Ouessant

Ouessant lies about twenty kilometres off the Breton tip in water where Atlantic swell, strong tides and reefs meet, historically among the deadliest shipping approaches in Europe; the old saying held that whoever sees Ouessant sees his own blood. Five lighthouses guard it, including Creac'h, among the most powerful in the world, and La Jument on a reef offshore, famous from a 1989 photograph of a keeper in the doorway with a wave breaking over the tower. The island is treeless, wind-scoured and grazed by a small local sheep breed, and a museum of lighthouses and beacons occupies the Creac'h engine house.

History

Neolithic megaliths stood on the island, along with a long-lived Bronze Age sanctuary that can no longer be seen. Ushant lived by fishing and served as the landmark of the approach to the Channel, named in the sea shanty "Spanish Ladies", and British and French fleets fought several battles nearby. On 23 July 1815 Napoleon, a captive aboard HMS Bellerophon, watched Ushant for several hours from the deck, the last of France he saw, and on 28 May 1896 the liner Drummond Castle sank off the island with 242 lives lost. Its rocks and tidal streams of more than ten knots gave rise to the Breton proverb that whoever sees Ushant sees his own blood; in March 1978 the tanker Amoco Cadiz ran aground about 31 km away, badly polluting the Breton coast, and the line between Ushant and Lizard Point is a standard start and finish for round-the-world voyages (Wikipedia, Ushant).

The landscape

• Creac'h lighthouse - among the most powerful lights in the world, with a museum.
• La Jument - the offshore tower of the famous wave photograph.
• The treeless island - wind-cropped heath grazed by the Ouessant sheep.
• The cliff coast - broken rock and reefs on the western side.

When to go

April to September; ferries are cancelled in rough weather at any time of year and the crossing can be hard. Bicycles are the usual transport on the island. Winter is severe.

Before you go

Crossings are rough and frequently cancelled, and being stranded is a real possibility. There are no trees and little shelter from wind. Accommodation is limited and books ahead.

Nearby

Molene lies between the island and the mainland; Brest is east.