Le Pouldu Beach

Le Pouldu is a small seaside village in the commune of Clohars-Carnoët, in southern Finistère, where the river Laïta reaches the Atlantic, and its sandy beaches are among the most pleasant on the Breton south coast. It is some twenty kilometres from Pont-Aven, and the two places are linked by the painters who worked in both. The Plage du Pouldu, wide and sandy, lies at the foot of the village, with dunes behind and rocky points on either side. The sand is fine and the water is clean, though the Atlantic is cool and the surf can be strong, so swimming is best near the lifeguarded areas in summer. The season runs mainly from May to September, but the coast path along the shore is walkable all year, and the beach is open at all times.

The art history of the place explains much of its interest. In 1889 Paul Gauguin came to Le Pouldu from Pont-Aven with the Dutch painter Meijer de Haan, and the two settled at the inn run by Marie Henry, close to the beach. Other artists, among them Paul Sérusier and Charles Filiger, joined them, and the group painted, drew and carved during the following winter. They decorated the dining room of the inn with murals, painted on the walls, doors and windows, in the style that would become known as Synthetism, which used flat areas of colour and strong outlines. The inn became a place of artistic experiment, and the dining room was removed in the twentieth century. Today the Maison-musée du Pouldu, a reconstruction of the inn, gives a view of how the group lived and worked. The Centre d'Interprétation Gauguin is a separate site elsewhere in the area, so ask locally for the current arrangements.

The natural setting is a draw in itself. The mouth of the Laïta is a wide estuary with sandbanks that appear at low tide, lined with woods, and the nearby forest of Carnoët offers shaded walks. The coast path, part of the GR34 long-distance trail, runs west and east of the village, with cliffs, coves and small beaches, and the Plage de Kerou and the Grands Sables beach are easily reached. Cycling is popular in the flat landscape, and the village has crêperies, small hotels and campsites, with a quiet, old-fashioned atmosphere that suits families.

The beach is free to enter, and parking is available close to the sand in the summer. Beyond the village, Pont-Aven with its museum, the Maison des Sculpteurs and the Croix du Cimetière can be visited in the same day, and a river walk in Pont-Aven makes a pleasant addition. A visit suits families, walkers and anyone interested in the art of Gauguin and his circle.