Penmarch

The Presqu'Ile de Penmarch, or Penmarch Peninsula, is the next bit of land to jut out into the Atlantic on the western coast of Brittany as you move south from Raz. We drove around it, down through the town of Penmarch itself, and saw more of the rocky, rugged coastline and black and white houses that define Brittany.

A typical view along the Penmarch coastline.

The one difference we noticed as we moved south was that the high bluffs and cliffs gave way to lower lands along the coast. There seemed to me to be more towns and villages along the water than there were further north.

A church sits behind its protective seawall at low tide. I don't remember the exact location of these photos.

Penmarch is part of the region called la Cornouaille (like Cornwall in England ?) that is known for its fishing ports that trade in sardines and langoustes as well as its inland farms that grow potatoes and other vegetables. Up until the 16th century, the ports of Penmarch were rich with cod caught off its coast. But these fish deserted the waters of southern Brittany, or were fished out, and they no longer make up a significant part of the region's catch.