Sept-Iles Reserve

The Sept-Iles archipelago lies about five kilometres off the Pink Granite Coast, and the reserve was created in 1912 after hunters travelling by train from Paris shot puffins in such numbers that the local population collapsed; it is the oldest bird reserve in France. Rouzic island holds the only northern gannet colony in France, tens of thousands of pairs whitening the rock, and puffins, razorbills, guillemots and storm petrels breed across the group along with grey seals. Boats circle the islands without landing on Rouzic; only Ile aux Moines can be landed on, with a fort and lighthouse.

What you actually see

• The gannet colony - France's only breeding gannets, on Rouzic.
• The puffins - the birds the reserve was created to protect.
• The grey seals - hauled out on rocks around the islands.
• Ile aux Moines - the one island where landing is allowed.

When to go

April to July, when the colonies are occupied; gannets stay longer, but puffins leave the colony by late July. Boats run in season and are cancelled in rough seas.

Honest expectations

Landing is permitted on one island only; the colonies are seen from the boat. Bird numbers drop sharply after July. Avian flu has hit the gannet colony hard in recent years. Boats do not run in bad weather.

Nearby

Perros-Guirec lies south; the Pink Granite Coast runs west.