Remarkable natural sites

As soon as you land at Port Tudy, where our hotel is located, you’ll feel the unique atmosphere of the Île de Groix, an exceptionally beautiful landscape full of history. To learn more about it, what could be better than exploring some of its most beautiful sites? Nicknamed the “Île aux Grenats” (the Island of Garnets), you’ll soon discover that the island is full of wonders.

The François le Bail nature reserve 
Founded in 1982, this is the only geological nature reserve concerning mineralogy. It consists of two sectors: the Pen Men-Beg Melen sector with its cliffs of major geological interest, with large stretches of coastal grass and heathland; and the Locqueltas sector at the Pointe des Chats, comprised of a narrow coastal fringe running to the “Chemin des douaniers” (Custom officer’s path) as well as the rocky foreshore. It is also a bird sanctuary.
The reserve’s visitor centre, located in Le Bourg (10 minutes by bike from the hotel) will allow you to discover the island’s heritage.

Natura 2000
The east and west of the Île de Groix have very distinctive characteristics. On the one side, there is heathland consisting of European gorse and Cornish heath, while on the other are shifting sand dunes, including the Grands Sables beach, Europe’s only convex beach. Groix benefits from being part of the EU’s Natura 2000 network, protecting natural heritage at a pan-European level.

Conservatoire du littoral
The wild coast and the site of the Fort du Grognon in the north west of the island are the property of the Conservatoire du littoral (France’s coastal protection agency), who also help to protect the island’s cultural heritage.

Le Conservatoire de l'abeille noire de Groix
Like on Ushant or Belle-Île, amateur beekeepers on the Île de Groix have formed an association to set up a conservatory to protect and conserve the typical characteristics of the island’s dark bee population.