Ile de Brehat

Brehat is two islands joined by a bridge, about three and a half kilometres long, with no cars beyond a few service vehicles, so movement is on foot or by bicycle. The Gulf Stream gives it a climate mild enough that mimosa, eucalyptus, agapanthus, palm and fig grow in the open despite the northern latitude, and the island is called the island of flowers for it. The rock is pink granite, the same formation as the coast opposite, weathered into rounded shapes along the shore. The Paon lighthouse stands at the northern tip, and around ninety islets and reefs surround the island at low tide.

What you actually see

• The car-free lanes - paths and tracks with no motor traffic.
• The subtropical planting - mimosa, agapanthus and fig growing outdoors.
• The pink granite - rounded rose-coloured rock along the shore.
• The Paon lighthouse - the northern tip with its red granite tower.

When to go

April to September, with mimosa in late winter and hydrangeas and agapanthus in summer; ferries run year-round but reduce in winter. Day-trip crowds peak in August.

Honest expectations

The island is small and fills with day visitors in summer. Bicycles are limited in number and hire queues. Accommodation is scarce and books far ahead. Ferries stop in rough weather.

Nearby

Paimpol lies south; the Sillon de Talbert is west.