Sentier des Douaniers

This is a path which traces the coast line around the entire perimeter of Finisterre, also known as Grand Randonée 34. I followed part of its route from the small town of Locquirec to St-Jean-du-Doigt. It features stunning views of the cliffs and offshore islands, as it traverses the littoral, the coastal heathlands. The locals have put much effort in maintaining the integrity of the littoral so that it remains available for all to enjoy its relative wilderness.

Looking back to Locquirec

It is a tough walk. I probably made about 30 ascents and descents during the course of the day as the path stays as close as possible to the land’s edge, scaling cliffs and rounding the numerous small inlets and bays.

The quirky Cafe Caplan

Along the way there were a couple of curiosities. Near Guimaëc, at Poul-Rodou, I stopped for crêpes at Café Caplan, a quirky little bookstore cum café which opened in 1933 and where now you pay different proprietors respectively for the food (galettes or crêpes), and beverages. (the crêpes are prepared in a yurt in the backyard!).

Not far past the café there is another memorial to the heroic role played by the French Résistance, particularly during the early months of 1944.

St-Jean-du-Doigt takes its name from a relic now housed in the treasury of the local 15th century Gothic church: part of the index finger of John the Baptist (St-Yann-Ar-Biz in Breton). While I am sure relics are just the product of middle ages entrepreneurial enterprise (i.e. scamming), this one is linked to a miracle when Anne of Brittany came here in the early 1500s and was cured of a troublesome left eye. So it must be true – right?

The digital relic

There was to be no miracle for me. In fact the reverse occurred when, in my eagerness to see the church and the baptismal digit, I contrived to miss the last bus back home from Plougasnou to Morlaix. The resulting 14km walk took nearly another 3 hours!  On the bright side my eyesight is still OK.