmanuel Berthier

10h15 – Waiting for the island to become a peninsula…

From Le Castel, our team descends a few rocks to reach sea level. While we wait for the passage to be dry, we observe the little creatures in the puddles between the rocks. Fishermen on foot are already ready to search the foreshore.

10h40 – The passage to Milliau Island finally opens up

A hundred meters separate the island from the mainland, and in the middle, a rocky chaos to climb. The kids are happily climbing, the older ones helping the younger ones. ” Be careful of the seaweed,” says one of the regulars. It’s a good thing we’d been warned to wear good shoes!

©Pique-Nique à l'Ile Milliau|Yann JOSSELIN

©Ile Milliau - Trébeurden|Thibault Poriel

11am – The island is ours, time for low tide

A short climb through the undergrowth, and we’re in the heart of the island. We catch sight of a few rabbits hopping about on the moor. The landscape is grandiose! The golden gorse, the paths winding between the pink rocks, and above all the view of the sea all around… The others climb the rocks, improvising a game of hide-and-seek. It’s great to see them running around with such a sense of freedom. We end up finding them under a dolmen behind the island’s gîte d’étape.

12pm – 360° picnic

Our strolls take us to the top of the island, where the house of Lucie Jourdan, Aristide Briand’s companion, once stood. The 360° panorama is breathtaking: the ideal spot for a picnic! We feel almost alone in the world, and what a pleasure it is to feel the rays of the spring sun kissing our faces…

1.20pm – Exploring the maritime side of the island

We continue our tour of the wilder, westerly side of the island. The wind-beaten vegetation forms veritable tunnels of greenery. We walk on a carpet dotted with garlic triquette and wild hyacinths. Rejuvenating.

2pm – It’s only goodbye!

After this 3 km walk, we’re back at the top of the slipway, just in time to cross the passage before it’s submerged.
Back on the Castel, as we wave to Father Trébeurden who watches over the station, a little hand slips into mine: “Say, can we spend the night on the island all together next time?”