Les Sables Blancs Beach

Les Sables Blancs is the main beach of Concarneau, on the south coast of Finistère in Brittany. It stretches for more than 500 metres of fine pale sand, which is where the name, meaning the white sands, comes from, and it faces the bay of La Forêt-Fouesnant. At one end the Cabellou peninsula closes the view, and across the water you can see the shoreline curve toward the neighbouring resorts. The sand is soft and the slope is gentle, so the beach suits families with young children as well as swimmers and sunbathers.

The setting is that of a small seaside quarter with hotels, restaurants and cocktail bars along the front, plus a nautical centre that offers sailing, kayaks and other water sports. The sheltered bay is good for paddling and dinghies, and windy days bring windsurfers and kitesurfers. Divers and snorkellers also use the area, although visibility and conditions depend on the weather. As on all Breton beaches, the tide changes the character of the beach a great deal. At low tide there is a wide expanse of sand, and at high tide the water reaches close to the front.

It is easy to combine the beach with the rest of Concarneau. The walled old town, the Ville Close, stands on an island in the harbour, with ramparts you can walk, and the Musée de la Pêche, the fishing museum, tells the story of the town's tuna and sardine fleets. The Old Port and the Place de la Liberté add to the choice of things to see. Concarneau also has literary links, as the novelist Georges Simenon lived here in the early 1930s and set one of his Maigret stories in the town.

Getting to the beach is straightforward. You can drive and park near the sand, take a local bus from the station, or walk along the GR 34 coastal path, which follows the shore and gives pleasant views along the cliff edge. Wear comfortable shoes if you walk, and check the bus times in advance, because services are less frequent out of season. Access to the beach is free.

Les Sables Blancs suits families, walkers on the coastal path and anyone who wants a relaxed beach day after a morning in the Ville Close. The water in Brittany is cool even in summer, so a wetsuit is an advantage for longer water sports. In the evening the bay is calm, and a walk on the sand makes a quiet finish to a day.