La Maison des gardiens de phare: an exceptional eco-lodge

Take the boat with your pack and discover Île Vierge, your new refuge. As a lighthouse keeper for a day in this new setting, it's easy to get caught up in the game: scanning the horizon for ships, enjoying meals, keeping an eye on the weather and taking in the incredible view from the top of your stone tower...

AN ISLAND: L'île Vierge (Enez-Verc'h in Breton) is located 1.5 km off the coast of Plouguerneau, in northern Finistère. Its silhouette, punctuated by 2 lighthouses, dominates the Celtic Sea. Owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral, this 6-hectare island is a beautiful, protected natural area. Here, flora & fauna cohabit in an environment as mineral as it is plant.

An exceptional site, the public can wander around the gîte during the day, but as soon as the visits are over (early evening) and until 10am the next day, the island regains its calm.

From November to March, you'll enjoy a timeless experience... Like the lighthouse keepers of yesteryear, you'll be alone in the world, watching over the island and enjoying the peace and quiet of the place, disturbed only by your neighbors, the gulls... From March to October, the island comes back to life and the big lighthouse opens its doors to passengers disembarked on the island by the Vedettes... These organized tours allow you to enjoy a guided discovery of this giant of the seas.

However, bird nesting takes place from February 15 to July 31, during which time the west side of Île Vierge is not accessible.

TWO PHARES

Ideally situated to mark the rocky coastline of the Pays des Abers, Île Vierge is home to 2 elegant lighthouses. On August 15, 1845, the light first burst forth from the small square tower on Île Vierge: 33 metres high and visible for almost 25 km! In 1902, the large lighthouse on Île Vierge took over the task of beaconing the coastline of the capricious Celtic Sea. This 82.5-metre edifice, the world's tallest freestone lighthouse, offers a greater range for its white light, which flashes every 5 seconds over a distance of almost 50 kilometers!

AN EXCEPTIONAL ECO-GITE

Until 2010, the island was home to generations of lighthouse keepers. Now it's your turn. You can stay in a warm and welcoming building, which has kept its soul of yesteryear, at the foot of the little white lighthouse. This 150 m² house, where the immensity of the sea can be seen through the windows, can accommodate 9 people and a baby. When you open the door, you'll discover a robust yet delicate interior: whitewashed stone vaults, original granite floor tiles and refined parquet flooring.

The icing on the cake is this door, on the landing of the 4 bedrooms, which leads to the top of the small lighthouse, the ideal spot to enjoy a sunrise and/or sunset, in the heart of this glass dome.