Pern Point

A few details concerning Pern Point , the most western extremity of metropolitan france.

All of Pern Point is a classified area, including  the rocks. The south face of one  of these rocks is painted white and constitutes a landmark used by those navigating in the local waters to find their way among the surrounding reefs.

Also to be seen on the Point are the ruins known locally as the "Villa of the Storms". It  housed a steam-driven foghorn between 1885 and 1900. Slighly further north stands another ruin which also used to house a foghorn, that one being powered by  a horse drawn roundabout.

Penn Ar Land Harbour

A few details concerning this harbour :

Penn Ar Land Harbour was considered to be a weak point in the islands defences and a stronghold was built there during the middle ages, just above the beach.

The local suzerain at the time required that the islanders built the stronghold sufficienly high for him to be able to see beyond St Mathieu's Point on the mainland right up to the entry to Brest Rade. This caused the islanders to rise up against their suzerain and he was obliged to leave the island in a hurry, under a hail of stones thrown by the local women. Thus, the stronghold  was never finished and eventually fell to complete ruin. Its stones were used to build houses in the surrounding village. Vestiges of the would-be fort  can still be seen today.

Karaes Windmill

Karaes Windmill, just a short distance from the Créac'h Lighthouse, was entirely restored by the Regional Armorique Park.

It is the only surviving windmill to be seen today on the island, which used to have well over a hundred mills in former times. Forty or so mills were still in use  after the second world war , when the islanders had to start growing oats an barley again.

As they were conceived for milling barley, the flour produced was very coarse and unbolted and was used to make a rather rough bread and farz oaled (garnished  ovenbaked piecrust)

Keller Island

Keller is a small private island just off the north coast of Ushant.

It is a high rocky eminence with sheer cliffs plunging down to the sea some 40 meters below  and is about 1 kilometer in lenght and 600 meters in breadth. In its centre stands a manor, the only edifice on the island. In former times it belonged to the military but is privately owned today.

The proprietors often spend the summer months ther, without electricity or running water.

The Grande Roche

Legend has it that when St. Guénolé, who lived on the south of the island,  and St. Gildas, who lived on the northern side fought with each other as to who should be in charge of the island they used to throw stones at each other across the breadth of Lampaul bay; the Grande Roche was the biggest one thrown during this conflict and now divides the island in two.