Crozon Peninsula

The Crozon peninsula juts west between two bays in a rough cross shape, built of hard quartzite and schist that the Atlantic has cut into cliffs, arches and stacks. Where the rock breaks down into white sand, the shallow water over it turns a strong turquoise, which is why beaches here look Mediterranean in photographs taken on the right day. The Pointe de Pen-Hir ends in the Tas de Pois, a line of rock stacks running out to sea; the Pointe de Dinan carries a natural arch called the Chateau de Dinan. Wartime bunkers stand on several headlands. The GR34 follows the whole coast.

What you actually see

• The Tas de Pois - a line of stacks running seaward from Pen-Hir.
• The turquoise coves - clear water over white sand at Morgat and elsewhere.
• The Chateau de Dinan - a natural rock arch resembling a ruined castle.
• The coast path - the GR34 around the whole peninsula.

When to go

May to September for swimming and clear water; the sea is cold even in August. Spring brings gorse and thrift on the cliffs. Winter storms are severe and paths close.

Honest expectations

The water is genuinely cold whatever the colour suggests. Cliff paths are exposed and unfenced. Public transport on the peninsula is limited and a car is close to essential.

Nearby

Brest lies north; Locronan is southeast.