LE CONQUET, at the far western tip of Brittany, 24km beyond Brest, is a wonderful place, scarcely developed, with a long beach of clean white sand, protected from the winds by the narrow spit of the Kermorvan peninsula. It's very much a working fishing village, with grey-stone houses leading down to the stone jetties of a cramped harbour. It occasionally floods, causing great amusement to locals who watch the waves wash over cars left there by tourists taking the ferry out to Ouessant and Molène. A good walk 5km south brings you to the lighthouse at Pointe St-Mathieu, looking out to the islands from its site among the ruins of a Benedictine abbey. A small exhibition explains the abbey's history, including the legend that it holds the skull of St Matthew, brought here from Ethiopia by local seafarers (April–Sept daily 2.30–6.30pm; Oct–March Wed, Sat & Sun 2–6pm; €1.50).The Relais du Vieux Port, quai Drellac (tel 02.98.89.15.91; €30–40; closed Jan), offers a handful of attractive but inexpensive rooms right by the jetty in Le Conquet, and has a simple crêperie downstairs. Nearby, the larger Pointe Ste Barbe (tel 02.98.89.00.26; €30–125; closed Mon out of season & mid-Nov to mid-Dec), offers amazing sea views to guests in its more expensive rooms, and has a great restaurant, where menus start at €16. There's also a well-equipped campsite close to the sands of the Kermorvan peninsula, Le Théven (tel 02.98.89.06.90; closed Oct–March).
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