The Pointe du Grouin and its bird island | Saint-Malo – Mont-Saint-Michel Bay

Between Saint-Malo & Cancale The Pointe du Grouin

A wealth of biodiversity to awaken the senses…

The final stage of the walk along the GR®34 between Saint-Malo and Cancale, the Pointe du Grouin marks the end of a natural and rocky journey that can only be covered on foot. The Pointe du Grouin is reached via the undulating Saussaye path. The most advanced rocky promontory in Ille et Vilaine, it offers views of Cap Fréhel to the left and Granville and the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel to the right. As you gaze towards the horizon, you can make out two marvels: Mont-Saint-Michel, 25 kilometres away, and the Chausey islands further out to sea.

The Mont-Saint-Michel and the Chausey islands are two of the most spectacular sights in the world.

©©Emmanuel Berthier - Cancale|Emmanuel Berthier

©Pointe Du Grouin Cancale Yann Langevin 7870|Yann Langevin

©Coucher De Soleil Sur La Pointe Du Grouin Cancale Yann Langevin 7807|Yann Langevin

©Pointe Du Grouin Cancale Simon Bourcier 7794|Simon Bourcier

©Coucher De Soleil Sur La Pointe Du Grouin Cancale Yann Langevin 7812|Yann Langevin

On the way back to the rocky outcrop, a number of paths cross slopes adorned with lichens and wild flowers. With a nature guide, you learn to smell and appreciate simple things again. You’ll discover that lighthouse keepers used sea mallow, and that fennel was originally a wild plant. Other plant species, such as yarrow, will prove to be formidable remedies.

Before the end of the headland, a restaurant provides food for a meal. In its wake, some very recognisable concrete blocks remind us of the strategic position of this place during the Second World War. Their walls are home to bats…

©Coucher De Soleil Sur La Pointe Du Grouin Cancale Yann Langevin 7813|Yann Langevin

©©Thibault Poriel - Cancale|©Thibault Poriel

L’île des Landes a haven for seabirds

If there are magical places, then l’île des Landes is one of them. Inaccessible because it is surrounded by the sea and protected, the “locals” nickname it “l’île aux oiseaux”.

This biological reserve created by the association Bretagne Vivante (also known as the Society for the Study and Protection of Nature in Brittany) is home to the largest colony of seabirds in Brittany. Only members of the association go ashore once a year to count the species. However, it is perfectly possible to observe them from the Pointe du Grouin, just 600 metres away. Guides are on hand in summer to raise awareness of the different bird species. And speaking of birds, what species can you spot? The great cormorant is the most emblematic bird of the area. It shares the cliffs of Ile des Landes with its cousin, the crested cormorant, as well as with Belon shelducks, oystercatchers and herring gulls.

Other specimens, even more marvellous, regularly pass between the headland and Ile aux oiseaux. Breaking majestically out of the water for a moment, schools of bottlenose dolphins roam the Bay. You wouldn’t believe it, and yet this is a common sight between Cancale and Saint-Malo!

Event The Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe

The Herpin lighthouse, starting point for the Route du Rhum

A guardian of the coast, the Herpin lighthouse is located just a few hundred metres from the Pointe du Grouin. Symbolising the start of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, it occasionally becomes the starting point for the famous Route du Rhum yacht race.