Belle-Île en Mer: Grand Cosquet - Locmaria

Belle-Île-en-Mer is the largest and most majestic of Brittany’s islands.
The coastal path allows you to walk all the way round the island and appreciate the beauty and variety of the landscapes. This walk is on the south coast (the wild coast), facing the Atlantic winds; the jagged cliffs, covered in short, colourful heathland, paint an incredible picture.

Details

459377
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.04 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 689 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 732 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 197 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 20 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Belle-Ile
  • ⚐ City: Locmaria (56360)
  • ⚑
    Start: N 47.302864° / W 3.135813°
  • ⚑
    End: N 47.293924° / W 3.082323°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0822OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Leave Le Palais by bus (line 3) to reach the start of the hike in the village of Le Grand Cosquet

(S) Walk through the village towards the sea and continue straight on to join theGR®340at Port Pouldon beach. Climb the eastern slope of the deep cove at Port Pouldon up to a high promontory just before Pointe de Pouldon.

(1) Follow the path that runs along a high cliff, with Île de Bourhic visible on the right. Descend into two particularly steep valleys before reaching the cove of Port Lost Kah. Continue up the path to reach Pointe du Skeul, which offers a splendid view

(2) Continue along the coast, which heads north-east. Pass Pointe de Kergolay and reach the old semaphore fort at Pointe d’Arzic via a flat path that presents no difficulty.

(3) Leave the wild coastline here. After skirting the semaphore post, the path descends towards Port-Blanc beach. Through the high moorland, the path climbs, plunges into a valley of ferns and reaches a rocky promontory. Descend to the fine-sand cove of Port-Maria.

(4) Head up towards the village of Locmaria through a valley lined with low stone walls. A small white church stands in the centre of Locmaria village. Walk to the blue bus stop in Locmaria (E) to return to Le Palais.

Waypoints

  1. S : mi 0 - alt. 184 ft - Grand Cosquet
  2. 1 : mi 1.17 - alt. 151 ft - Pouldon Beach
  3. 2 : mi 3.96 - alt. 161 ft - Platinieu
  4. 3 : mi 5.14 - alt. 141 ft - Pointe d’Arzic
  5. 4 : mi 5.79 - alt. 23 ft - Intersection
  6. E : mi 6.04 - alt. 151 ft - Bus Locmaria

Notes

No water points or refreshments except on arrival.
We chose to tour the island in a "star" pattern, returning to the campsite every day using the Blue Bus service (the friendliest and most economical way to explore Belle-Île on a day trip)
Timetables are available at the tourist office and on their website

Worth a visit

(Between)1(and 2) Port Lost-Kah Cove: site of the Prince de Conti’s shipwreck. This is the highest point on the island’s coast. The landscape is austere, the ground rocky and bare. The rocky cove of Port-Skeul is rather uninviting. However, don’t miss natural attractions such as: the Pylor rock and the Porthos karstic cave.

(Between 3 and 4) Port Blanc Beach: a slipway for launching boats.

(4) Port Maria: this pretty cove is a bay blocked by two natural barriers and was defended in the17th century by a small fort, now converted into a residence.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
chevassu
chevassu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with beautiful seaside scenery.

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el lobo marco
el lobo marco

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk along the cliffs, with steeper gradients than those mentioned.
Not suitable for children.
All along the trail, you’ll discover beautiful, easily accessible beaches

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AB86
AB86

That seems better to me 😉

Kind regards,

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camo29
camo29

Ah yes, that's better! Thanks for your help... Regards

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Nicole Guil
Nicole Guil

Hello and thank you for your feedback. Following your comments, I’ve set the difficulty to ‘medium’.

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camo29
camo29
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We’ve just walked four sections of the Belle-Île coastal path (though we didn’t complete the whole circuit) in windy, sunny weather. It’s all absolutely stunning, and the southern part is more rugged and wild than the north.
As it was the start of the school holidays, we were able to catch buses to all our starting points and back, except for one time when we had to hitchhike!
This section is the most challenging due to its fairly steep climbs! I would rate this hike as moderate rather than easy, in line with the previous comment, because of the cumulative elevation gain, which might discourage children, for example. I won’t mention the duration as we like to admire the scenery and take our time for a snack break

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AB86
AB86

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The total elevation gain is around 400 m. It must be over 500 m if you include the small intermediate climbs: the 150 m or so stated is really unrealistic! And besides, as it takes 3 hours and 10 minutes to cover the 9.72 km (this figure seems about right to me), I’d say this hike is moderately difficult, rather than easy...
Otherwise, no complaints about the description in the PDF file...

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