Gwendrez – the white, sandy beach

Gwendrez beach is a surfers’ paradise in winter yet during summer no other beach can compare with its lagoon-like waters and its location in a carefully protected site just minutes away from the world-famous archaeological site of the Pointe du Souc’h.

Gwendrez beach stretches along 8km of Plouhinec coastline in the Bay of Audierne. Nearby sits the sheltered harbour of Pors-Poulhan and in the archaeological digs above Gwendrez lies evidence that our ancestors had mastered the use of fire some 450 000 years ago, evidence that brought previous theory into question. All of which goes to show that this is a place filled with history!

 More recently in our history, surfers made their own discoveries at Gwendrez, notably the amazing waves known as the ‘big fat breuzh’.

 ‘When I turned up in Gwendrez, I would have thought it was 1000km further south,’ said one famous body-boarder. ‘Each wave was crashing with such tremendous force! This spot, Gwendrez, became the stuff of legend in one session.’

 Gwendrez even has a ‘tiralo’, a special floating wheelchair that allows handicapped and disabled people to get to the beach and enjoy what it has to offer.

 However, safety must always come first: the sea can be utterly spellbinding in the summer, turning an azure-blue and framed by sand-dunes and heather, making it easy to forget how powerful she can be. Although this it is not permitted to swim in the sea at Gwendrez, the beach is always popular during summer. That is why we still keep lifeguards on watch on this part of the coast because although beautiful, the waters here are dangerous.

 To find Gwendrez beach, you simply take the coastal route known as ‘la Route du Vent Solaire’ that lies between Plozévet and Audierne
.