My Deam Vacation

French lighthouses stand as dramatic testaments to the nation’s marine history. Although many are now sadly disused, their design and historical significance make them a must-see for anyone visiting France. French lighthouses are hidden cultural treasures that hark back to a largely forgotten era of French endeavour . Dispersed along the French shore, the lighthouses – or phare – have stood up to the worst that the Channel and the Atlantic Ocean can throw at them for hundreds of years. These splendid buildings punctuate the horizon around the shore, forming a distinguished network of signal lights originally designed to secure the lives of French sailors and ensure the integrity of the country’s shipping lanes. Brittany is home to some of the most spectacular lighthouses, along with the Île D’Ouessant just off the mainland. A pitted, weather-beaten piece of land that’s only 5km by 8km long, it is home to a number of truly breathtaking historic lighthouses, both onshore and off. Encircled by powerful currents and treacherous outcrops of hidden rocks, the island has claimed many lives over the centuries, making its lighthouses of critical practical importance for shipping navigating through this dangerous area. The lighthouses on the island are some of the most spectacular to be found anywhere in France. From the small, square Phare de Kermorvan with its rugged stone facing to the simple yet robust style of the Phare du Petit Minou, the Île D’Ouessant showcases some truly amazing feats of engineering and practical architecture. The lighthouses are even more magnificant when one considers that most were built in the early years of the nineteenth century, when design techniques were nowhere near as advanced as they are now. The fact that these structures are still standing in the face of such severe weather conditions is a credit to the skill and tenacity of the men who built them. Reaching the Île D’Ouessant is simplicity itself – just catch a Cherbourg channel ferry to the French mainland and travel to Brest in Brittany, where the twice a day ferry will take you over to the island for a very modest fee. Once there, you can explore the island on foot or by bike, taking in the unique sights of these commanding silent sentinels.