Of all the Breton islands, the tiny Île de Sein, just 8km off the end of the Pointe du Raz, has to be the most extraordinary. Its very grip on existence seems so tenuous that it's hard to believe anyone could truly survive here; nowhere does it rise more than six metres above the surrounding ocean, and for much of its 2.5-kilometre length it's barely broader than the breakwater wall of bricks that serves as its central spine.In fact, the island has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and it was reputed to have been the very last refuge of the druids in Brittany. It also became famous during World War II, when its entire male population answered Général de Gaulle's call to join him in exile in England. Today, over three hundred islanders continue to make their living from the sea, gathering rainwater and seaweed and fishing for scallops, lobster and crayfish. Setting off to reach the island on a misty morning feels as though you're sailing off the edge of the world. Depending on the tide, boats pull in at one or other of the two adjoining harbours that constitute Sein's one tightknit village. There are no cars on the island, and even bicycles are not permitted. A little beach appears in front of the village at low tide, and it also holds a museum of local history (June & Sept daily 10am–noon & 2–4pm, July & Aug daily 10am–noon & 2–6pm; €2.50), packed with black-and-white photos and press clippings, and displaying a long list of shipwrecks from 1476 onwards. The basic activity for visitors, however, is to take a bracing walk. The principal departure point for boats to Sein is Ste-Evette beach, just outside Audierne; the crossing takes around an hour. Services are operated by Vedette-Biniou (daily: second half of June & first half of Sept 10am; early July 10am & 1.30pm; mid-July to Aug 10am, 1.30pm & 5pm; tel 02.98.70.21.15; [email protected]; adults €20.50 return, under-17s €12), and Penn Ar Bed (daily: July & Aug 9am, 11.30am & 4.50pm; Sept–June 9.30am; tel 02.98.70.70.70, www.pennarbed.fr; adults €21 return, under-17s €12.60). On Sundays in July and August, Penn Ar Bed also runs trips to Sein from Brest (departs 8am; adults €29 return, under-17s €17.40) via Camaret (8.45am; adults €26 return, under-17s €15.60). Sein is hardly bursting with facilities, but it does hold two hotels: the Trois Dauphins, looking out over the beach from the middle of the port (tel 02.98.70.92.09; €30–40; closed Mon), and the Hôtel-Restaurant d'Armen (tel 02.98.70.90.77; €40–55), the very last building you come to as you walk west out of town – all its rooms face the sea, as there's ocean on both sides, and it serves good food. Alternate spellings:: France, Īle de Sein, Île de Sein, Ile de Sein
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