Brittany and Normandy · Easy · There and back

Trestraou to Ploumanac'h on the Pink Granite Coast

The coast path from Trestraou beach in Perros-Guirec to Ploumanac'h, among giant boulders of pink granite, to the lighthouse and the oratory.

Distance
9.2 km (5.7 mi)
Ascent
124 m
Time
About 2 h 30 min
High point
26 m
Grade
Easy

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km25 m5 m
Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Trestraou to Ploumanac'h on the Pink Granite Coast
Pierre Guezingar from Coray, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From the car park behind Trestraou beach in Perros-Guirec, take the coast path west along the shore. It climbs onto the low cliffs and winds through heather and gorse among huge boulders of pink granite worn into strange shapes, past little coves and viewpoints over the Sept-Îles. At Ploumanac'h it reaches the Phare de Mean Ruz, a lighthouse built of the same pink stone, then goes round the point to the beach of Saint-Guirec and its little oratory on a rock in the bay. Return the same way.

It is 9.2 km there and back with 124 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Easy: a well-made coast path with short climbs and some steps.

The rocks are a protected natural site owned by the Conservatoire du littoral: keep to the path to let the heath recover. The granite is slippery when wet, and the oratory is cut off at high tide. Ploumanac'h was voted the French public's favourite village in 2015, and the path is busy in summer.

There are car parks behind Trestraou beach; Ploumanac'h has its own car parks and buses link the two in season.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • The coast path from Perros-Guirec to Ploumanac'h winds between boulders of pink granite worn into strange shapes
  • The Phare de Mean Ruz, a lighthouse of the same pink granite, stands among the rocks at Ploumanac'h
  • The little oratory of Saint-Guirec stands on a rock in the bay of Ploumanac'h and is cut off at high tide

Getting there

Start: Trestraou car park. 48.81608, -3.45870

Directions to the start

Places to stay nearby

Rooms in and around Lannion: Booking.com → Expedia →

Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.

Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.