ILES D'OUESSANT

Group of islands including maritime and bird reserves; part of the Parc Naturel Régional d'Armorique ZICO Just beyond Finistère lie the Iles d'Ouessant. They were first named the Western Isles around BC 330 by Pytheas, a Phoenician navigator sailing up the Atlantic coast in search of tin. The name has stuck - and in English has become corrupted to 'Ushant'.

The islands are geologically similar to the Finistère cape. They sit on the shallow continental shelf like crumbs broken off from the granite plateau of the mainland and left in mid-ocean. The water around them is not very deep and is often rough and choppy. Big Atlantic rollers, which have built up strength over three thousand miles, get up suddenly when they hit the continental shelf, making sailing conditions treacherous. To make matters worse, reefs abound in the shallows, sometimes erupting from the watery spray like giants' teeth. One of the better-selling lines in the tourist shops of Finistère is a poster map of the local coastline depicting the many wrecks which the sea has claimed.

The sea is the key to theclimate of the Iles d'Ouessant. They are warm in winter - February can be warmer here than on the Riviera - and cool in summer because they are completely exposed to prevailing westerlies.

The islands are, for the most part, blessedly deserted and all but two - Ouessant and Molène - are uninhabited. The ferry is small, and can carry no more than two cars at a time. Given that the main road on Ouessant, the largest of the islands, is only about six kilometres (four miles) long, taking a car is pretty pointless. Even on fine summer days when the ferries are full the island is never unpleasantly overrun. There is a fair-sized settlement at Lampaul, the main town; it has four hotels, though few of their visitors stray far from the main road.

Oussant is a flat-topped island with dramatic cliffs all round, rising offshore like a raised game pie. Its central plateau, averaging up to sixty metres (180 feet) above sea level, offers easy walking and cycling. For walkers, there are few paths and you will have to find your own way across the mats of heather and mossy grass, but the bouncy turf is guaranteed to put a spring in your heels.

The islands' cliffs are a boon for connoisseurs of the sea: from vantage points along the cliff tops you can study the ocean's moods, from its wilder rages to peaceful calms when waves gently lap the seaside rocks.

The archipelago is a convenient stopping-off point for migrating birds such as ring ouzel and wheatear, although nesting places on the cliffs are limited because the waves can get so high. The ornithological centre has a list of 350 different species which have been spotted on the islands, including many rare birds such as the yellow-browed warbler, the squacco heron and the whiskered tern.

The islands' few trees and shrubs tend to nestle in hollows out of the wind, or hug the ground; this undergrowth shelters a large population of rabbits. The larger islands provide grazing for a breed of dwarf sheep. In summer, the sun brings out lizards to laze on the dry stone walls which divide the fields.

BEFORE YOU GO

Map: IGN 1:25,000 No. 0317 OT.

GETTING THERE

By air: there is a plane service from Brest to the main island of Ouessant in summer; contact Finist'air, T: 02 98 84 64 87.
By sea: Penn Ar Bed, T: 02 98 80 24 68, has daily ferries from either Brest (journey time: 2½ hrs) or Le Conquet (journey time: 1½ hrs). Finist'mer, T: 02 98 89 16 61, has faster boats from Le Conquet (journey time: 45 mins).

WHERE TO STAY

There are 4 hotels in Lampaul, the main town on the island of Ouessant: Duchesse Ann, T: 02 98 48 80 25; Le Fromveur, T: 02 98 48 81 30; L'Océan, T: 02 98 48 80 03; and Roc'h Ar Mor, T: 02 98 48 80 19. There is also a camp-site, T: 02 98 48 85 65, and youth hostel, T: 02 98 48 80 06, on Ouessant and rooms on the island of Molène. You are advised to book ahead.

ACTIVITIES
Walking: this is lovely walking country; there aren't any signposted paths, but none is needed.
Cycling: Ouessant's size, scarce traffic and flattish countryside make for ideal cycling. There are rental shops at the ferry terminal.
Riding: contact Ty Crenn, T: 02 98 48 86 54, for trips around the island.
Fishing: contact Stang Ar Merdy, T: 02 98 48 86 54 (July-Aug).
Watersports: there are canoe, sailing and diving clubs on the island. For diving contact Ouessant Subaqua, T: 02 98 48 83 84 (open July-Aug).
Bird-watching: contact the Centre Ornithologique, T: 02 98 48 82 65. Trips to Molène (July-Aug), T: 02 98 49 07 18.
Museum: the Ecomusée d'Ouessant, T: 02 98 48 86 37, set in 2 restored houses, shows how the island's hardy inhabitants lived in the 19th century (closed Tues).

FURTHER INFORMATION

Tourist office:
Lampaul (Ouessant), pl de l'Eglise, T: 02 98 48 85 83, F: 02 98 48 87 09.